January 2013 Safety Report
US Model Codes Progress
by Karen Hall, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association
ISO TC 197 Update
by Karen Hall, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association
IEC TC 105 Update
By Kelvin Hecht, Chair, US TAG, IEC/TC 105
New SAE Document Initiated
By Jennifer Hamilton, California Fuel Cell Partnership
National Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Codes & Standards Coordinating Committee Teleconference - October 2012 Minutes (PDF)
Chad Blake, NREL
National Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Codes & Standards Coordinating Committee Teleconference - November 2012 Minutes (PDF)
Chad Blake, NREL
US Model Codes Progress
by Karen Hall, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association
FCHEA is pleased to report it has submitted eleven public comment proposals to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for the 2015 edition of NFPA 2: Hydrogen Technologies Code.
The eleven proposals relate to Chapters 10, 12, and 17, and serve to clarify existing requirements, ensure harmony with NFPA 853, add language pointing to requirements for parking garages in other NFPA codes, and update the code requirements for a variety of checks and tests - including temperature and pressure checks.
This work was performed through the FCHEA Hydrogen Codes and Standards Task Force, which is charged by and reports directly to the Transportation Working Group.
The NFPA 2 Committee is scheduled to review and vote on each public comment at the first draft meeting in June. The result will be a report, which will be available to the public. There will then be a follow-on comment/appeal period.
FCHEA is also aware that a number of comments pertaining to hydrogen energy have been submitted to the International Code Council (ICC) for the International Fire Code (IFC) and the International Building Code (IBC). Hearings are scheduled for April 21st - 30th in Dallas, TX. The agenda has not yet been set for this meeting, but that information will be posted on the ICC website prior to the meeting. The schedule is typically posted in March.
The proposals are primarily clean up. For instance in the IBC, hydrogen cut off room, make it a hydrogen gas room, and correlate with NFPA. In the IFC an example will be to adjust language requiring a vehicle to be defueled when it is being worked on.
Much of the work is to try and transition language to NFPA 2 as the reference standard.
New York City is in the process of updating their fire code. This may result in the inclusion of hydrogen language to allow storage and fueling of hydrogen in the city. NYC currently uses the 2003 I-Codes. ICC is working with NYC to accommodate appropriate updates. The changes are subject to an internal review process, with public input likely to take place in the next few months.
ISO TC 197 Update
by Karen Hall, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association
ISO TC/197 will be meeting in Montreal on February 28th. This will be the first meeting of this International Technical Committee since the change of Chairman and Secretariat. The meeting will seek to review the activities of all the working groups, discuss a strategy for "collective ownership" of the documents, and discuss the merits of restarting the work of two work groups where the documents failed to reach consensus within the timeframes defined by ISO.
To prepare for these discussions, two ballots have recently been circulated to member countries for vote:
- N563, vote on cancellation of ISO 15869, Gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen blends - Land vehicle fuel tanks
- N564, vote on cancellation of ISO 20100, Gaseous hydrogen - Fuelling stations
Ballots closed on January 22nd.
In addition to the formal ballots, countries were asked to indicate whether they were in favor of restarting the work in the near future. This question is not as straightforward as it may seem. The work items failed to reach consensus and the reasons and possible remedies should be considered. We expect these topics will be discussed at the plenary meeting on February 28th.
In addition, two Working Groups will be meeting in advance of the plenary:
- ISO/TC 197 WG 16 Basic considerations for the safety of hydrogen Systems will meet on February 26, 2013.
- ISO/TC 197 WG 17 Pressure swing adsorption system for hydrogen separation and purification will meet on February 27, 2013.
Experts who wish to attend the plenary are asked to inform their national Technical Advisory Committee (TAG) Secretary as soon as possible. Experts planning to attend the working group meetings should inform the WG convenor(s) at your earliest convenience.
IEC TC 105 Update
by Kelvin Hecht, Chair, US TAG, IEC/TC 105
The International Electrotechnical Committee on Fuel Cell Technologies (IEC/TC 105) continues to develop and update the International Standards needed by industry for wide-scale fuel cell commercialization and adoption.
This report depicts the status of the active work items as of January 2013.
Active Working Groups
WG#1 (IEC 62282-1 Ed.3 - Definitions)WG#4 (IEC 62282-3-201 Ed.1 - Stationary Fuel Cells - Performance for small fuel cells
- Publication expected 1st half of 2013.
WG#6 (IEC 62282-4-100 - Fuel Cell Systems for Forklift Applications - Safety)
- Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) approved.
- Publication expected by April 2013.
WG#8 (IEC 62282-6-101 - Micro Fuel Cells - Safety)
- Committee Draft (CD) in progress.
WG#9 (IEC 62282-6-200 Ed.2 - Micro Fuel Cells - Performance)
- 2nd edition in progress
WG#10 (IEC 62282-6-400 - Micro Fuel Cells - Power & Data Interchangeability)
- FDIS approved.
- Publication expected by March 2013.
WG#11 (IEC TS 62282-7-2 Single Cell -Test Methods For Solid Oxide Fuel Cells)
- CD in progress.
WG#12 (IEC 62282-3-400 - Small Stationary Fuel Cells with Combined Heat and Power Output)
- CD in progress.
- CD in progress.
- Next meeting February 21-22, Paradise Hotel, Busan, Korea.
WG#2 (IEC 62282-2:2012-03 Ed.2 - Fuel Cell Modules)
WG#3 (IEC 62282-3-100:2012-02 Ed.2 - Stationary Fuel Cell Power Systems - Safety)
WG#4 (IEC 62282-3-200:2012-10 Ed.2 - Stationary Fuel Cell Power Systems - Performance)
WG#5 (IEC 62282-3-300:2012-06 Ed.2 - Stationary Fuel Cell Power Systems - Installation)
WG#7 (IEC 62282-5-1:2012-09 Ed.2 - Portable Fuel Cells - Safety)
WG#10 (IEC 62282-6-300:2012-12 Ed.2 - Micro Fuel Cells - Fuel Cartridge Interchangeability)
WG#11 (IEC TS 62282-7-1:2010-04 - Single Cell - Test Methods for PEM Fuel Cells)
For additional information on the scope, progress, or timetables for these, as well as other fuel cell standards, please visit www.fuelcellstandards.com.
New SAE Document Initiated
by Jennifer Hamilton, California Fuel Cell Partnership
A new document, SAE J2990/1 Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Vehicle First and Second Responder Recommended Practice, is beginning which is an 'offspring' from SAE J2990 Hybrid and EV First and Second Responder Recommended Practice.
J2990/1 will address the potential consequences associated with hydrogen vehicle incidents and suggest common procedures to help protect emergency responders, tow and/or recovery, storage, repair, and salvage personnel after an incident has occurred.
If you are interested in contributing to the development of this document, please notify Pat Ebejer (pebejer@sae.org).
ICHS Final Call for Abstracts
The deadline for abstracts submission for the International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS) ICHS2013, to be held September 9-11, 2013 in Brussels Belgium, has been extended until January 25th, 2013. If you intend to submit an abstract for this prestigious conference and have not yet done so, please note you are running out of time!
Important Dates
- Abstracts submission: January 25, 2012
- Abstracts acceptance notification: January 31, 2013
- Full papers submission: March 31, 2013