TY - JOUR A1 - Erxleben, Kjell A1 - Kaiser, Sebastian A1 - Rhode, Michael A1 - Kannengiesser, Thomas A1 - Kromm, Arne T1 - In-service and repair welding of pressurized hydrogen pipelines–a review on current challenges and strategies N2 - Hydrogen is the energy carrier for a sustainable future without fossil fuels. As this requires a reliable transportation infrastructure, the conversion of existing natural gas (NG) grids is an essential part of the worldwide individual national hydrogen strategies, in addition to newly erected pipelines. In view of the known effect of hydrogen embrittlement, the compatibility of the materials already in use (typically low-alloy steels in a wide range of strengths and thicknesses) must be investigated. Initial comprehensive studies on the hydrogen compatibility of pipeline materials indicate that these materials can be used to a certain extent. Nevertheless, the material compatibility for hydrogen service is currently of great importance. However, pipelines require frequent maintenance and repair work. In some cases, it is necessary to carry out welding work on pipelines while they are under pressure, e.g., the well-known tapping of NG grids. This in-service welding brings additional challenges for hydrogen operations in terms of additional hydrogen absorption during welding and material compatibility. The challenge can be roughly divided into two parts: (1) the possible austenitization of the inner piping material exposed to hydrogen, which can lead to additional hydrogen absorption, and (2) the welding itself causes an increased temperature range. Both lead to a significantly increased hydrogen solubility in the respective materials compared to room temperature. In that connection, the knowledge on hot tapping on hydrogen pipelines is rare so far due to the missing service experiences. Fundamental experimental investigations are required to investigate the possible transferability of the state-of-the-art concepts from NG to hydrogen pipeline grids. This is necessary to ensure that no critical material degradation occurs due to the potentially increased hydrogen uptake. For this reason, the paper introduces the state of the art in pipeline hot tapping, encompassing current research projects and their individual solution strategies for the problems that may arise for future hydrogen service. Methods of material testing, their limitations, and possible solutions will be presented and discussed. KW - In-service KW - Welding KW - Hydrogen pipeline KW - Review PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-638847 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-025-02127-x SN - 0043-2288 SP - 1 EP - 24 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-63884 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Erxleben, Kjell T1 - Component test for the assessment of in-service welding on/onto pressurized hydrogen pipelines N2 - Hydrogen is seen as the energy carrier of the future. Therefore a reliable infrastructure to transport hydrogen in a large scale is needed. A so called European hydrogen backbone out of long distance transmission pipelines is planned by European countries to create a hydrogen transport infrastructure. Due to economic reasons this will be achieved by new build pipelines such as repurposed natural Gas (NG) pipelines, converted to hydrogen useage. A general suitability for hydrogen service of low alloyed pipeline steel, as it is used for NG service today, is given. But in case of necessary in-service welding procedures in terms of e.g. hot-tapping and stoppling, the risk of a critical hydrogen uptake into the pipe materials due to much higher temeperatures while welding and the possibility of hydrogen embrittlement (HE) needs to be closely investigated. The presentation gives an overview of the current H2-SuD project, investigating the feasability of in-service welding on future hydrogen pipelines. Therefore, component-like demonstrators were developed to test (I) the additional hydrogen uptake due to in-service welding under hydrogen pressure and (II) to measure the temperature field due to different welding parameters and demonstrator geometries, especially on the inner pipe wall surface. Collected data will be used to validate a numerical simulation of the thermal field and additionally the hydrogen diffusion in the pipeline material. T2 - Presentation at The University of Manchester CY - Manchester, United Kingdom DA - 12.09.2025 KW - In-service KW - Hydrogen KW - Pipeline KW - Welding PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64129 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rhode, Michael A1 - Erxleben, Kjell A1 - Richter, Tim A1 - Schröpfer, Dirk A1 - Mente, Tobias A1 - Michael, Thomas T1 - Local mechanical properties of dissimilar metal TIG welded joints of CoCrFeMnNi high entropy alloy and AISI 304 austenitic steel N2 - Multiple principal element alloys encompass the well-known high entropy alloys (HEA). The alloy system represents a new class of materials consisting of at least three alloying elements, each containing 5 to 35 at.%. Thus, this alloying concept differs fundamentally from conventional materials such as steel or nickel alloys. For this purpose, the alloying elements are specifically selected, the microstructures are adjusted in a single-phase and, in some cases, multi-phase manner. In particular, conflicting goals, such as the trade-off between strength and ductility in conventional steels, are overcome. However, in the last 20 years, the focus has been on material synthesis. With the increase in available material quantities, the focus is now on processing issues such as joining and welding processes. The weldability of HEAs has received very little attention so far. The experience with dissimilar metal welds is completely lacking but is essential for the application of these materials in combination with conventional materials. The present study presents comprehensive experimental results on the weldability of an equimolar CoCrFeMnNi-HEA in cold-rolled and heat-treated condition, which was joined by tungsten inert gas welding to an austenitic steel AISI 304. The mechanical properties of the dissimilar metal welds were characterized by cross-weld tensile samples, whereas the local deformation in the weld of the different welding zones was measured by digital image correlation. In accordance with the respective initial HEA condition (cold-rolled vs. heat-treated), the local strain behavior was divergent and influenced the global mechanical properties of both DMW types. Nonetheless, the experiments provided proof in principle of the weldability for dissimilar joints of the CoCrFeMnNi-HEA welded to conventional materials like austenitic stainless steels ensuring a corresponding capability for mechanical loading. This allows further considerations on the application of these innovative materials. KW - TIG welding KW - High-entropy alloys KW - Mechanical properties KW - Dissimilar metal weld PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-595775 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-024-01718-4 SN - 0043-2288 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-59577 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Erxleben, Kjell T1 - Hydrogen determination in welded metallic materials: Necessity and challenges N2 - In the course of tomorrow's hydrogen-based energy transition, the construction of the corresponding infrastructure will play a central role. The majority of materials used to date are typically welded for component fabrication. In that context, steels are widely applied and can be prone to hydrogen embrittlement. For the evaluation of any hydrogen effect on, for example, the mechanical properties of a welded metallic material, the hydrogen content must be precisely determined. According to ISO 3690, carrier gas hot extraction (CGHE) can be used. In addition to the pure quantification of hydrogen, thermal desorption analysis (TDA) with varied heating rates can be used to determine and evaluate the bonding state at microstructural defects in the material. For both techniques, experimental and measurement influences have to be considered, which have a great effect on the result. For CGHE, for example, ISO 3690 suggests different sample geometries as well as minimum extraction times. The present study summarizes results and experiences of numerous investigations with different sample temperatures and geometries (ISO 3690 type B and cylindrical TDA samples) regarding: the influence of the sample surface (polished/welded), measurement accuracies depending on the sample volume. In particular, a deviating extraction temperature to the set temperature, can significantly falsify the measurement results. Based on the results, methods are shown to quickly reach the desired extraction temperature without having to physically interfere with the measurement equipment. This serves to substantially improve the reliability of hydrogen measurement through increased signal stability and accelerated hydrogen desorption. In general, an independent temperature measurement with dummy samples for the selected heating procedure is advisable to exclude possible unwanted temperature influences already before the measurement. In addition (and way more important), the methods described can be transferred directly to industrial applications. T2 - Eurocorr 2023 - The European Corrosion Congress CY - Brussels, Belgium DA - 27.08.2023 KW - Hydrogen KW - Carrier gas hot extraction KW - Welding KW - ISO 3690 KW - Measurement PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58305 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Erxleben, Kjell T1 - Repair welding of in service hydrogen pipelines N2 - In the course of tomorrow's hydrogen-based energy transition, the construction of the corresponding infrastructure will play a central role. In that context, large diameter long-distance transmission pipelines for hydrogen will be the backbone in the European Union with service pressures from 70 to 90 bar (e.g., depending on national regulations). It is a major goal to rededicate the existing LNG infrastructure despite the necessity of new pipelines. From that point of view repairing of such transmissions pipelines via welding can be necessary. For the LNG infrastructure, it is state of the art that repair welding is conducted at pipelines under service, i.e., the LNG is still flowing as pressurized gas in the steel pipes. The reason is that a shut-down of large diameter pipelines is not so easy or sometimes impossible. In fact, as long no oxygen enters the pipeline, there would be any combustion or (in the worst case) explosion. At the moment, it is entirely open if current repair welding procedures for LNG pipelines can be transferred to pure hydrogen pipelines. In opposite to LNG, hydrogen can be way easier absorbed to the pipeline steels and diffuses through the material. If it accumulates in susceptible regions, i.e., in the welded joint, hydrogen assisted embrittlement could occur. The planned welding procedure requires a so-called preheating and maintenance of the weld joint of up to 300°C for several hours. This temperature is way higher compared to the typical service temperature of max. 40 to 50°C at operational pressures of 100 bar. In accordance to API 941, these low-alloyed pipeline steels are subjected to short-term service loads, which they are not designed for. For that reason, a collaborative project between BAM and DVGW (German Association for Gas and Water professions) was initiated in 2022 to answer the following questions by experiments and numerical simulation of: (1) How many hydrogen is additionally absorbed during the heating of the material to max. 300°C under remaining operational pressures? (2) Is the hydrogen concentration sufficient to reach a critical condition? (3) Which material and weld microstructure is the most susceptible? (4) Is there a significant difference in the repair welding behavior of LNG pipelines that had been already in use for long-term? (5) Which welding parameters and joint dimensions must be ensured for safe repair welding repair of typical pipelines? For that reason, the present study gives an overview on the current practice in repair welding of in-service pipelines, the industrial importance of this topic for the hydrogen-based energy transition and summarizes first results. T2 - Eurocorr 2023 - The European Corrosion Congress CY - Brussels, Belgium DA - 27.08.2023 KW - Hydrogen KW - Repair Welding KW - Pipeline KW - In-service KW - High-pressure PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58334 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Richter, Tim A1 - Erxleben, Kjell A1 - Rhode, Michael A1 - Schröpfer, Dirk A1 - Michael, Thomas A1 - Börner, Andreas T1 - Microstructure characterization of dissimilar metal welds of innovative high- and medium-entropy alloys to austenitic stainless steels joint by tungsten inert gas and friction stir welding N2 - The new multi-element alloying concept of systems with defined entropy (HEA — high-entropy alloy or MEA — medium-entropy alloy) is increasing in material research interest. Improved properties or combinations of properties are shown by several systems. Thus, the resulting microstructures and production of HEA/MEA as well as properties have been primarily investigated so far. Furthermore, processing is a key issue to transfer HEA/MEA systems to real components. Since welding is the most important joining process for metals, it is crucial to investigate the influence of welding to guarantee component integrity. Since most HEA are made of expensive alloying elements such as Co or Ni, they will not be used entirely as structural materials. Thus, it can be advantageous to weld conventional alloys such as austenitic stainless steels with the HEA and MEA to produce components that are both application-oriented and economically viable. Therefore, in this paper, first results of dissimilar metal welding, by tungsten inert gas (TIG) and friction stir welding (FSW), of a CoCrFeMnNi HEA as well as a CoCrNi MEA with a conventional AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel are presented. The focus is on the microstructure formation due to the two welding processes. The results of TIG welding show a dendritic microstructure, whereas in FSW both materials are stirred but still coexist. KW - Metals and Alloys KW - Mechanical Engineering KW - Mechanics of Materials PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-023-01618-z SN - 1878-6669 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-59252 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Erxleben, Kjell T1 - Prüfkonzept für die Wasserstoffaufnahme beim Schweißen im Betrieb an Wasserstoffpipelines N2 - Für eine effektive Nutzung von Wasserstoff ist zukünftig ein nationales, sowie europäisches Wasserstoffnetz aus Pipelines geplant. Schweißen an zukünftigen Wasserstoffpipelines im Betrieb (unter Gasfluss und Druck) ist dabei unumgänglich. Für Erdgaspipelines bestehen etablierte Reparaturkonzepte, wie z.B. das "Hot-tapping". Beim Schweißen an Wasserstoffpipelines muss jedoch eine erhöhte Wasserstoffaufnahme in das Pipelinematerial hinlänglich untersucht werden, um mögliche wasserstoffinduzierte Schädigungen auszuschließen. Im Rahmen des Projekts H2-SuD "Schweißen an in Betrieb befindlichen Wasserstoffpipelines" wurde ein Prüfkonzept für die Wasserstoffaufnahme beim Schweißen im Betrieb entwickelt, getestet und angewandt. Dabei wurden realitätsnahe Schweißexperimente an unter Druck stehenden Demonstratoren durchgeführt. Anschließend wurde eine kryogene Probenentnahmeprozedur etabliert und der diffusible Wasserstoffgehalt in den Proben via Trägergasheißextraktion (TGHE) ermittelt. Vielfältige Schweißexperimente an unter 50 bar bis 100 bar Druckwasserstoff stehenden Demonstratoren verschiedener Durchmesser (DN50, DN200) und Wandstärken (4,1 mm bis 7,8 mm) wurden mit unterschiedlichen Schweißparametern durchgeführt. Dabei wurde ein signifikanter Einfluss von Wandstärke, Streckenenergie, Schweißnahtgeometrie und Abkühlbedingung auf die Wasserstoffaufnahme nachgewiesen. Die Durchführbarkeit und Eignung des Prüfkonzepts wurde aufgezeigt. T2 - Bacheloranden-, Masteranden-, Doktoranden Kolloquium (BMDK) OvGU Magdeburg CY - Magdeburg, Germany DA - 22.01.2025 KW - Reparaturschweißen KW - Pipeline KW - Wasserstoff KW - Ferngasleitung PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-62502 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Erxleben, Kjell T1 - Reparaturschweißen zukünftiger, in Betrieb befindlicher Wasserstoffpipelines N2 - Wasserstoff leistet als Energieträger der Zukunft einen entscheidenden Beitrag zur nachhaltigen Energieversorgung. Der Transport wird vorwiegend durch das europäische Ferngasleitungsnetz erfolgen. Bisherige Untersuchungen zeigen, dass bisher verwendete Rohrstähle grundsätzlich für den Wasserstofftransport geeignet sind. Diese Eignung ist nicht direkt auf Reparaturfragestellungen im Betrieb übertragbar, da Schweißungen aus technisch-ökonomischen Gründen oft unter fortwährendem Gasfluss durchgeführt werden. Ein im Erdgasnetz angewandtes Konzept ist das Anbohren druckführender Pipelines („Hot Tapping“). Dazu werden Zylinderhalbschalen zuerst durch Längs- und dann per Rohrrundnähten an die Pipeline geschweißt. Essenziell ist dabei die maßgeschneiderte Wärmeeinbringung, um das „Durchbrennen“ in die Pipeline zu vermeiden. Für zukünftige Wasserstoffpipelines liegt der Fokus u.a. auf dünnwandigen Leitungen. Im Gegensatz zu Erdgas, führen die beim Schweißen erreichten hohen Temperaturen an der Innenseite der Pipeline zu einer zusätzlichen Wasserstoffaufnahme in den Rohrstahl mit möglicher Materialdegradation. Zur praktischen Lösung der Fragestellung, sind internationale Aktivitäten im Gang. Diese umfassen bspw. die Möglichkeiten und Weiterentwicklung von realistischen Prüfkonzepten (u.a. durch maßstäbliche Bauteilversuche). Dazu untersucht die Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) in einem DVGW-geförderten Kooperationsprojekt mit Gasnetzbetreibern, die Frage der Übertragbarkeit der Schweißkonzepte der Erdgastechnik auf zukünftiger Wasserstoffpipelines. T2 - DVS CONGRESS 2024 CY - Erfurt, Germany DA - 16.09.2024 KW - Schweißen KW - Reparatur KW - Wasserstoff KW - Pipeline PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61076 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Erxleben, Kjell T1 - Reparaturschweißen zukünftiger, in Betrieb befindlicher Wasserstoffpipelines N2 - Es existieren konkrete nationale und europäische Pläne für eine Wasserstoffpipeline Netz. Dieses soll in Zukunft eine Nachhaltige Energieversorgung von Industrie mit hohem energiebedarf sicherstellen. Dabei müssen zukünftige Wasserstoffpipelines aus wirtschaftlich und technischen Gründen im Betrieb gewartet, repariert oder erweitert werden. Die Übertragbarkeit von etablierten Reparaturkonzepten von Ergaspipelines, wie das "Hot-tapping", muss für Wasserstoffpipelines hinlänglich untersucht werden. Das Schweißen im Betrieb ist dabei unumgänglich. Durch eine erhöhte thermische Belastungen bei der Schweißprozedur muss die Wassestoffaufnahme in den Pipelinestahl ausgehend von der Innenwand der Pipeline und eine mögliche Materialdegradation (hydrogen embrittlement, HE) eingehend untersucht werden. Dazu wurden im Rahmen des Projekts "H2-SuD" zwei Prüfkonzepte entiwckelt. Ein Demonstrator Konzept (1) zur Bestimmung der Wasserstoffaufnahme durch realistische Reparaturschweißversuche an druckbeaufschlagten Demonstratoren und ein Prüfkonzept (2) mit vereinfachter Geometrie zur Messung von Wärmefeldern, die beim Reparaturschweißen entstehen. Erste Ergebnisse zur Wasserstoffaufnahme (1) und Temperaturmessungen (2) werden präsentiert und bewertet. Beide Prüfkonzepte bieten die experimentelle Grundlage zur Validierung von geplanten Temperatur- und Diffusionssimulationen von Reparaturschweißungen an Wasserstoffpipelines. T2 - 1. Weiterbildungsveranstaltung 2025 des DVS BV Potsdam CY - Götz, Germany DA - 19.02.2025 KW - Reparaturschweißen KW - Wasserstoff KW - Pipeline PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-62606 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Erxleben, Kjell T1 - Component test for safety assessment of in-service welding on / onto pressurized hydrogen pipelines N2 - Hydrogen is the energy carrier of tomorrow for a fossil-free future. This requires a reliable transport infrastructure capable of transporting large quantities of hydrogen, e.g. for the steel and chemical industries. In addition to the construction of new pipelines, the conversion of existing natural gas (NG) networks is an essential part of global hydrogen strategies. The transport of hydrogen is fundamentally different from that of NG, as hydrogen can be absorbed into the pipeline material. Given the known effects of hydrogen embrittlement, the compatibility of the materials for the proposed pipelines (typically low alloy steels in a wide range of strengths and thicknesses) must be investigated. However, pipelines require frequent maintenance, repair, or the need to install additional outlets. In some cases, it is necessary to perform welding on or to the pipelines while they are still in service, i.e. with active gas flow under high pressure, such as the well-known "hot tapping". This in-service welding poses challenges for hydrogen operations in terms of additional hydrogen absorption during welding and material compatibility. The challenge can be roughly divided into the possible austenitization of the inner pipe material exposed to hydrogen, which can lead to sufficient hydrogen absorption, and the welding itself, which causes an increased temperature range. Both lead to a significant increase in hydrogen solubility and diffusivity of the respective materials compared to room temperature. In this context, knowledge about hot tapping on hydrogen pipelines is scarce due to the lack of operational experience. Fundamental experimental investigations are required to investigate the transferability from natural gas to hydrogen pipeline networks. For this reason, the present study presents a specially designed mock-up / demonstrator concept for the realistic assessment of the welding process conditions. T2 - Materials Week 2025 CY - Frankfurt am Main, Germany DA - 02.04.2025 KW - In-service KW - Hydrogen KW - Pipeline KW - Repair welding PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-62874 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -