Mechanical and diffusion property and multi-objective optimization of rubber seals exposed to high-pressure hydrogen gas

As the critical components in hydrogen refueling, storage, and transportation systems, the degradation and failure of rubber O-ring seals under a high-pressure (HP) hydrogen environment (up to 100 MPa) directly affect hydrogen energy safety. Clarifying the interaction mechanism of hydrogen diffusion and the mechanical properties of rubber seals is essential for HP hydrogen infrastructure. A hydrogen diffusion-mechanical sequential numerical model is built to investigate the sealing performance and hydrogen diffusion behaviors of rubber seals using ABAQUS software. The effects of hydrogen swelling environmental pressure (5∼100 MPa) and stress-concentration gradient on mechanical and contact characteristics and hydrogen concentration distribution are analyzed for the rubber seals with/without backup rings, respectively. Furthermore, the orthogonal experimental and comprehensive frequency analysis methods are employed to evaluate the significance of the main structural and assembly parameters and obtain the optimal schemes of the rubber seals under the HP environment. The results show that the stress concentration and rubber extrusion easily occur at the sealing clearance of the O-rings with swelling after pre-compression and pressurization. The hydrogen diffusion of the O-ring is mainly driven by the concentration difference and stress gradient, with the former being the dominant factor. With the increase in the hydrogen pressure, the effective sealing rate along the sealing surface decreases sharply, and the non-uniformity of hydrogen concentration and the possibility of fatigue damage in the rubber O-rings increase. Two multi-objective optimization schemes (Ⅰ and Ⅱ) for the main structural and assembly parameters of rubber seals are obtained by intuitive analysis and comprehensive frequency analysis to improve the extrusion tendency and sealing reliability of rubber seals in the HP hydrogen environment.