H2Safety@BAM

by Jennifer Gangi, FCHEA

In Germany, the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), a scientific and technical Federal institute, has been involved with hydrogen research, testing, safety, and regulatory issues for more than 100 years. 

In early June, a briefing and campus tour at BAM headquarters in Berlin was part of a hydrogen-focused informational delegation sponsored by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany that I was fortunate to be invited to be a part of. 

BAM's current hydrogen strategy includes not only production and generation, but also the transportation and storage of hydrogen.  At its H2Safety Competence Center, the main focus areas include:

Dr. Kai Holtappels led the briefing, accompanied by the team leaders from each group, who each gave a deeper dive into the projects and various collaborations BAM is involved in.  After the presentations, our group was given a tour of the BAM testing laboratories, including one in an old military bunker where ignition/explosion testing takes place.

More detailed information on BAM’s past and current hydrogen projects and testing capabilities are outlined in its Hydrogen: Our Contribution to Safety brochure, and BAM’s website also has a database that includes hydrogen reports, presentations, and other resources published by its staff - available here.

Awards Presented for Hydrogen Safety, Codes and Standards 

by Haboon Osmond, FCHEA

FCHEA is pleased to share the following awards presented to individuals working on hydrogen safety, codes and standards activities.

2022 DOE Annual Merit Review Awards 

On June 6, at the 2022 Annual Merit Review, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen Program presented awards for contributions to the overall efforts of the Program and to accredit R&D achievements in specific areas.

Dr. Ethan Hecht, a research engineer at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California, was the sole recipient of the “Technology Acceleration—Safety, Codes and Standards” award.   

This award acknowledges Dr. Ethan Hecht for his outstanding contribution to the development of science-based codes and standards through the validation of liquid hydrogen release behavior. Hecht's contributions at Sandia and within the codes and standards community have reduced liquid hydrogen separation distances in the National Fire Protection Association’s “Hydrogen Technologies Code,” known as NFPA 2. Additionally, his work in fostering hydrogen safety and minimizing risk has helped to reduce the cost and footprint of hydrogen fueling stations, an essential part of efforts to advance hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and to pave the way for the safe deployment of hydrogen technologies at scale. 

Other award categories included: Hydrogen Technologies—Production, with one recipient; Hydrogen Technologies—Storage and Infrastructure, with two recipients from two different institutions; Fuel Cell Technologies, recognizing two individuals from one institution; and Technology Acceleration, with one recipient.

To see all of the 2022 awards, please visit here.

CGA’s Technical Manager Rob Early Recognized with NFPA Committee Service Award

Rob Early’s many years of commitment to the NFPA work in the interests of CGA members has landed him one of NFPA’s highest awards, the Committee Service Award. The award is granted to a technical committee member who serves for a considerable amount of time and delivers influential service to NFPA in evolving NFPA codes and standards. Communities use such codes and standards throughout the United States to evolve fire and building codes. Early’s participation on the seven committees has helped to ensure that the industry’s viewpoint is acknowledged and incorporated into NFPA codes and standards.

For further information, please click here.

ANSI Gaps Progress Report on Unmanned Aircraft Available

by Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA 

On June 14, 2022, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) announced the availability of a Gaps Progress Report tracking efforts over the six months by standards developing organizations (SDOs) and others to address the gaps identified in the Standardization Roadmap for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (version 2.0, June 2020), published by the ANSI Unmanned Aircraft Systems Standardization Collaborative (UASSC).

The UASSC was formed in 2017 to coordinate and accelerate the development of the standards and related conformance programs needed to facilitate the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace system of the United States.

For further information, please visit here.

2022 ISO/TC 197 Plenary Announced

The next international plenary of ISO/TC 197 will be held from December 5 - 9, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. Working group meetings are also planned during the event, Monday and Tuesday, December 5 and 6.

The meeting will feature face-to-face sessions. An official announcement and a full schedule of meetings and events will be available in the near future. 

For further information, please visit here.

2022 DOE AMR Proceedings Available

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program held its 2022 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR) virtually on June 6–8, 2022.

At the DOE Hydrogen Program AMR, hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE are presented, and projects and programs are reviewed for their merit.

View proceedings from the 2022 AMR. A report of the 2022 AMR program and subprogram reviews will be posted in Fall 2022.

Presentations and posters on project status are available in the AMR presentation database. For 2022, there were thirteen presentations or posters pertaining to safety, codes and standards.

Save the date for the DOE Hydrogen Program 2023 AMR, which will be held June 5–8, 2023.

2023 Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Seminar Announced

The next Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Seminar will be held in the Long Beach Convention Center from February 7-9, 2023.

The Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Seminar is the longest running and most comprehensive fuel cell and hydrogen energy conference in the U.S., bringing together hundreds of international manufacturers, fuel providers, customers, policymakers, supply chain, integrators, academics, investors, media, and other key stakeholders – you and your organization need to be a part of it. 

The Seminar combines high-level plenary and keynote talks, technical poster and breakout sessions covering the top hydrogen and fuel cell applications and topic areas, a bustling Exhibit Hall, networking receptions, a half-day U.S. Department of Energy workshop, and much more! 

For more information, please visit here.

You can also sign up for our mailing list to receive updates on the Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Seminar!

CHS Conference Accepting Abstracts

The Center for Hydrogen Safety is holding its 3rd hydrogen safety conference covering the Americas. The conference, scheduled for September 20-22 in Anaheim, CA, is being held in partnership with RE+'s North America Smart Energy Week. Smart Energy Week is the largest gathering of solar, smart energy, microgrids, energy storage, hydrogen fuel cell professionals, EVs, and wind professionals in North America.

SESSION TOPICS

  • Lessons Learned in Hydrogen Safety

  • Hydrogen Safety Public Education and Awareness

  • Safety in the Transport and Distribution of Hydrogen

  • Hydrogen Safety in End Use Applications

  • Safety Issues Affecting the Production of Hydrogen

  • Safe Storage of Hydrogen

Abstracts are due by August 8, 2022. To submit your abstract or learn more, please visit here.