Last Call - 2017 FCS&EE Call for Abstracts

by Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

The 2017 Fuel Cell Seminar will be held in Long Beach, CA from November 7-9.

The Call for Abstracts has been posted at https://www.fuelcellseminar.com/.

This year, by popular request, the topic areas have been expanded to include Safety Codes & Standards.

Safety, Codes and Standards subtopics include:

  • Model Codes (I-Codes, NFPA)
  • National Standards and Best Practices
  • State and Regional Implementation
  • International Standards and Activities
  • Research supporting codes and standards
  • Education and Training
  • Safety systems, including testing and design challenges
  • Hydrogen quality specification
  • Global harmonization
  • Case studies and lessons learned in permitting and installations
  • Other

If you are considering submitting an abstract or two, please note the deadline for abstract submission is May 27th. The process is quick, as full papers are optional. Please visit https://www.fuelcellseminar.com/call-for-abstracts/ for the full list of topics, and https://www.fuelcellseminar.com/abstract-submission-guidelines for instructions for submitting abstracts.

List of ISO Documents out for Vote

by Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

The United States has been requested to vote, and comment as needed, on several draft International Standards. Karen Quackenbush is a member of the US TAG for FCHEA, and will be happy to discuss any of the documents with members upon request.

  • ISO/CD 19880-5.2, Gaseous hydrogen — Fueling stations — Part 5: Hoses and hose assemblies [N845]. The TAG is voting to approve the CD for DIS ballot.
  • ISO/CD 19884.2, Gaseous hydrogen — Cylinders and tubes for stationary storage [N844]. The TAG is voting to approve this CD for DIS ballot.
  • ISO/DIS 19881, Gaseous hydrogen – Land vehicle fuel containers. The TAG is voting to approve this DIS for publication.
  • ISO/DIS 19882, Gaseous hydrogen — Thermally activated pressure relief devices for compressed hydrogen vehicle fuel containers. The TAG is voting to approve this DIS for publication.
  • ISO/DIS 19880-2, Gaseous hydrogen — Fueling stations — Part 2: Dispensers. The TAG is voting to approve this DIS for publication

Interview with ISO TC 197 Chair

By Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

In this seventh installment of FCHEA’s "Interview with the ISO/TC 197 Chairman" series of articles, Dr. Andrei V. Tchouvelev shared his thoughts on the importance of harmonization of national and international codes, standards, and regulations. The discussion comes in the wake of a recent meeting, which addressed North American hydrogen codes and standards.

On March 22, 2017, the CSA Group, with the support of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) pulled together 34 key stakeholders in Ottawa for a North American Hydrogen Codes and Standards Forum. This event focused on alignment of codes and standards between the US and Canada, but also discussed the importance of international standards.

During the forum, Dr. Tchouvelev presented the ISO/TC 197 activities highlighting the active Working Groups currently developing 15 international standards. He suggested that for hydrogen component standards to be successful, they must be supported by comprehensive certification programs, because all major global regional regulatory structures – European EC regulations, KHK regulations in Japan and regulations in Canada and the US – require components to be either listed or approved, which means they need to be certified to meet component standards requirements.

The forum noted there are differences between the US and Canadian model codes for hydrogen installations. “In the US there is NFPA 2, and in Canada we have the Canadian Hydrogen Installation Code (CHIC)”, Dr. Tchouvelev explained. “Advocates of CHIC point out that simply adopting NFPA 2 would take control of the installation requirements inside of Canada away from Canadians. CHIC is an appropriate place to reflect Canadian specifics such as climatic conditions. Also, CHIC has already been adopted into a number of provincial regulations and is thus the law of the land in various Provinces of Canada. So while harmonization of requirements is important, there is still a need for distinct national documents, where the country regulators are directly involved in the development of the requirements. The key is that International standards for components, where they exist, should be referenced in national codes. Having said that, there may be a significant benefit in the development of a compendium for each national code”, he suggested. “Perhaps a document that explains where the national codes are harmonized, and where differences may remain, might be useful for harmonization within North America, as well as more broadly internationally”, he added.

The North American Hydrogen Codes & Standards Forum was simply the first step in looking at opportunities to harmonize requirements between the US and Canada. A similar activity might be useful internationally at some point. “In fact”, Dr. Tchouvelev exclaimed, “working through ISO is one significant way we can achieve the level of harmonization that industry is looking for. As an example, many North American standards were used as seed documents for ISO standards. Once published, these standards can be adopted back in North America and elsewhere (with appropriate national deviations where necessary), resulting in harmonized requirements which have had the benefit of feedback from experts throughout the world”, Dr. Tchouvelev noted.

The minutes will be posted to the CSA Communities of Interest (https://community.csagroup.org/groups/hydrogen-forum-codes-standards) by the end of May.

Telecommunications Industry Association Publishes Reference Guide for Fuel Cells

By Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has now published its Reference Guide to Regulations, Codes, and Standards for the Deployment of Stationary Fuel Cells.  A PDF of the document is available online here: http://www.tiaonline.org/resources/tia-fuel-cell-reference-guide

HyTransfer Project Reports Available

Information provided by Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Jan Zerhusen, Senior Project Manager, Coordinator HyTransfer 

The HyTransfer project was concluded in December 2016, and all public reports are now available for download from the project webpage, https://www.hytransfer.eu/downloads-press-1/

Available downloads:

  • Report on the experimental filling test campaign (Deliverable D 4.1 – public)
  • Validation of a new approach for fast filling of hydrogen tanks (Deliverable D 5.1 – public)
  • Final synthesis of the project findings for the industry (Deliverable D 7.5 – public)
  • Report on the Expert Networking Group (Deliverable D7.8 – public)

These reports provide valuable insights into

  • the work performed within the project,
  • the main results as well as
  • the fuelling approach proposed.

The slides from the Final Webinar are also available for download.

Downloads Available from Fuel Cells for Forklifts Webinar

by Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

The Northeast Electrochemical Energy Storage Cluster (NEESC) hosted a webinar on Fuel Cells for Forklifts on April 20th. A description of the webinar, provided by NEESC, is provided here:

http://neesc.org/fuel-cells-for-forklifts/ 

Fuel cells using renewable hydrogen provide power solutions for material handling equipment that increase productivity, lower operating costs and reduce carbon footprints in a reliable, cost-effective way.  A variety of industry warehouses and distribution centers are already powering forklift fleets with fuel cells, including manufacturing, food sales, retailers, and cold storage.  Fuel cell-powered industrial equipment provide many benefits:

  • Increased productivity
  • Lower operational costs
  • More usable commercial space for product flow
  • Zero emissions

This presentation provided an overview of fuel cell power solutions for material handling and other warehouse lift equipment, with an emphasis on the extended benefits for cold storage facilities. 

Guest Speakers:

To download the presentation or to hear the recording, please visit http://neesc.org/events/past-events/.