Review on Welding Criteria Related to Hydrogen Transport in Carbon Steel Pipelines

Abstract:

Nowadays, the application of hydrogen as an energy carrier has become important as a result of decreasing availability of oil and gas fields as well as increasing demands on sustainable energy carriers. Providing an adequate hydrogen transportation infrastructure is a key step. During transportation, many different materials can interact with hydrogen, but in order to transport high quantities of hydrogen at higher pressures, the use of steels is preferred. However, hydrogen has many negative effects on steel, thus extensive research needs to be performed before hydrogen can be transported safely. Solubility of hydrogen in steel depends on the temperature, pressure, and the crystal structure of steel, so welding is also an important subject. Since most of the steel structures are welded, welded joints should also be examined for exposure to hydrogen. In the case of welding, a number of factors can decrease the hydrogen resistance of the welded joint and thus increase the risk of degradation by hydrogen. In this research work, hydrogen damage, and hydrogen traps will be reviewed. Possible ways to reduce the diffusible hydrogen content will also be summarized, as well as aspects of the filler material and shielding gas selection. In addition, an overview will be provided on welding technology aspects of carbon steels related to hydrogen, such as heat input, preheating, t_8/5 cooling time, heat-affected zone size, number of weld runs, effect of discontinuities, etc. In general, filler material with the lowest possible diffusible hydrogen content should be used; for electrode coatings and fluxes, special care should be taken to ensure proper baking; for wire electrodes, care should be taken to ensure surface cleanliness; in case of shielding gas the use of the purest possible shielding gas is recommended, and the use of shielding gas containing hydrogen is prohibited; and strict attention must also be paid to the purity of the base material. In addition, other important considerations for welding technology development will be outlined for carbon steels. Such as pipelines, where the most important technological aspects of welding will also be discussed, e.g. low heat input, multi-pass weld design, etc.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 1031)
• Pages: 101-119
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-pK30IF
• Online since: November 2025
• Authors: Ádám Pap*, Ákos Meilinger, Marcell Gáspár
• Keywords: Carbon Steel, Hydrogen, Transportation, Welding, Welding Technology

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