Review on Hydrogen-Induced Failure of Rubber O-Rings for High Pressure Hydrogen Storage Tanks

Abstract The hydrogen is prone to leakage, and the explosion risk after hydrogen leakage is high due to the low ignition temperature and large combustion and explosion range (4%–74%). Therefore, the sealing of high pressure hydrogen storage vessels is crucial for the safe use of hydrogen. Rubber O-rings are common sealing element in high pressure hydrogen storage tanks. High pressure hydrogen storage tanks are subjected to severe conditions such as high and low temperature, heat shock, high pressure and pressure cycle, resulting in extrusion fracture, bending fracture, blister fracture and increase of compression set of rubber O-rings during the service. This paper introduces the materials, application and performance requirements of rubber O-rings, and discussed hydrogen-induced damages and failure modes of rubber O-rings. The research progress of hydrogen-induced failure was then reviewed from aspects of experimental studies and finite elements analysis. The functions and experimental parameters of the current experimental devices for hydrogen-induced damage of rubber O-rings were comprehensively introduced, and the difference between the experimental conditions and the actual service conditions were compared and analyzed. It was concluded that the damage evolution mechanism of rubber O-rings under the coupling of temperature, pressure and hydrogen during high pressure hydrogen cycle was not fully understood, especially in the scenario of rapid hydrogen charging and discharging. Finally, it provides research ideas for future work.