Hydrogen Solubility in Liquid and Solid Pure Aluminum—Critical Review of Measurement Methodologies and Reported Values

Abstract

Reliable information on the solubility of hydrogen in aluminum and its alloys is critical to the effort of the aluminum industry to control and ameliorate the usually deleterious effects of hydrogen on the properties and performance of pure aluminum and aluminum alloy products. Unfortunately, there is a significant disparity between published values of hydrogen solubility in pure aluminum and aluminum alloys. This is because the measurement of the extremely low soluble hydrogen concentration in aluminum and its alloys is experimentally difficult. Also, the reproducibility, accuracy, and reliability of the hydrogen solubility values are very sensitive to the measurement techniques, test conditions, chemical composition, and state of the aluminum sample. Thus, no serious discussion of the reliability of reported values of hydrogen solubility in aluminum and its alloys can be undertaken without a critical assessment of the fundamental principles of the experimental techniques used in the determination of the reported values. In this article, a critical review of the fundamental principles of the experimental techniques used in the measurement of hydrogen solubility in liquid and solid pure aluminum and aluminum alloys is presented. In addition, the reliability and possible accuracy of reported values of hydrogen solubility in solid and liquid pure aluminum are critically assessed. Empirical equations for calculating hydrogen solubility in liquid and solid pure aluminum as a function of temperature and pressure, derived from the most reliable sets of data are recommended. At 101.3 kPa (1 atm.) hydrogen partial pressure, the most reliable values of hydrogen solubility at the melting point (833 K) of pure aluminum are 0.71 cm3/100g (i.e., 6.32 × 10-5 wt.% H) and 0.043 cm3/100g (i.e., 3.81 × 10-6 wt.% H), in the liquid and solid state, respectively. So, the partition coefficient of hydrogen in pure aluminum is 0.061.