SHIELD: A Reference Gas-Driven Permeation Platform for Hydrogen Permeation Studies

TL;DR

SHIELD is a gas-driven permeation platform designed for accurate hydrogen transport measurements in materials, demonstrating reproducible results and suitability for fusion-related material evaluation.

Contribution

The paper introduces SHIELD, a novel, robust, and open framework for hydrogen permeation testing with precise control and data traceability, advancing material assessment for fusion devices.

Findings

Permeability follows Arrhenius behaviour in tested materials.

Reproducible hydrogen permeation measurements on stainless steel and low-carbon steel.

SHIELD provides a reliable platform for evaluating permeation barriers.

Abstract

A gas-driven permeation (GDP) platform, SHIELD (Salt-compatible Hydrogen barrier Investigation and EvaLuation for fusion Devices), has been developed to measure hydrogen transport properties in structural materials under controlled thermal and pressure conditions. The system is designed to minimise experimental uncertainties associated with leaks, temperature instability, and pressure measurement, while providing reproducible conditions for permeation experiments. The rig operates in a static GDP configuration with independent upstream and downstream volumes, enabling precise control of driving pressure and accurate measurement of downstream pressure rise. An openly documented data acquisition and processing framework is implemented to ensure data traceability and reproducibility. The platform's performance is demonstrated by hydrogen permeation measurements on 316 stainless steel and AISI 1018 low-carbon steel over the temperature range of \SIrange{100}{600}{\degreeCelsius}. Steady-state permeation fluxes are extracted from linear downstream pressure rise and used to determine permeability. The measured permeability exhibits Arrhenius behaviour and agrees well with published literature data for both materials. Permeability measurements are shown to be robust and reproducible. These results demonstrate that SHIELD provides a reliable reference platform for hydrogen permeation measurements and is well-suited to evaluating permeation barrier coatings and advanced materials for fusion applications.