Hydrogen Embrittlement and its Impact on Oil and Gas Industry

Hydrogen embrittlement continues to be an area of interest for the oil and gas (O&G) industry. A brief survey of the impact of hydrogen embrittlement on oil & gas operations is presented, including hydrogen effects in services with fluids containing H₂S, integrity challenges from cathodic protection as well as internal hydrogen embrittlement. The recently proposed nano-void coalescence (NVC) mechanism of hydrogen embrittlement of ferritic steels is presented. Key observations in support of the NVC mechanism that focuses on the evolution of hydrogen induced damage due to hydrogen vacancy interactions are also discussed. Finally, areas for future research in hydrogen embrittlement are provided.