How structural health monitoring can be embedded in a digital quality infrastructure: an example.

The digital Quality Infrastructure (QI) initiative “QI-Digital” in Germany is focusing on implementing new technologies and approaches to ensure that the task of quality assurance is more efficient and ready for the digital and green transformation of the economy. The implementation of quality control key elements, such as Smart Standards, Digital Certificates and QI-cloud solutions shall contribute to solving the socio-economic, ecological, and technological challenges of our time. Hydrogen is a key energy carrier and has the potential to play a significant role in the energy transition, especially in mobility. An essential factor for the broad acceptance of hydrogen-based mobility is the availability of refueling stations that operate reliably and safely. Using the example of a Hydrogen Refueling Station (HRS) build within the QI-Digital initative, the Federal Institute for Material Research and Testing (BAM) aims to establish a real laboratory where modern measurement techniques and new digital methods are implemented to enhance operational safety, availability, and economic efficiency and render the technology more attractive for the industry. In this work, we present an approach to establish a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system on a high-pressure buffer inside HRS and show how it could be embedded into a digital QI. The high-pressure buffers are essential components of the plant which are currently inspected periodically without regard to their operating history. Focusing on the transition to a continuous and digitally supported monitoring of the component’s integrity during operation the novel inspection scheme will be linked to a completely digitalized component-related documentation and tested using digital certificates. This allows the operational safety and, if necessary, the remaining useful lifetime to be assessed on an ongoing basis and to be a valuable contribution to increase the sustainability.