Hydrogen will play a huge part in the clean energy transition for the future. The infrastructure for this and other applications has to be created. There will be a big demand for seals and gaskets for these applications. New challenges, especially when handling liquified hydrogen at very low temperatures, have to be met. The ESA has established a cross‑divisional working group to discuss and work on topics like testing and standardisation for hydrogen. A reference folder with information about the working group activities and other related documents has been set up in the Members Area.
The first hydrogen working group meeting took place on January 23, 2023. Our scientific members, Amtec and Cetim, shared some of their experience with hydrogen testing at their facilities.
The Packings Division is working with the University of Mannheim on a project to compare helium and hydrogen emissions on a packings test stand at room and elevated temperatures.
The Flange Gaskets Division is sharing the results of some of the hydrogen testing of their gaskets. The plan is to create technical articles to educate end users about the emission performance of gaskets with helium.
For anybody further interested in this topic, here is the link to the hydrogen working group folder: Hydrogen Working Group Folder