When metals or metal alloys are exposed to hydrogen protons, the hydrogen diffuses into the metal alloy, weakening it and making it susceptible to cracking and fracture. Hydrogen corrosion possess a potentially life limiting factor to the various metal alloys present in Light Water Nuclear Reactors (LWR). Strong economic and safety incentives motivate the research into understanding and predicting hydrogen permeation in high temperature and high pressure environments, like those in LWRs. For instance, uniform corrosion of zirconium alloy fuel cladding and the associated hydrogen pickup is a potential life-limiting degradation mechanism for nuclear fuel cladding in existing and advanced LWRs, costing time and money to replace. The current research is in designing a working hydrogen permeation cell capable of withstanding high temperatures (90°C) that can collect data to calculate hydrogen flux through a working sample.
