[2B6] Enhancing hydrogen damage detection through coherence imaging
A Assokumar, V Samaitis, A Stravinskas and R Raišutis
Ultrasound Research Institute, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania
Global warming, primarily driven by the excessive emission of greenhouse gases, has led to rising global temperatures and significant disruptions to ecosystems. Although renewable energy sources are expanding, they are currently insufficient to fully meet global energy demands. As a result, alternative sources such as hydrogen are gaining prominence, with projections suggesting hydrogen could account for up to 10% of the global energy market. However, the widespread adoption of hydrogen is challenged by its low ignition energy and high burning velocity, which increase the risk of leakage and necessitate stringent handling measures in controlled environments.
One critical issue is the diffusion of hydrogen into metals, where it accumulates at grain boundaries and leads to the formation of microcracks under high internal pressures. The growth of these microcracks poses a severe risk of sudden and catastrophic failure in hydrogen storage and transportation infrastructure. Currently, there is a lack of standardised non-destructive testing (NDT) methods capable of detecting hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) at early stages and monitoring its progression. Although various techniques have been investigated, their effectiveness has often been limited by spatial resolution constraints.
In this research, we explore advanced coherence imaging techniques, including phase coherence, sign coherence, circular coherence, vector coherence and their fusion, for enhancing the detection of hydrogen-induced damage. The application of these methods is demonstrated on real-world samples containing naturally occurring hydrogen damage. We evaluate the performance of coherence-based imaging across different signal frequencies and quantify improvements over the conventional total focusing method (TFM). The results show that coherence imaging techniques offer significant potential for the earlier detection and staging of hydrogen-induced cracking, providing a promising direction for the advancement of hydrogen infrastructure safety.
One critical issue is the diffusion of hydrogen into metals, where it accumulates at grain boundaries and leads to the formation of microcracks under high internal pressures. The growth of these microcracks poses a severe risk of sudden and catastrophic failure in hydrogen storage and transportation infrastructure. Currently, there is a lack of standardised non-destructive testing (NDT) methods capable of detecting hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) at early stages and monitoring its progression. Although various techniques have been investigated, their effectiveness has often been limited by spatial resolution constraints.
In this research, we explore advanced coherence imaging techniques, including phase coherence, sign coherence, circular coherence, vector coherence and their fusion, for enhancing the detection of hydrogen-induced damage. The application of these methods is demonstrated on real-world samples containing naturally occurring hydrogen damage. We evaluate the performance of coherence-based imaging across different signal frequencies and quantify improvements over the conventional total focusing method (TFM). The results show that coherence imaging techniques offer significant potential for the earlier detection and staging of hydrogen-induced cracking, providing a promising direction for the advancement of hydrogen infrastructure safety.
