ECIS-I2CNER: Hydrogen Infrastructure Research Aids Energy Independence Goal

Sandia National Laboratories’ unique experimental capabilities to quantify the effects of hydrogen on structural materials at high pressures are one of the reasons it was chosen to be a part of the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I²CNER). I²CNER is an international consortium established in Japan in 2007 with a main objective to develop the science required to remove the barriers facing using hydrogen for carbon-neutral energy.

Sandia researcher Brian Somerday prepares to load a hydrogen pressure vessel into a laboratory furnace.

Materials selection for infrastructure components such as tanks, tubes, valves, and pipelines is one of these barriers because hydrogen can degrade materials in ways that can lead to failure or reduced lifetimes. By understanding the interactions of hydrogen with metals and alloys, materials with resistance to hydrogen fatigue and fracture can be developed.

The collaboration with I²CNER is complementary to Sandia’s Hydrogen Program and its presence in the Livermore Valley Open Campus in California. One of the program goals is to perform as an international R&D center, an objective supported by the DOE because global collaborations are crucial to solving difficult problems in hydrogen.

By working as part of an international team to increase safety and reduce costs for the use of hydrogen as an energy source, Sandia’s capabilities in fuel cells, thermophysical properties, hydrogen-storage materials, and carbon capture and storage are helping to make carbon-neutral energy a reality.

Read more about the ECIS-I²CNER partnership.