Global warming, primarily fueled by the excessive emission of greenhouse gases, has resulted in
rising temperatures and disruptions in ecosystems. While renewable energy sources are reported to
be insufficient to meet current energy demands, other sources such as hydrogen are increasingly
used with the goal of covering up to 10% of the global market. However, advancements in the
hydrogen sector are hindered by the low ignition energy and fast burning velocity of hydrogen,
which poses a high risk of leakage and requires handling in safe and restricted environments.
Hydrogen is known to diffuse into metals and accumulate at grain boundaries, where, due to high
internal pressure, microcracks begin to develop. The progression of these microcracks poses a
significant risk of sudden failure in hydrogen storage and transportation facilities. Presently, there
is a lack of accepted non-destructive testing methods for the detection of hydrogen-induced
cracking (HIC) at early stages and for monitoring its progression. While various methods have
been explored for HIC detection, some have demonstrated only limited capabilities, primarily due
to spatial resolution constraints. The objective of this project is to develop a novel hybrid ultrasonic
phased array inspection method that combines super-resolution phased array imaging and selected
machine learning techniques for comprehensive detection, localization, and monitoring of the
extent of HIC damage.
Project funding:
Projects funded by the Research Council of Lithuania (RCL), Projects carried out by researchers’ teams
Project results:
In this proposed project, we will employ super-resolution imaging methods
for HIC detection and localization and utilize machine learning algorithms for monitoring the HIC
stage/extent. To the best of our knowledge, such techniques will be applied for HIC detection and
monitoring for the first time. By the project’s conclusion, a complete monitoring, measurement,
and signal processing method will be proposed. The developed method aims to achieve TRL6 and
will be submitted for patenting at the Lithuania Patent Office.
Period of project implementation: 2024-09-02 - 2027-08-31
Project coordinator: Kaunas University of Technology
