The purpose of the report is to identify the causes, mechanisms and extent of hydrogen-induced cracks in jack-up facilities where high-strength steel has been used in the legs, and in the transition between legs and spudcans.
The report is based on a review of existing literature in this area, as well as information and learning from incidents and trials. It describes phenomena such as hydrogen embrittlement, sources of hydrogen, material sensitivity, the effect of external and internal stresses, failure mechanisms, design considerations, strategies to reduce hydrogen uptake, and NDT issues in fabrication and in use offshore.
Our intention is for the report to contribute to an understanding of the physics behind hydrogen-induced cracking, as well as measures to avoid the problem.