Quantification of Temperature Dependence of Hydrogen Embrittlement in Pipeline Steel

The effects of temperature on bulk hydrogen concentration and diffusion have been tested with the Devanathan–-Stachurski method. Thus, a model based on hydrogen potential, diffusivity, loading frequency, and hydrostatic stress distribution around crack tips was applied in order to quantify the temperature’s effect. The theoretical model was verified experimentally and confirmed a temperature threshold of 320 K to maximize the crack growth. The model suggests a nanoscale embrittlement mechanism, which is generated by hydrogen atom delivery to the crack tip under fatigue loading, and rationalized the ΔK dependence of traditional models. Hence, this work could be applied to optimize operations that will prolong the life of the pipeline.