In an attempt to better understand the plasma induced permeation of hydrogen in metallic alloys, a COMSOL Multiphysics model is presented. The model simulates the fluxes of molecular hydrogen between ambient and surface, of atomic hydrogen between surface and bulk, and subsequent interstitial atomic hydrogen diffusion. The presentation will focus on the mechanisms and consequences of two distinct types of grain boundaries (GBs). Regular GBs act as diffusion highways, allowing rapid hydrogen permeation deep into the material, and sigma GBs act as roadblocks and trapping sites for hydrogen. The model will be calibrated using electrochemical experiments and validated experimentally using plasma exposure setups at TNO.
|