Hydrogen Piping and Pipelines

ASME B31.12, Hydrogen Piping and Pipelines was first published in 2008 to address gaps in existing piping codes with respect to needs for hydrogen infrastructure applications.  The standard includes consideration of the effect of hydrogen on material properties.

It has been decided to incorporate relevant hydrogen service requirements into ASME B31.3 (piping) and ASME B31.8 (pipelines).  In ASME B31.3, it is proposed to add a new chapter XI covering specific requirements for hydrogen piping.  The new chapter will be required when the owner specifies its use.  The organization of the chapter will be similar to the other chapters covering Category M Piping, High Pressure Piping, Nonmetallic Piping and High Purity Piping.

The plan is to have the changes incorporated into the 2026 edition of ASME B31.3.  Once the relevant requirements from ASME B31.12 are incorporated into ASME B31.3 and ASME B31.8, ASME B31.12 will be retired.