FCHEA Workshop to Engage Hydrogen Station Component Manufacturers
by Karen Hall, FCHEA

The Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) is reaching out to manufacturers who are supplying or would like to supply critical components and systems for hydrogen fueling stations. In particular, suppliers of the following systems and components are being sought to engage in a web-based workshop to allow the hydrogen and fuel cell industry to better understand issues faced by these component and system manufactures, and to update manufacturers on market plans for roll-out of hydrogen fueling stations:

  • pressure relief devices
  • pressure gauges
  • pressure regulators
  • valves
  • hose and hose connections
  • vehicle fueling connections (nozzles)
  • hose breakaway devices
  • metal hydride storage
  • electrical equipment used with gaseous hydrogen systems
  • gas detection equipment and alarms

hydrogen generators

  • hydrogen dispensers
  • pressure switches
  • flow meters
  • composite storage

Topics of discussion will include experiences in permitting recent hydrogen fueling stations in California, along with informational resources now available to aid the process of equipment certification. Representatives from Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories most active in certifying hydrogen systems in North America will also be on hand to present the latest information on available standards and processes for certification of components for hydrogen use.

This web-based workshop is intended to be a first step in engaging in dialog to provide suppliers of future hydrogen station components the information they need in order to make appropriate business decisions regarding product certification.

We are currently reaching out to known suppliers; however, if you are interested in taking part in this web-based workshop, please contact Karen Hall to ensure we add you to the invitation list. Participation is limited, so please express your interest soon.

FCHEA to Host International Working Groups
by Karen Hall, FCHEA

FCHEA is pleased to host meetings of the following international working groups (WGs) within ISO/TC 197 in June, 2015:

  • WG 21: ISO/AWI 19880-4: Gaseous hydrogen -- Fueling stations -- Part 4: Compressors
    Monday, June 8, 08:30 am - 12:30 pm Eastern

  • WG 23: ISO/AWI 19880-6: Gaseous hydrogen -- Fueling stations -- Part 6: Fittings
    Monday, June 8, 1:30 pm - 5:30 pm Eastern

  • WG 22: ISO/AWI 19880-5: Gaseous hydrogen -- Fueling stations -- Part 5: Hoses
    Friday, June 12, 08:30 am - 1:30 pm Eastern
  • The kick-off meeting for each of these working groups was held in early December, 2014. Working Draft (WD) documents have been created using seed documents from the CSA Group. Each activity is aiming to have a Committee Draft (CD) prepared for circulation in the Fall of 2015.

    Each of these Working Groups was started in response to expressed industry needs, and each has the support of at least five ISO member countries. 

    Completion of these efforts will facilitate appropriate references in a developing International Standard on gaseous hydrogen fueling stations. 

    The activities are still in early stages. Participation from a broad range of experts is crucial to the development of requirements which can be adopted by member countries and used by industry. 

    Any interested parties who would like to participate in any of these activities are encouraged to contact Karen Hall with your contact details. I will be happy to help experts connect with their national committees to be able to participate in the development of these documents.

Importance of Micro Fuel Cell Expert Participation in Developing Standards
by Karen Hall, FCHEA

Involvement from the micro fuel cell industry in the development of fuel cell standards and regulatory activities seems to be slowing down. With the evolution and consolidation of the micro fuel cell industry, there are fewer companies engaged in the development of the international standards and regulations. Since the basic regulatory framework for transportation and the international safety standards are already enacted (in 2006 and 2010, respectively), why is it important for companies to engage in the development of regulations and international standards for micro fuel cell standards? The answer is simple - internationally harmonized and adopted requirements facilitate commercialization and transport of micro fuel cell systems and the regulatory and standards environments are not static, they keep changing.

For example:

  1. Investigations are underway regarding rules for transporting lithium ion batteries which are resulting in restrictions in transportation regulations. Some micro fuel cell systems may use this type of battery, and therefore regulatory decisions on this technology may impact the fuel cell industry. Manufacturers of hybrid systems in particular should be aware of these changes.

  2. Transportation regulations in the USA are not yet harmonized with international requirements. The US Federal Hazardous Materials Regulation (HMR) presently allows only two cartridge types to be carried in aircraft checked baggage, those containing Class 3 flammable liquid and Class 8 corrosive material. ICAO and most if not all other nations allow these cartridges and also those containing flammable gas in Division 2.1 or water reactive materials in Division 4.3. As FCHEA filed in rulemaking comments to the US Dept. of Transportation, this creates opportunities for impractical enforcement and compliance difficulties for passengers and screening, public confusion, and barriers to international trade, travel and commerce.

  3. The International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee on Fuel Cell Technologies (IEC TC/105) has several working groups dedicated to the development of International Standards for micro fuel cell systems. Working Group 8 - Micro Safety, developed IEC 62282-6-100, published in March 2010. Subsequently, a corrigendum and Amendment 1 were developed and published to correct errors that were editorial or technically substantive. Certification to this standard is required in the ICAO Technical Instructions to allow carriage of micro fuel cells in passenger aircraft cabins. 2015 is the stability date under IEC procedures to reconfirm, revise, or withdraw IEC 62282-6-100 Edition 1. Yet development of the next edition of this safety standard, which started in 2012 and aimed to be completed in 2015, is behind schedule due to lack of industry participation. This presents three significant potential problems - maintenance or replacement of IEC 62282-6-100 is nearly overdue under IEC/ISO rules; several technology types not involved in the next edition of IEC 62282-6 will not be covered by the standard; and when ICAO adopts the next edition of IEC 62282-6, those technology types not included in it will be without approval to be in passenger aircraft cabins.
     
  4. Direct participation in the IEC TC 105 active working groups.

  5. Working Group 8 commenced work on a second edition in 2012 to be entitled IEC 62282-6-101, which will become Part 1 General Requirements. This document is past the Committee Draft stage and ready for Committee Vote. Part 2 documents are to be developed for specific fuel cell technologies and use of the standard will require conformance to Part 1 and the appropriate Part 2 document for each technology. To date, only two Part 2 document drafts have been developed:
    6-106 Indirect Class 8 (corrosive) compounds
    6-107 Indirect water-reactive (Division 4.3) compounds
    Part-2 documents on butane and metal hydrides were anticipated but did not materialize. Both subjects have some preliminary drafts and could be picked up by interested parties to prepare the document(s) for the Committee Draft stage. Fuel cell technology proponents are needed to lead in the development of Part 2 documents covering their technology types, or else when completed, the second edition 6-101 standard will not cover them.

  6. Participation on the IEC National Committee.

  7. Participating countries have a national body to coordinate responses to IEC/TC 105 enquiry drafts, and to send experts to meetings. In the US, there is a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) which reviews draft documents and prepares US positions. Participation could take place at the TAG level, or might also include participation in the International Working Group(s). Once Edition 2 is published along with one or more Part 2 documents, a company wishing to publish an additional Part 2 document would need to approach their National Committee and work with the international experts to develop a new Part 2 document.

  8. Participate in and monitor standards and regulatory developments on FCHEA's Portable Power Working Group (PPWG).

  9. The Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association facilitates collaboration to allow members to discuss technical needs, review developing requirements, comment on draft documents, and participate in regulatory and standards development. The Portable Power Working Group promotes the commercialization of portable fuel cell power systems by identifying key markets, removing barriers to deployment and transportation, and encouraging demonstration programs to promote acceptance and successful commercialization. The PPWG and its members have a direct voice and seat at the table through consultancy status at the UN Committee of Experts on Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods and ICAO; rulemaking comments and petitions filed with the US DOT and interaction with key officials; involvement with other dangerous goods associations; and direct engagement with standards authorities and organizations.

Interview with ISO/TC 197 Chairman
by Karen Hall, FCHEA

This article is the first of what we hope to be a regular feature - an interview with the Chairman of ISO/TC 197, Dr. Andrei Tchoulelev.

The next article in this series will focus more on the technical work of ISO/TC 197. The purpose of this article is to get to know the Chairman and his goals for the International Technical Committee (TC) on Hydrogen Technologies, as well to better understand the challenges faced by the TC in developing standards which ensure safe use of hydrogen technologies, a measure of performance of hydrogen energy systems, and flexibility to allow for innovation in this rapidly-developing arena.

Dr. Tchouvelev took over the role of Chairman of ISO/TC 197 in September 2012. Dr. Tchouvelev is a member of the Executive Committee of the IEA Hydrogen Implementing Agreement. He has been actively involved in Tasks 19 and 31 Hydrogen Safety where he led subtasks on Risk Management (2004-2009) and Early Markets: Risk Characterization and Hazard Analysis (2010-2012). 

Dr. Tchouvelev also leads international hydrogen safety community serving as President of the International Association for Hydrogen Safety (HySafe), an international non-profit organization (with its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium) that includes more than 30 world-leading institutions from industry and academia from Europe, North America and Asia. 

Dr. Tchouvelev also serves as the President of Hydrogen Safety Division of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy (IAHE) and is an ex-officio member of IAHE Board of Directors.

ISO/TC 197 develops International Standardization in the field of systems and devices for the production, storage, transport, measurement and use of hydrogen. The last Plenary meeting of ISO/TC 197 took place on December 4-5, 2014 in Fukuoka, Japan. The next Plenary is being planned for December 3-4, 2015 in Torrance California, USA.

When Dr. Tchouvelev took on the role of Chairman for ISO/TC 197, he initially focused on two key items: to improve collaboration, team work and technical expertise in TC 197; and to improve the technical quality of the committee's products. 

With strong support from the participants of ISO/TC 197, the committee now utilizes a structure that supports these key areas. Collaboration, team work, evidence-based requirements and best practices all drive the growing program of work. Increased internal and external collaboration is a natural result of the principles of openness and transparency emphasized by the Chairman. 

The management team of TC 197 set up a Technical Advisory Board (TAB) made up of recognized experts in four key subject areas, from different regions, to act as Technical Program Directors (TPDs) for the following subject areas:

  • Hydrogen Production, Storage and Handling - Hervé Barthélémy, PhD (also has regional responsibilities for Europe)
  • Built Environment and Safety - Jay Keller, PhD (also has regional responsibilities for the Americas)
  • Stationary and Fuel Cell Applications - Kazuo Koseki, MSc (also has regional responsibilities for Asia)
  • Hydrogen Components and Vehicular Applications - Craig Webster, P.Eng.

The TAB acts as an advisory body to the TC and the TPDs help to coordinate the liaisons and the TC work that is being carried out in their field of expertise. 

In addition, in July 2014, TC 197 Dr. Mao from China was named Vice-Chair of TC 197 and a member of TAB, representing developing countries as part of a twinning arrangement between the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and Standards Administration on China (SAC). The goal of the twinning arrangement is to promote the use of TC 197 standards in developing countries, facilitate their participation in working groups and to assure that the TC 197 Business Plan addresses their needs.

The TC is now focused on development of new documents for hydrogen fueling stations and the systems and components necessary for refueling; as well as revisions of published standards where manufacturing innovations, field experience, and research data is now available to improve documents deemed important by the hydrogen energy industry.

When asked what activities he believes will become important for the near future of hydrogen technologies, Dr. Tchouvelev noted that the recent resurgence of natural gas as the bridging technology to hydrogen energy is a positive development. Future work may require International Technical Committees to work together on International Standards for systems which take natural gas in and produce hydrogen, as well as systems which utilize other fuels alongside hydrogen, as might be the case in the refueling stations of the future.

"The remarkable possibilities of hydrogen as both an energy carrier and energy storage mechanism intrigue me," stated Dr. Tchouvelev. "The concept is to couple sustainable power production (such as nuclear and renewable energy sources) and water electrolysis to generate hydrogen during off-peak hours, when electricity demand is low. The system would then have the flexibility to use this hydrogen for variety of applications within the power-to-hydrogen concept for which business cases exist. Broad examples may include all types of hydrogen fuel cell road vehicles, conventional industries like oil refineries, addition to natural gas pipelines and the use of HCNG blends, combined heat and power generation (CHP) or pure electricity generation during peak hours via stationary fuel cells when electricity cost is highest. This last model, otherwise known as peak shaving, avoids the need for load following by power plants (particularly nuclear) and helps replace hydrocarbons (oil and gas) in peak electricity production."

Summing up, hydrogen presents very interesting and unique possibilities for storing renewable energy that could later be distributed or/and used on-site as the need arises. Hydrogen presents an unparalleled combination of energy storage and energy carrier opportunities.

Dr. Tchouvelev is currently leading an activity to update the ISO/TC 197 Business Plan to capture the current activities as well as the market potential and future aspirations of the TC. Future articles in this series will focus more on the business plan and the technical work of TC 197.

International Documents on Gaseous Hydrogen Dispensers and Valves Circulated
by Karen Hall, FCHEA

Participating countries of ISO/TC 197 - Hydrogen Technologies - have been requested to vote, and comment as needed, on two Committee Draft documents:

ISO/CD 19880-2, Gaseous hydrogen - Fuelling stations - Dispensers; and

ISO/CD 19880-3, Gaseous hydrogen - Fuelling stations - Valves

The member countries are voting to approve these Committee Drafts (CDs) for ballot as a Draft International Standard (DIS).

FCHEA members who wish to review either of these documents for the preparation of the FCHEA positions to the US Technical Advisory Group (TAG) are requested to contact me by email Karen Hall as soon as possible. I would need your comments back no later than Wednesday, April 1 in order to consolidate views.

Metal Hydride Standard to be Revised
by Karen Hall, FCHEA

ISO/TC 197 has announced that the revised New Work Item Proposal (NWIP) from France to revise ISO 16111:2008, Transportable gas storage devices - Hydrogen absorbed in reversible metal hydride, has been approved. 

The document is to be revised within its existing scope. A new Working Group is being formed to carry out the work and to provide a recommendation on how to address larger systems in the future.

For more information, please see the related story published in the January 2015 edition, at http://www.hydrogenandfuelcellsafety.info/2015/jan/Article3.asp.

Hydrogen Reformer Standard up for Systematic Review
by Karen Hall, FCHEA

ISO/TC 197 has launched a systematic review questionnaire on ISO 16110-2:2010, Hydrogen generators using fuel processing technologies - Part 2: Test methods for performance. 

ISO 16110-2:2010 provides test procedures for determining the performance of packaged, self-contained or factory matched hydrogen generation systems with a capacity less than 400 m3/h at 0 °C and 101,325 kPa, referred to as hydrogen generators, that convert a fuel to a hydrogen-rich stream of composition and conditions suitable for the type of device using the hydrogen (e.g. a fuel cell power system, or a hydrogen compression, storage and delivery system).

The systematic review provides a periodic opportunity for participating countries to indicate whether a published document is being used in their country. This process determines whether the document should be confirmed, revised/amended, converted to another form of deliverable, or withdrawn. 

Are you aware of any use of this document in the US? FCHEA members are encouraged to provide your views to Karen Hall by Friday, April 10, 2015, in order to provide a FCHEA response to the US Technical Advisory Group. 

Liquid Hydrogen Fuel Tank Standard up for Systematic Review
by Karen Hall, FCHEA

ISO/TC 197 has launched a systematic review questionnaire on ISO 13985:2006, Liquid hydrogen - Land vehicle fuel tanks.

This International Standard specifies the construction requirements for refillable fuel tanks for liquid hydrogen used in land vehicles as well as the testing methods required to ensure that a reasonable level of protection from loss of life and property resulting from fire and explosion is provided.

This International Standard is applicable to fuel tanks intended to be permanently attached to land vehicles.

The systematic review provides a periodic opportunity for participating countries to indicate whether a published document is being used in their country. This process determines whether the document should be confirmed, revised/amended, converted to another form of deliverable, or withdrawn. 

Are you aware of any use of this document in the US? FCHEA members are encouraged to provide your views to Karen Hall by Friday, April 10, 2015, in order to provide a FCHEA response to the US Technical Advisory Group.