Publications

Experimental tests of flat titanium samples at a temperature of 450 °C stretched with a constant force up to destruction were carried out. Titanium samples were hydrogenated in the Moscow Aviation Institute laboratory to a hydrogen content of 0.1 % 0.3 % and 0.6 % by weight of the specimen and then tested in the laboratory of Lomonosov Moscow State University. From the experiments the time to failure the localization time of the deformations and the stress distribution along the longitudinal coordinate of the sample over time were obtained. A metallographic study was conducted and the phase composition was investigated in Moscow Aviation Institute. The effect of hydrogen on long-term strength mechanical characteristics and phase composition has been elucidated.

A new assessment tool for evaluating decarbonization technologies that considers each technology’s sustainability security affordability readiness and impact for a specific country is proposed. This tool is applied to a set of decarbonization technologies for the power transport and industry sectors for the ten Southeast Asian countries that constitute ASEAN. This results in a list of the most promising decarbonization technologies as well as the remaining issues that need more research and development. This study reveals several common themes for ASEAN’s decarbonization. First carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a key technology for large-scale CO2 emission. Second for countries that rely heavily on coal for power generation switching to gas can halve their CO2 emission in the power sector and should be given high priority. Third hydropower and bioenergy both have high potential for the majority of ASEAN countries if their sustainability issues can be resolved satisfactorily. Fourth replacing conventional vehicles by electric vehicles is the overarching theme in the road transport sector but will result in increased demand for electricity. In the medium to long term the use of hydrogen for marine fuel and biofuels for aviation fuel are preferred solutions for the marine and aviation transport sectors. Fifth for the industry sector installing CCS in industrial plants should be given priority but replacing fossil fuels by blue hydrogen for high-temperature heating is the preferred long-term solution.

Australia’s gas infrastructure is currently subject to regulations that were designed for a natural-gas only network system. Future Fuels CRC has released a full report and database of regulations to share exactly how Australia’s current gas regulations can be modernised to enable hydrogen biomethane and other potential future fuels.

This research thoroughly assessed Australia’s current regulatory framework to identify the regulations that will require modernisation to facilitate the use of future fuels within Australia’s energy networks and align them with the goals of Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy. This study builds on the initial work completed as part of Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy and creates a comprehensive regulatory map of relevant legislation across the natural gas production and supply chain which may be impacted by the addition of future fuels such as hydrogen and biomethane.

The research was delivered by RMIT University of Sydney and GPA Engineering supported by our industry and government participants APA APGA ATCO AusNet Services ENA Energy Safe Victoria Jemena and the South Australian Government.

The study’s report summarises the key issues and the direction of possible solutions. The study also created a database that holds details of legislation by state and territory as well as Commonwealth legislation and applicable Australian standards. The database is designed to be readily updated as these regulations continue to evolve.  

The Australian energy industry and regulators benefit from this study by ensuring that any regulatory changes required for future fuels are identified early so that appropriate regulatory changes can be initiated and delivered. These changes will enable the many highly-regulated pilot projects happening across Australia to expand and develop under a modernised and effective regulatory environment.

You can find the full report on the Future Fuels CRC website here

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) refers to a set of technologies that may offer the potential for large-scale removal of CO₂ emissions from a range of processes – potentially including the generation of electricity and heat industrial processes and the production of hydrogen and synthetic fuels. CCS has both proponents and opponents. Like other emerging low carbon technologies CCS is not without risks or uncertainties and there are various challenges that would need to be overcome if it were to be widely deployed. Policy makers’ decisions as to whether to pursue CCS should be based on a judgement as to whether the risks and uncertainties associated with attempting to deploy CCS outweigh the risks of not having it available as part of a portfolio of mitigation options in future years.

The full report can be found on the Global CSS Institute website at this link

Hydrogen embrittlement (HE) is a critical issue that affects the reliability of hydrogenation reactors. The hydrogen diffusivity/trap characteristics of 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V steel are important parameters mainly used to study the HE mechanism of steel alloys. In this work the hydrogen diffusivity/trap characteristics of heat-treated (annealed) and untreated 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V steel were studied using an electrochemical permeation method. The microstructures of both 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V steels were investigated by metallurgical microscopy. The effect of cementite on the hydrogen diffusivity/trap mechanisms was studied using thermodynamics-based and Lennard–Jones potential theories. The results revealed that the cementite located at the grain boundaries and at the interfaces of lath ferrite served as a kind of hydrogen trap (i.e. an irreversible hydrogen trap). In addition hydrogen was transported from ferrite to cementite via up-hill diffusion thereby supporting the hypothesis of cementite acting as a hydrogen trap.

Proton conducting SmNiO₃ (SNO) thin films were grown on (001) LaAlO₃ substrates for systematically investigating the proton transport properties. X-ray Diffraction and Atomic Force Microscopy studies reveal that the as-grown SNO thin films have good single crystallinity and smooth surface morphology. The electrical conductivity measurements in air indicate a peak at 473 K in the temperature dependence of the resistance of the SNO films probably due to oxygen loss on heating. A Metal-Insulator-Transition occurs at 373 K for the films after annealing at 873 K in air. In a hydrogen atmosphere (3% H2/97% N₂) an anomalous peak in the resistance is found at 685 K on the first heating cycle. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy studies as a function of temperature indicate that the SNO films have a high ionic conductivity (0.030 S/cm at 773 K) in a hydrogen atmosphere. The activation energy for proton conductivity was determined to be 0.23 eV at 473–773 K and 0.37 eV at 773–973 K respectively. These findings demonstrate that SNO thin films have good proton conductivity and are good candidate electrolytes for low temperature proton-conducting Solid Oxide Fuel Cells.

In this study electrochemical measurements immersion tests and slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) tests were applied to investigate the electrochemical and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of X70 steel in simulated seawater with the interference of different alternating current (AC) densities. The results indicate that AC significantly strengthens the cathodic reaction especially the oxygen reduction reaction. Simultaneously hydrogen evolution reaction occurs when the limiting diffusion current density of oxygen reaches and thus icorr sharply increases with the increase in AC density. Additionally when AC is imposed the X70 steel exhibits higher SCC susceptibility in the simulated seawater and the susceptibility increases with the increasing AC density. The SCC mechanism is controlled by both anodic dissolution (AD) and hydrogen embrittlement (HE) with the interference of AC.

Deloitte was commissioned by the National Hydrogen Taskforce established by the COAG Energy Council to undertake an Australian and Global Growth Scenario Analysis. Deloitte analysed the current global hydrogen industry its development and growth potential and how Australia can position itself to best capitalise on the newly forming industry.



To conceptualise the possibilities for Australia Deloitte created scenarios to model the realm of possibilities for Australia out to 2050 focusing on identifying the scope and distribution of economic and environmental costs and benefits from Australian hydrogen industry development. This work will aid in analysing the opportunities and challenges to hydrogen industry development in Australia and the actions needed to overcome barriers to industry growth manage risks and best drive industry development.



The full report is available on the Deloitte website at this link

A flake is a crack that is induced by trapped hydrogen within steel. To study its formation mechanism previous studies mostly focused on the formation process and magnitude of hydrogen pressure in hydrogen traps such as cavities and cracks. However according to recent studies the hydrogen leads to the decline of the mechanical properties of steel which is known as hydrogen embrittlement is another reason for flake formation. In addition the phenomenon of stress induced hydrogen uphill diffusion should not be neglected. All of the three behaviors are at work simultaneously. In order to further explore the formation mechanism of flakes in steel the process of flake initiation and growth were studied with the following three coupling factors: trap hydrogen pressure hydrogen embrittlement and stress induced hydrogen re-distribution. The analysis model was established using the finite element method and a crack whose radius is 0.5 mm was set in its center. The cohesive method and Bilinear Traction Separate Law (BTSL) were used to address the coupling effect. The results show that trap hydrogen pressure is the main driving force for flake formation. After the high hydrogen pressure was generated around the trap a stress field formed. In addition the trap is the center of stress concentration. Then hydrogen is concentrated in a distribution around this trap and most of the steel mechanical properties are reduced. The trap size is a key factor for defining the critical hydrogen content for flake formation and propagation. However when the trap size exceeds the specified value the critical hydrogen content does not change any more. As for the crack whose radius is 0.5 mm the critical hydrogen content of Cr5VMo steel is 2.2 ppm which is much closer to the maximum safe hydrogen concentration of 2.0 ppm used in China. The work presented in this article increases our understanding of flake formation and propagation mechanisms in steel.

Low temperature methane steam reforming for hydrogen production using experimental developed Ni/Al2O3 catalysts is studied both experimentally and numerically. The catalytic activity measurements were performed at a temperature range of 500–700 ◦C with steam to carbon ratio (S/C) of 2 and 3 under atmospheric pressure conditions. A mathematical analysis to evaluate the reaction feasibility at all different conditions that have been applied by using chemical equilibrium with applications (CEA) software and in addition a mathematical model focused on the kinetics and the thermodynamics of the reforming reaction is introduced and applied using a commercial finite element analysis software (COMSOL Multiphysics 5.0). The experimental results were employed to validate the extracted simulation data based on the yields of the produced H2 CO2 and CO at different temperatures. A maximum hydrogen yield of 2.7 mol/mol-CH4 is achieved at 700 ◦C and S/C of 2 and 3. The stability of the 10%Ni/Al2O3 catalyst shows that the catalyst is prone to deactivation as supported by Thermogravimetric Analysis TGA results.