Helios - A New Method for Hydrogen Permeation Test

Hydrogen induced cracking is still a severe and current threat for several industrial applications. With the aim of providing a simple and versatile device for hydrogen detection, a new instrument was designed based on solid state sensor technology. New detection technique allows to execute hydrogen permeation measurement in short time and without material surface preparation. Thanks to this innovation, HELIOS offers a concrete alternative to traditional experimental methods for laboratory permeability tests. In addition, it is proposed as a new system for Non Destructive Testing of components in service in hydrogenating environment. Hydrogen flux monitoring is particularly relevant for risk mitigation of elements involved in hydrogen storage and transportation. Hydrogen permeation tests were performed by means of HELIOS instruments both on a plane membrane and on the wall of a gas cylinder. Results confirmed the extreme sensitivity of the detection system and its suitability to perform measurements even on non metallic materials by means of an easy-to-handle instrument.