Study on the permeability behaviour of hydrogen doped natural gas in polyethylene pipeline

Abstract

The use of non-metallic PE pipes to transport hydrogen energy can avoid the problem of hydrogen embrittlement in metal pipes, but due to material characteristics, PE pipes exhibit gas leakage behavior. Therefore, this article conducted a study on the permeability of polyethylene (PE100) as a gas pipeline material for hydrogen-doped gas, mainly analyzing the effects of hydrogen content and gas pressure on the permeability of PE100 gas. We ensure that the raw materials are uniform and free from pore defects through microstructure observation and industrial CT characterization. The experimental results show that with the increase of hydrogen content in the hydrogen-doped gas, the gas permeability coefficient of the sample significantly increases. When the hydrogen content is 60%, the gas permeability coefficient increases by 83% compared to when no hydrogen is added. Further increase in hydrogen content results in no significant change in the gas permeability coefficient; As the gas pressure increases, the gas permeability coefficient of the s ample gradually decreases. This study will provide data support for the safe transportation of hydrogen energy and promote the development of the hydrogen energy industry.