January 2006 Safety Report
National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Codes and Standards Coordinating Committee News
Karen Hall, National Hydrogen Association
New ASME Code for Hydrogen Pipelines
Louis Hayden, PE
NFPA Update
Karen Hall, National Hydrogen Association
Documents Out for Review: Focus on ISO Standard for Liquid Hydrogen Refueling
Karen Hall, National Hydrogen Association
Safety, Codes and Standards featured at NHA Conference in Long Beach
Patrick Serfass, National Hydrogen Association
National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Codes and Standards Coordinating Committee News
Karen Hall, National Hydrogen Association
There was no teleconference in December, so no new minutes are available this month. As a reminder, minutes of the monthly meetings, whether in person or teleconference, are posted to the Safety Report. You can find previous minutes, including presentations made during the meetings, under Archives.
The Coordinating Committee is tentatively planning the next In-Person meeting for Wednesday, March 15 to be co-located with the NHA Annual Hydrogen Conference 2006 - Global Progress Toward Clean Energy in Long Beach, California. For more information on this conference, please visit www.HydrogenConference.org. To see a synopsis of the codes & standards events currently planned, see related article by Patrick Serfass.
Additional information on the upcoming In-Person meeting will be posted in the February edition of the Safety Report.
New ASME Code for Hydrogen Pipelines
Louis Hayden, PE
A Presentation Summary from the Hydrogen Pipeline Working Group Workshop The workshop was held in Augusta, Georgia on August 31, 2005 and sponsored by the US Department of Energy and hosted by Mr. Mark Paster.
Download the presentation (136Kb PDF)
A key factor to note, in the development of a hydrogen based infrastructure, is the transport of the hydrogen from point of generation to the point of use. Like natural gas today, pipeline transportation will be the least expensive and most safe method for hydrogen distribution.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) through a task group of volunteer experts studied the need for a new design/safety code for hydrogen piping and pipelines. This study resulted in a recommendation to the ASME Board on Pressure Technology Codes and Standards for a new code. This effort is now underway to develop the new code, designated: ASME B31.12 Code for Hydrogen Piping and Pipelines.
ASME B31.12 will include requirements specific to hydrogen service for power, process, transportation, distribution, commercial and residential applications. The code will include new code requirements, references to relevant code sections and incorporation of parts of:
- ASME B31.1 (Power Piping)
- ASME B31.3 (Process Piping) and
- ASME B31.8 (Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems).
The new B31.12 Code is anticipated to blend prescriptive and performance based elements and will be divided into four parts:
- A common section containing requirements and data referenced by the relevant code sections below,
- Part A: Industrial piping systems,
- Part B: Pipeline and distribution systems and
- Part C: Commercial and residential systems.
Currently, the schedule for this project indicates a draft available for public review in late 2006.
As with any new endeavor, there are challenges and unresolved issues. Many of the challenges facing the development of hydrogen infrastructure involve materials of construction. Many engineering experts have stated that piping systems will have to operate at pressures up to 15,000psi and that pipelines may have to operate at pressures up to 3,000psi. We do know that hydrogen has a negative effect on the mechanical properties of many metallic piping and pipeline materials in common use today at lower pressures. Research has begun to determine how high pressure/high purity hydrogen will affect these materials.
One type of pipe that holds much promise is a composite pipe constructed with a fiber reinforced plastic outer shell and an inner liner of plastic or hydrogen-immune, metallic material. This type of construction is particularly appealing for hydrogen pipeline construction.
Where do we go from here?
First, the current and planned research on metallic piping and pipeline materials needs to move along as fast as possible (some of the testing takes 5,000 hours or more per sample). Pipe welding needs to be reviewed for long-term, sustained load cracking. Research is needed on composite pipe construction, pipeline performance in hydrogen environments and joining methods. Testing is needed on commonly used plastic pipe materials for compatibility with high purity hydrogen environments. Finally, the public should be educated on hydrogen issues with a joint task force from US DOE and ASME.
Louis Hayden is the chair of ASME B31.12.
NFPA Update
Karen Hall, National Hydrogen Association
NFPA VAF Committee, which is responsible for NFPA 52, has been busy reviewing documents. There are two basic areas for consideration. They include three Technical Ballots for proposed Tentative Interim Amendments (TIAs) to NFPA 52, and an issue regarding the scope of committees.
The three technical issues were balloted on their merits as well as to whether the change is an emergency. VAF Committee members were asked to return their ballots on or before January 6. At the time of publication, the results of the balloting had not been announced.
TIA 834 is to amend annex information to provide information that was previously unknown regarding containment of spilled liquid hydrogen.
TIA 835 is to address the issue of product liability for aftermarket installations of other fuel systems when OEMS do not provide approval or supporting documentation.
TIA 836 is to require all dispensing and storage of LNG including mobile refueling into vehicle onboard fuel systems to comply with requirements of a permanent LNG refueling installation at the point of storage and dispensing fuel.
At the October 2005 meeting, the NFPA Standards Council considered the request of Mr. St. Clair, Chair, TC on Industrial & Medical Gases, for clarification of several TC scopes which appear to be overlapping in the area of bulk industrial and medical gases. This request was circulated to the affected TCs including Vehicular Alternative Fuel Systems (VAF), Health Care Facilities Gas Delivery Equipment (HEA-GAS) and Piping Systems (HEA-PIP), and Cleanrooms (CLR).
After reviewing the responses received, the Council voted to accept in principle the scope changes as recommended by Mr. St. Clair. Final action, however, is deferred until the Council's March 21-22, 2006 meeting, at which time any final recommended modifications will be considered.
The Vehicular Alternative Fuels technical committee will have their next meeting on May 9 & 10, 2006 at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, CA. Livermore, CA is This meeting will be a planning meeting for the next edition of NFPA 52 Vehicular Fuel Systems Code.
Documents Out for Review: Focus on ISO Standard for Liquid Hydrogen Refueling
Karen Hall, National Hydrogen Association
ISO FDIS 17268 Compressed hydrogen surface vehicle refuelling connection devices document has been circulated for voting. You should be receiving a notification about this from your respective country's member body soon (CGA in the United States).
The second committee draft (CD) of ISO 16111 Transportable gas storage devices - Hydrogen absorbed in reversible metal hydride - is being circulated for approval among the P-members of ISO/TC 197. P-members are requested to forward their ballot paper to the ISO/TC 197 Secretariat no later than 20 March 2006. Members of the US TAG must send their ballots to Debbie Angerman at CGA no later than February 24.
IEC 62282-3-3 Ed.1: Fuel cell technologies - Part 3-3 Stationary fuel cell power plants - Installation. Members of ISO TC 197 are to review hydrogen safety aspects only. Other critical comments can be passed on to Kelvin Hecht, USTAG Chair for IEC TC 105 - due February 1, 2006.
ISO TC 197 WG13 is meeting on January 23 & 24 in Tokyo to discuss working draft ISO/WD 26142 - Hydrogen Detectors.
ISO 13984, Liquid Hydrogen - Land vehicle fuelling system interface, is undergoing systematic review. ISO TC 197 P-Members are asked to vote to withdraw, revise/amend, confirm, or confirm with correction of errors. Country ballots are due to the TC 197 Secretariat by March 27, 2006.
Members of ISO TC 197 are reminded to send their ballots and issues to the appropriate country member body TAG Administrator (Debbie Angerman in the US). Others are invited to contact Karen Hall at the NHA to ensure the issue is given due consideration.
Safety, Codes and Standards featured at NHA Conference in Long Beach
Patrick Serfass, National Hydrogen Association
For those of you interested in activities that specifically focus on hydrogen safety, codes and standards, the following consolidated list is below. Please note that this is just an excerpt of a nearly full week of hydrogen activities associated with the NHA Annual Hydrogen Conference 2006. For a full working version of the program, registration and hotel information, please visit:www.hydrogenconference.org.
The NHA Annual Hydrogen Conference will begin Sunday evening, March 12 and continue through Thursday, March 16. (As you can see below, some C&S activities will continue on Friday, March 17.) More than one thousand business professionals and expo visitors are expected to attend the 17th Annual Conference in Long Beach California to experience "Global Progress Toward Clean Energy," network with industry leaders and learn about the latest developments from keynote addresses, specialized technical sessions and the expo. The NHA Annual Hydrogen Conference with Hydrogen Expo US is the largest hydrogen conference in the US and the longest running annual hydrogen conference in the world.
All dates and times are subject to change.
Sunday, March 12
7:00PM - 8:30PM
Conference and Exhibition open with a networking reception
Monday, March 13
7:00AM - 6:00PM
Conference Events Continue (see schedule online)
Tuesday, March 14
7:00AM - 8:00PM
Conference Events Continue (see schedule online)
Tuesday, March 14
2:45PM - 4:15PM
Parallel Session 4 Safety: Sensors and Odorants
Wednesday, March 15
7:00AM - 6:00PM
Conference Events Continue (see schedule online)
Wednesday, March 15
11:00AM - 1:00PM
Parallel Session 5 Safety: Technical Validation
Wednesday, March 15
3:00PM - 6:00PM
National Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Codes & Standards Coordinating Committee In-Person Meeting
Thursday, March 16
8:00AM - 5:00PM
2006 CGA Hydrogen Seminar (Fee)
Thursday, March 16
9:00AM - 11:00AM
DOE C&S Tech Team Risk Assessment Working Group 1 Meeting (invitation only)
Thursday, March 16
11:00AM - 5:00PM
IEA Task 19: Hydrogen Safety
Friday, March 17
9:00AM - 5:00PM
IEA Task 19: Hydrogen Safety(cont'd)