English Abstract

Fracture Behavior and Hydrogen Permeation Properties of EPDM for Sealing under High Pressure Hydrogen Gas

Junichiro YAMABE *1 *2
Atsushi KOGA *3
Shin NISHIMURA *2 *4
*1:International Research Center for Hydrogen Energy, Kyushu University Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan
*2:The Research Center for Hydrogen Industrial Use and Storage (HYDROGENIUS), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
*3:NOK Corporation
*4:Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University
Nippon Gomu Kyokaishi,(2010),83(6),159-166 Original Paper in Japanese

In order to evaluate the influence of environmental condition on durability and permeation properties of sealing rubber materials under high pressure hydrogen gas, a durability tester which enables the sealing rubber to expose repeatedly high pressure hydrogen gas at arbitrary test conditions (maximum pressure is 90 MPa and the range of ambient temperature is from —60 to 100 ) was developed. In this study, durability and hydrogen permeation properties of peroxide- vulcanized EPDM composite filled with white reinforcing filler were evaluated under hydrogen gas at a maximum pressure of 70 MPa and the range of ambient temperature from 0 to 100 . The dependence of the ambient temperature on permeability, diffusivity, and solubility was not influenced by the hydrogen pressure and the shape of specimen. Moreover, although we can regard that hydrogen content was approximately proportional to the hydrogen pressure at 10 MPa, this relationship became non-linear when a hydrogen pressure became higher. As for durability, blister damage became more serious with an increase in the hydrogen pressure and ambient temperature. Furthermore, damage by extrusion was also observed at 35 MPa due to large gas absorption.

Keywords: Hydrogen, O-ring, Permeability, Diffusivity, Solubility, Blister, Extrusion, Gas Absorption.