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Behälter aus hochdichtem Polyethylen (PE-HD) werden zur Lagerung und für den Transport von Kraftstoffen eingesetzt. Beim Kontakt beider Medien diffundiert der Kraftstoff in das Polymer, erhöht dessen Volumen und Duktilität und ändert damit das Fließverhalten des Polymers unter Zugbelastung. Zudem weist PE-HD in Luft im verstreckten Bereich das sogenannte strain-whitening (Lichtstreuung) auf, während in Diesel gelagertes PE-HD optisch transparent wird. Zur Untersuchung dieses Phänomens wurden ortsaufgelöste Röntgenrefraktion und –diffraktion (Topographie) eingesetzt. Aus Sicht der molekularen Struktur (Diffraktion) weisen die beiden Probentypen keine Unterschiede auf: im verstreckten Bereich liegt eine „Fasertextur“ der Polymerketten in Belastungsrichtung vor, im unverstreckten Bereich nahezu ideale Isotropie. Die für mikroskopische Strukturen empfindliche Röntgenrefraktion zeigt außerdem für die Probe in Luft im verstreckten Bereich eine ausgeprägte Orientierung von Grenzflächen in Zugrichtung, während die in Diesel gelagerte Probe keine Grenzflächen zeigt. In Analogie zum optischen Verhalten bewirken die ähnlichen Brechungsindizes beider Medien im Röntgenbereich, dass eindiffundierter Diesel als Immersionsflüssigkeit die Brechungseigenschaften herabsetzt.
Behälter aus hochdichtem Polyethylen (PE-HD) werden zur Lagerung und für den Transport von Kraftstoffen eingesetzt. Beim Kontakt beider Medien diffundiert der Kraftstoff in das Polymer, erhöht dessen Volumen und Duktilität und ändert damit das Fließverhalten des Polymers unter Zugbelastung. Zudem weist PE-HD in Luft im verstreckten Bereich das sogenannte strain-whitening (Lichtstreuung) auf, während in Diesel gelagertes PE-HD optisch transparent wird. Zur Untersuchung dieses Phänomens wurden ortsaufgelöste Röntgenrefraktion und –diffraktion (Topographie) eingesetzt. Aus Sicht der molekularen Struktur (Diffraktion) weisen die beiden Probentypen keine Unterschiede auf: im verstreckten Bereich liegt eine „Fasertextur“ der Polymerketten in Belastungsrichtung vor, im unverstreckten Bereich nahezu ideale Isotropie. Die für mikroskopische Strukturen empfindliche Röntgenrefraktion zeigt außerdem für die Probe in Luft im verstreckten Bereich eine ausgeprägte Orientierung von Grenzflächen in Zugrichtung, während die in Diesel gelagerte Probe keine Grenzflächen zeigt. In Analogie zum optischen Verhalten bewirken die ähnlichen Brechungsindizes beider Medien im Röntgenbereich, dass eindiffundierter Diesel als Immersionsflüssigkeit die Brechungseigenschaften herabsetzt.
Polyethylen hoher Dichte (PE-HD) wird als Werkstoff für Rohre und Behälter für den Transport und zur Lagerung von Gefahrgütern verwendet. Für die Beurteilung und technische Freigabe dieser Materialien ist insbesondere das Verständnis des Schädigungsmechanismus des langsamen, umgebungsbedingten Spannungsrisses (engl.: „environmental stress cracking“, ESC) essentiell. ESC tritt bei relativ geringen auf einen Werkstoff einwirkenden mechanischen Spannungen auf. An lokalen Fehlstellen (z.B. Defekte, Inhomogenitäten, Kerben) beginnend wächst ein Riss langsam durch das Material und führt nach gewisser Zeit zu einem charakteristischen, pseudo-spröden Bruch. Dabei wird das Risswachstum durch äußere Medieneinwirkung zusätzlich entscheidend beeinflusst. Dieses langsame Risswachstum wird als Hauptursache für das plötzliche und unerwartete Versagen von Polymerwerkstoffen angesehen.
Eine etablierte Prüfmethode zur Bewertung des Materialverhaltens gegenüber dieses Schädigungsmechanismus ist der Full-Notch Creep Test (FNCT), der für PE-HD Behältermaterialien üblicherweise unter Verwendung von wässrigen Netzmittellösungen (Arkopal N 100) durchgeführt wird. Die aus dem FNCT erhaltene Standzeit dient dabei als Bewertungskriterium für verschiedene PE-HD-Werkstoffe. In einer Studie wurden neben einer typischen Arkopal-N-100-Netzmittellösung praktisch relevante, organische Flüssigkeiten wie Biodiesel und Diesel als Testmedien verwendet, um deren Einfluss auf das ESC-Verhalten von PE-HD-Behältermaterialien zu charakterisieren. Neben der klassischen Standzeit-Auswertung erfolgte eine erweiterte Bruchflächenanalyse mittels Licht- (LM), Laserscanning- (LSM) und Rasterelektronenmikroskopie (REM). Insbesondere die LSM erlaubt eine schnelle und einfache Unterscheidung pseudo-spröder und duktiler Bruchbilder, die zur Beurteilung der Repräsentativität des FNCT für das dem Spannungsriss zugrundeliegenden langsamen Risswachstum von Bedeutung ist.
Polyethylen hoher Dichte (PE-HD) ist ein weit verbreitetes Material für Transportbehälter, die oft für eine längere Nutzungsdauer vorgesehen sind. Insbesondere in diesem Fall können mikroskopische Schäden im Material auch weit unterhalb der Streckgrenze auftreten, die durch eine Spannungskonzentration verursacht werden, deren Ursprung in intrinsischen Materialfehlern oder äußeren Kratzern liegt. Mit fortschreitender Schädigung bilden sich Rissstrukturen, die von verstreckten Fibrillen aufgespannt werden, bis es zum Versagen dieser Fibrillen kommt und sich der Riss ausbreitet. Dieser Schadensmechanismus des langsamen Risswachstums kann durch eine Vielzahl von Umgebungsmedien beschleunigt werden und wird dann als "environmental stress cracking" (ESC) bezeichnet. Eine international normierte Methode zur Validierung der Spannungsrissbeständigkeit von PE-HD Materialien ist der „Full Notch Creep Test“ (FNCT).
Anhand von Bruchflächenauswertungen mittels Rasterelektronenmikroskopie und Laser-Scanning-Mikroskopie, werden die typischen Schädigungsstrukturen des ESC sichtbar. Die fibrillierten Strukturen des ESC auf der Bruchfläche von PE-HD ergeben sich besonders bei oberflächenaktiven wässrigen Umgebungsmedien. In Lösungsmittel-Umgebungsmedien, im Zusammenspiel mit PE-HD, kommt es aufgrund der plastifizierenden Wirkung zur Herabsetzung der Streckspannung und Bruchflächen aus dem FNCT veranschaulichen keine signifikanten Anzeichen des Schädigungsmechanismus ESC.
To set up recommendations on how to define “reasonable minimum composition thresholds” for CO2 streams to access CO2 pipeline networks, we investigated potential impacts of CO2 streams with different and temporally variable compositions and mass flow rates along the CCS chain. All investigations were based on a generic “CCS cluster scenario” in which CO2 streams captured from a spatial cluster of eleven emitters (seven fossil-fired power plants, two cement plants, one refinery and one steel mill) are collected in a regional pipeline network. The resulting CO2 stream (19.78 Mio t impure CO2 per year) is transported in a trunk line (onshore and offshore) and injected into five generic replicate storage structures (Buntsandstein saline aquifers) offshore. Experimental investigations and modeling of selected impacts revealed beneficial as well as adverse impacts of different impurities and their combinations. Overall, no fundamental technical obstacles for transporting, injecting and storing CO2 streams of the considered variable compositions and mass flow rates were observed. We recommend to define minimum composition thresholds for each specific CCS project through limiting
i) the overall CO2 content,
ii) maximum contents of relevant impurities or elements,
iii) acceptable variability of concentrations of critical impurities, and defining impurity combinations to be avoided.
The collaborative project “Impacts of impurities in CO2 streams captured from different emitters in a regional cluster on transport, injection and storage (CLUSTER)” aimed to set up recommendations on how to define “reasonable minimum composition thresholds” that CO2 streams should meet when accessing CO2 transport pipeline networks. Within CLUSTER, we investigated potential impacts of CO2 streams with different and temporally variable compositions and mass flow rates along the whole CCS chain. Investigations included, amongst others, impacts on:
• corrosion of pipeline steel,
• pipeline network design and related transport costs,
• alteration of well bore cements,
• pressure development and rock integrity,
• geochemical reactions, and
• petrophysical and geomechanical rock properties.
All investigations are based on a generic CCS chain scenario. In this scenario, CO2 streams are captured from a spatial cluster of eleven emitters and collected in a regional pipeline network. Emitters comprise seven fossil fuel-fired power plants equipped with different capture technologies, two cement plants, one refinery and one integrated iron and steel plant. In total, 19.78 Mio t CO2 (including impurities) are captured in the emitter cluster annually. The combined CO2 stream is transported in a trunk line with a length of 400 km (100 km of these offshore) and is injected into five generic storage structures. The storage reservoirs are saline aquifers of the Buntsandstein.
The investigations revealed beneficial and deteriorating impacts of different impurities and combinations thereof. Overall, no fundamental technical obstacles for transporting, injecting and storing CO2 streams of the modelled variable compositions and mass flow rates were observed. Based on the results, the CLUSTER project team recommends not to define “minimum composition thresholds” for CO2 streams as strict threshold values for each individual impurity in the stream. Instead, CO2 stream compositions and variabilities for specific CCS projects should be constrained with regard to a set of parameters including i) the overall CO2 content, ii) maximum contents of relevant impurities or elements, iii) acceptable variability of CO2 stream composition, and iv) impurity combinations to be avoided.
The collaborative project “Impacts of impurities in CO2 streams captured from different emitters in a regional cluster on transport, injection and storage (CLUSTER)” aimed to set up recommendations on how to define “reasonable minimum composition thresholds” that CO2 streams should meet when accessing CO2 transport pipeline networks. Within CLUSTER, we investigated potential impacts of CO2 streams with different and temporally variable compositions and mass flow rates along the whole CCS chain. Investigations included, amongst others, impacts on: Corrosion of pipeline steel, pipeline network design and related transport costs, alteration of well bore cements, pressure development and rock integrity, geochemical reactions, and petrophysical and geomechanical rock properties.
All investigations are based on a generic CCS chain scenario. In this scenario, CO2 streams are captured from a spatial cluster of eleven emitters and collected in a regional pipeline network. Emitters comprise seven fossil fuel-fired power plants equipped with different capture technologies, two cement plants, one refinery and one integrated iron and steel plant. In total, 19.78 Mio t CO2 (including impurities) are captured in the emitter cluster annually. The combined CO2 stream is transported in a trunk line with a length of 400 km (100 km of these offshore) and is injected into five generic storage structures. The storage reservoirs are saline aquifers of the Buntsandstein.
The investigations revealed beneficial and deteriorating impacts of different impurities and combinations thereof. Overall, no fundamental technical obstacles for transporting, injecting and storing CO2 streams of the modelled variable compositions and mass flow rates were observed. Based on the results, the CLUSTER project team recommends not to define “minimum composition thresholds” for CO2 streams as strict threshold values for each individual impurity in the stream. Instead, CO2 stream compositions and variabilities for specific CCS projects should be constrained with regard to a set of parameters including i) the overall CO2 content, ii) maximum contents of relevant impurities or elements, iii) acceptable variability of CO2 stream composition, and iv) impurity combinations to be avoided.
The collaborative project “Impacts of impurities in CO2 streams captured from different emitters in a regional cluster on transport, injection and storage (CLUSTER)” aimed to set up recommendations on how to define “reasonable minimum composition thresholds” that CO2 streams should meet when accessing CO2 transport pipeline networks. Within CLUSTER, we investigated potential impacts of CO2 streams with different and temporally variable compositions and mass flow rates along the whole CCS chain. Investigations included, amongst others, impacts on: Corrosion of pipeline steel, pipeline network design and related transport costs, alteration of well bore cements, pressure evelopment and rock integrity, geochemical reactions, and petrophysical and geomechanical rock properties.
All investigations are based on a generic CCS chain scenario. In this scenario, CO2 streams are captured from a spatial cluster of eleven emitters and collected in a regional pipeline network. Emitters comprise seven fossil fuel-fired power plants equipped with different capture technologies, two cement plants, one refinery and one integrated iron and steel plant. In total, 19.78 Mio t CO2 (including impurities) are captured in the emitter cluster annually. The combined CO2 stream is transported in a trunk line with a length of 400 km (100 km of these offshore) and is injected into five generic storage structures. The storage reservoirs are saline aquifers of the Buntsandstein.
The investigations revealed beneficial and deteriorating impacts of different impurities and combinations thereof. Overall, no fundamental technical obstacles for transporting, injecting and storing CO2 streams of the modelled variable compositions and mass flow rates were observed. Based on the results, the CLUSTER project team recommends not to define “minimum composition thresholds” for CO2 streams as strict threshold values for eachindividual impurity in the stream. Instead, CO2 stream compositions and variabilities for specific CCS projects should be constrained with regard to a set of parameters including i) the overall CO2 content, ii) maximum contents of relevant impurities or elements, iii) acceptable variability of CO2 stream composition, and iv)impurity combinations to be avoided.
Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is a promising technology to reach the target for reduction of CO2 emissions, e.g. from fossil-fuel operated power plants or cement mills. Crucial points for a sustainable and future-proof CCUS procedure are reliability and cost efficiency of the whole process chain, including separation of CO2 from the source, compression of CO2, its subsequent transportation to the injection site and injection into geological formations, e.g. aquifers.
Most components that are in contact with CO2-stream consist of steel. Depending on the operating conditions (e.g. temperature, pressure, and CO2-stream composition) specific suitable steels should be used. The compressed CO2-stream is likely to contain process specific impurities; small amounts of SO2 and NO2 in combination with oxygen and water are most harmful.
One approach, as currently preferred by pipeline operators, is to clean the CO2-stream to such levels, acceptable for carbon steel, commonly used as pipeline material. Another consideration would be, to use more corrosion resistant alloys for CO2-streams with higher amounts of impurities.
Due to the absence of certified benchmarks for upper limits, systematic experiments with impurities in the CO2-stream were carried out reflecting mainly transport and injection conditions.
Within the COORAL project (German acronym for “CO2 purity for capture and storage”) levels of impurities in the CO2-stream, being acceptable when using specific steels, were evaluated. Material exposure to dense or multiphase carbon dioxide (CO2) containing specific amounts of water vapor, oxygen (O2) sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) can be a challenge to steels. In some situations, condensation of impurities and reaction products from the CO2 stream can occur.
CO2 saturated brine is supposed to rise in the well when the injection process is interrupted. The material selection shall ensure that neither CO2 nor brine or a combination of both will leak out of the inner tubing.
This COORAL-work was extended by a follow-up project, called CLUSTER. Here the additional influence of impurities was investigated when merging CO2 streams from different sources, combined within a “so-called” cluster.
Results are summarized within the following table regarding suitability for different parts of the process chain.
Commercially available carbon steels are suitable for compression and pipelines as long as moisture content and impurities are limited. (water 50 to 100 ppmv, SO2 and NO2 ca. 100 ppmv).
Corrosion rates increase with increasing water content.
(0.2 – 20 mm/a).
Condensation of acids and therefore droplet formation is always possible, even at low water contents.
A low SO2 content within the CO2-stream might be more important than a low water content.
Cr13-steels showed a general susceptibility to shallow pitting and pitting. So, they seem to be not suitable for CCUS applications.
Low alloyed steels showed better corrosion behavior. (predictable uniform corrosion)
For direct contact with saline aquifer fluids only high alloyed steels shall be used.
Study of Polyaniline/Silicon Dioxide based Coating on Carbon Steel in Artificial Geothermal Brine
(2021)
Geothermal brines are corrosive in nature because of their salt contents and high temperatures. Therefore, they pose a major challenge to geothermal power-plants, which are mostly built of low alloyed steels, e.g., carbon steel. Carbon steel is susceptible to uniform and localized corrosion when exposed to geothermal brines having acidic-saline properties. To overcome this limitation, geothermal power plants should be built by either high alloyed materials or by integrating protection systems on carbon steel, such as coatings and inhibitors. We studied a coating system containing polyaniline/silicon dioxide basing on locally available resources that provides protection against corrosion of carbon steel and enhance the thermal resistance in geothermal environments. Here, exposure and electrochemical tests of coated carbon steels were performed in an artificial geothermal brine. The solution had a pH of 4, with the composition of 1,500 mg/L of chlorides, which is based on the chemical analysis of geothermal brine found in Sibayak, Indonesia. All exposure tests were conducted using autoclaves at 150 °C with a total pressure of 1 MPa, which was performed for up to six months to evaluate the durability of the coating system. Post-experimental analyses were performed by assessing the surface of specimens using optical and electron microscopes. On the other hand, electrochemical tests were performed for seven days at 25 °C and 150 °C to investigate the kinetics of electrochemical reactions by measuring open circuit potential and electrochemical impedance spectra. Experimental results showed the corrosion resistance of PANI/SiO2 composite coatings, where polyaniline and SiO2 play their roles as stabilizers.
Study of Polyaniline/Silicon Dioxide based Coating on Carbon Steel in Artificial Geothermal Brine
(2021)
By using the available resources in Indonesia, such as silicon dioxide and marine coating base, the PANI/SiO2 modified alkyd coating was able to protect carbon steel in a deaerated artificial geothermal water. The screening of coatings shows that the modification by adding individual pigment was not sufficient to protect carbon steel even during a short-term exposure, indicated by the discoloration after only seven days of exposure. Electrochemical tests indicated that there was no significant change in the Ecorr between the coated and uncoated carbon steel at room temperature. At 150 °C, the coated carbon steel has a lower potential than that of carbon steel, indicating that the coating is protecting carbon steel cathodically or slowing down the corrosion reaction. Finally, a long-term exposure test confirmed that the PANI/SiO2 modified coating successfully protects the carbon steel in the Sibayak artificial geothermal water up to 150 °C for 6 months.
Al2O3 has been widely used as a coating in industrial applications due to its excellent chemical and thermal resistance. Considering high temperatures and aggressive mediums exist in geothermal systems, Al2O3 can be a potential coating candidate to protect steels in geothermal applications. In this study, γ-Al2O3 was used as a coating on martensitic steels by applying AlOOH sol followed by a heat treatment at 600 °C. To evaluate the coating application process, one-, two-, and three-layer coatings were tested in the artificial North German Basin (NGB), containing 166 g/L Cl−, at 150 °C and 1 MPa for 168 h. To reveal the stability of the Al2O3 coating in NGB solution, three-layer coatings were used in exposure tests for 24, 168, 672, and 1296 h, followed by surface and cross-section characterization. SEM images show that the Al2O3 coating was stable up to 1296 h of exposure, where the outer layer mostly transformed into boehmite AlOOH with needle-like crystals dominating the surface. Closer analysis of cross-sections showed that the interface between each layer was affected in long-term exposure tests, which caused local delamination after 168 h of exposure. In separate experiments, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was performed at 150 °C to evaluate the changes of coatings within the first 24 h. Results showed that the most significant decrease in the impedance is within 6 h, which can be associated with the electrolyte penetration through the coating, followed by the formation of AlOOH. Here, results of both short-term EIS measurements (up to 24 h) and long-term exposure tests (up to 1296 h) are discussed.
The fracture surface of slow and continuous crack propagation during environmental stress cracking of a semicrystalline polyethylene exhibits isotropic roughness exponents at the local scale but resolved across the macroscopic fracture surface a clear position dependence is found. The spatially resolved roughness exponent admits values in the range between 0.1 and 0.4, demonstrating nontrivial exponents in the small length-scale regime. Instead, they vary across the fracture surface according to the stress-state distribution, which suggests that the exponents are intimately linked to the locally dominating dissipation processes during craze cracking.
The suitability of an Al2O3 coating for corrosion protection on X20Cr13 was evaluated in various artificial geothermal brines, focusing on the influence of different pH (4, 6 and 8) and their chemical compositions on the coating properties. All experiments were performed in the laboratory using autoclaves at 150 ◦C and 1 MPa in deaerated condition for 1 and 7 days. Results showed that the pH of geothermal waters is the most detrimental factor in the transformation of ɣ-Al2O3 and its protective abilities. Delaminations were found in the Coating exposed to geothermal brines with pH 4. FTIR spectra indicated a transformation of ɣ-Al2O3 to boehmite AlOOH after exposure to pH 4 and 6, and bayerite Al(OH)3 was formed after exposure to pH 8. Different Crystal structures of the hydrated Al2O3 also contribute to the stability of the coatings, observed by the SEM- EDX of the surface and cross-section of coatings. This study indicated that ɣ-Al2O3 sol-gel coating presents a promising aspect of corrosion protection in geothermal environment with a neutral pH.
Al2O3 coatings are often used as protective layers on steels against electrochemical and high-temperature corrosion because they are chemically inert and stable at elevated temperatures. This study presents preliminary work on the possibilities of using Al2O3 sol-gel coatings for corrosion protection of martensitic stainless steels in geothermal environments. Al2O3 sol-gel coatings were applied on UNS S42000, which is known to be susceptible to uniform and localized corrosion. The coated steel specimens were then tested in two types of artificial geothermal water, which simulate the geothermal fluids found in Sibayak (SBY), Indonesia, and North German Basin (NGB), Germany, respectively. SBY has pH 4 and 1.5 g/L of chloride ions, whereas NGB has a pH of 6 and 166 g/L of chloride ions. All experiments were carried out in autoclaves at 150 °C and 1 MPa under the deaerated condition. Evaluations were performed by investigating the surface profiles of both uncoated and coated steels before and after the corrosion test using a Laser Scanning Microscope (LSM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Finally, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) was performed to compare the corrosion resistance of Al2O3 coated steels in SBY and NGB solutions. It was observed from the corrosion test that Al2O3 coatings are more suitable for use in the geothermal water with a higher pH.
Al2O3 coatings are often used as protective layers on steels against electrochemical and high-temperature corrosion because they are chemically inert and stable at elevated temperatures. This study presents preliminary work on the possibilities of using Al2O3 sol-gel coatings for corrosion protection of martensitic stainless steels in geothermal environments. Al2O3 sol-gel coatings were applied on UNS S42000, which is known to be susceptible to uniform and localized corrosion. The coated steel specimens were then tested in two types of artificial geothermal water, which simulate the geothermal fluids found in Sibayak (SBY), Indonesia, and North German Basin (NGB), Germany, respectively. SBY has pH 4 and 1.5 g/L of chloride ions, whereas NGB has a pH of 6 and 166 g/L of chloride ions. All experiments were carried out in autoclaves at 150 °C and 1 MPa under the deaerated condition. Evaluations were performed by investigating the surface profiles of both uncoated and coated steels before and after the corrosion test using a Laser Scanning Microscope (LSM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Finally, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) was performed to compare the corrosion resistance of Al2O3 coated steels in SBY and NGB solutions. It was observed from the corrosion test that Al2O3 coatings are more suitable for use in the geothermal water with a higher pH.
Die Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) ist eine Ressortforschungseinrichtung, die zum Schutz von Mensch, Umwelt und Sachgüter, forscht, prüft und berät. Im Fokus aller Tätigkeiten in der Materialwissenschaft, der Werkstofftechnik und der Chemie steht dabei die technische Sicherheit von Produkten und Prozessen. Dazu werden Substanzen, Werkstoffe, Bauteile, Komponenten und Anlagen sowie natürliche und technische Systeme erforscht und auf sicheren Umgang oder Betrieb geprüft und bewertet. Schwerpunkt des Vortrages sind multimodale Polymeranalytik, nanoskalige Sensormaterialien und die Charakterisierung von technischen Eigenschaften von Polymeren sowie ihre Alterung und Umweltrelevanz.
The physical and chemical effects of diesel and biodiesel fuels on two high-density polyethylene (PE-HD) types were investigated. Both semi-crystalline PE-HD are common thermoplastic materials for container and storage tank applications. Biodiesel, a composition of unsaturated fatty acid esters from renewable resources, was chosen as it is regarded a possible green alternative to fossil fuels. The study aims at identifying significant differences between biodiesel and conventional diesel fuels based on the differences in the chemical nature of the two. The physical effects of the fuels on the polymer at first comprises the sorption behavior, i.e. kinetics and final equilibrium concentration. Not only are both fuels absorbed by the amorphous phase of the semi-crystalline PE-HD, they also induce a plasticization effect that modifies the molecular mobility and therefore also the characteristic yielding properties, manifest in the obtained stress-strain curves. The chemical effects related to degradation phenomena is investigated by a long-term storage scenario using partially immersed tensile test specimens in diesel and biodiesel. We were able to confirm the proposed co-oxidation mechanism by Richaud et al. for polyethylene-unsaturated penetrant systems on a larger scale based on practical tensile tests. One of the investigated polyethylene grades subjected to tensile drawing showed a significant loss of plastic deformation and the onset of premature failure after 150 days of storage in biodiesel. Further biodiesel storage showed a systematically reduced elongation at break before necking. None of these effects were observed in diesel. Oxidation of fuels and polymer after progressing storage times were analyzed by the evolution of carbonyl species in FT-IR/ATR spectroscopy.