Hydrogen in Metals

氢在金属中无处不在，它在生产过程中进入，在使用过程中被腐蚀。氢会导致脆化、硬化和内部损伤。氢可以降低断裂韧性，在某些金属中，氢可以沉淀形成脆性氢化物，在载荷下开裂。这一过程被称为延迟氢化物裂解（DHC），对于化学和核电站用作压力边界的锆合金来说，这是一个特殊的问题。在压力下开裂的后果可能是高温蒸汽的剧烈释放。用于盛装核燃料的锆合金的失效可能意味着在反应堆运行期间以及之后乏燃料长期储存时放射性物质的释放。目前，锆合金的安全操作是通过对操作条件进行非常保守的限制来确保的。

Hydrogen is ubiquitous in metals, it enters during production and from corrosion during service. Hydrogen causes embrittlement, hardening and internal damage. Hydrogen can reduce fracture toughness and, in some metals, hydrogen can precipitate forming brittle hydrides that crack under load. The process is called Delayed Hydride Cracking (DHC) and it is a particular problem for zirconium alloys that are used in chemical and nuclear plants as pressure boundaries. The consequence of cracking under pressure can be violent release of high temperature steam. Failure of zirconium alloys used to contain nuclear fuel could mean release of radioactivity during reactor operation and later when the spent fuel is in long-term storage. Currently, safe operation with zirconium alloys is ensured by placing very conservative limits on operating conditions.