International Hydrogen Standards out for Systematic Review

by Karen Quackenbush, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association

ISO/TC 197 has several published documents up for systematic review. This means that member bodies are asked to provide their response to questionnaires to either confirm, revise/amend, or withdraw the subject ISO documents.

The following documents are currently out for systematic review:

  • ISO/TS 19883:2017, Safety of pressure swing adsorption systems for hydrogen separation and purification.

  • ISO 26142:2010, Hydrogen detection apparatus — Stationary applications.

  • ISO 16110-2:2010, Hydrogen generators using fuel processing technologies — Part 2: Test   methods for performance.

  • ISO 13985:2006, Liquid hydrogen — Land vehicle fuel tanks.

  • ISO 13984:1999, Liquid hydrogen — Land vehicle fueling system interface.

U.S. responses are due to the US TAG by Monday, July 13th, to allow time to obtain a consensus U.S. response on this systematic review. Interested parties from other countries are encouraged to contact their national bodies to weigh in on their respective national position. Links to national bodies are provided here: https://www.iso.org/committee/54560.html?view=participation.

Call for Experts for ISO/TC 197

by Karen Quackenbush, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association

The following Calls for Experts are out for ISO/TC 197 work activities:

  • ISO/TC 197 is seeking qualified and interested experts to join Working Group (WG) 29 on Basic considerations for the safety of hydrogen systems. WG 29 will review materials compatibility requirements referenced in ISO/TR 15916 Basic considerations for the safety of hydrogen systems. The scope of this WG is focused on updating table C.1 in Annex C with what is currently understood to be state-of the-art. If you are interested in working on this, please contact your national member body and request participation on WG 29. Links to national member bodies are available here: https://www.iso.org/committee/54560.html?view=participation. Experts not currently registered in the ISO community are invited to contact their respective national member body to be able to take part in this work.

  • ISO/TC 197 WG 28 is starting the development of an Amendment for ISO 19880-8:2019, Gaseous hydrogen — Fueling stations — Part 8: Fuel quality control. This Amendment will be developed by WG 28, Hydrogen quality control. If you are not a member of this WG but would like to participate on this work, please contact your national member body and request participation on WG 28.

  • ISO/TC 197 WG 22 has started the development of an Amendment for ISO 19880-5:2019, Gaseous hydrogen — Fueling stations — Part 5: Dispenser hoses and hose assemblies. If you are interested in working on this, please contact your national member body and request participation on WG 22.

CSA Public Review Fittings

by Sara Marxen, CSA Group

The CSA HGV 4.10 Technical Subcommittee has developed a draft document CSA HGV 4.10, Fittings for Compressed Hydrogen Gas and Hydrogen Rich Gas Mixtures (New Edition) for industry review and comment. 

CSA is seeking industry review and feedback until the close of business on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, with a closing deadline for all public comments on June 20, 2020. The draft document has been posted at the CSA Public Review website, please click here to access the file: https://publicreview.csa.ca/Home/Details/3823

HyTunnel Workshop Presentations Available

(Excerpted from information at www.hytunnel.net, May 15, 2020)

The European-funded project HyTunnel-CS held a 2-day Digital Stakeholder’ Workshop on May 4-5, 2020. The aim of the HyTunnel-CS project is to perform pre-normative research for safety of hydrogen driven vehicles and transport through tunnels and similar confined spaces (European Project FCH-04-1-2018). The main ambition is to facilitate hydrogen vehicles entering underground traffic systems at risk below or the same as for fossil fuel transport.  This workshop presented interim results of research projects for information exchange.

The Stakeholders’ Workshop was a two-day public event that brought together tunnel authorities, tunnel managers and designers, tunnel operators and safety officers, etc., but also hydrogen-powered vehicles and hydrogen delivery transport developers and manufacturers.

The aim of the Workshop was to inform prospective users about the mid- and long-term outcomes of the HyTunnel-CS project and to find a common ground for the future exploitation of the results. The Workshop facilitated open discussion on the impact, achievements and strategic direction of the HyTunnel-CS project.

Further information on the aims of HyTunnel-CS is available online on the project website https://hytunnel.net/.

To access the workshop presentations, please select Meetings and Stakeholders Workshop or use the following link https://hytunnel.net/?page_id=1063.

The Stakeholders’ workshop received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 826193 and thus it was available to attendees free of charge.

Hydrogen Safety Webinar Held by Johns Hopkins University

By Jennifer Gangi, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association

On April 23, the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) held a webinar, “Global Risk Conference - Hydrogen. A Zero Carbon Energy Vector Whose Time Has Come.”  

Marco Dell'Aquila, Senior Adjunct Professor of Energy, Resources and Environment, JHU SAIS Europe and Chairman of inspiratia, a market analysis/research firm focused on global infrastructure and renewable energy sectors, served as the moderator.  Participants included Christopher Jackson

CEO, Protium Green Solutions (UK), Patrick Molloy, Senior Associate, Rocky Mountain Institute (US), and Markus Wilthaner, Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company (UK).

The webinar was a spirited discussion of the potential of hydrogen in large-scale energy storage, with a focus on policies and progress in the European Union (EU).  Panelists talked about the incentives, regulatory guidance, and other pathways governments and the private sector could align on to move the industry forward in a variety of sectors, including transportation (light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles) and the de-carbonization of energy intensive industries. 

The event was streamed live and can be viewed in its entirety here. 

Several of the webinar’s participants host a podcast “Everything About Hydrogen” that features interviews and discussions about new and growing market segments, hydrogen and fuel cell cost and policy analysis.

California Air Resources Board Issues Final Draft Proposed Zero-Emission Vehicle Regulation for Medium and Heavy-Duty Trucks

By Connor Dolan, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association

As an update to our previous article from the November 2019 issue, on April 28, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) issued its final draft Proposed Advanced Clean Trucks Regulation. 

The proposed rulemaking would require original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to sell a certain number of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks each year, with a goal of reducing emissions generated from on-road mobile sources.  This regulation would be similar to California’s current mandate for automakers that sell light-duty vehicles to produce a certain number of zero emission vehicles (ZEVs), or purchase ZEV credits for missing that sales requirement.

The final proposed regulation increases the percentage of ZEVs that automakers are required to sell from the initial proposal, and also extends the proposed timeframe from ending in model year 2030 to model year 2035.  Beginning in model year 2024, 5% of class 2b-3 group vehicles, 9% of class 4-8 group vehicles, and 5% of class 7-8 tractors would be ZEV.  These percentages ramp up each year through model year 2035, which would require automakers to ZEV sales to be 55% of class 2b-3 group vehicles, 75% of class 4-8 group vehicles, and 40% of class 7-8 tractors.

The final proposed rulemaking also includes light-duty pickup trucks in the ZEV sales requirement for class 2b-3 group vehicles beginning in model year, rather than excluding them until 2027

Manufacturers would be able to earn credits selling zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles beginning in model year 2021.  Plug-in hybrid vehicles with some all-electric range and other near-zero-emission vehicles would earn partial credits under this program.  The regulation allows credits to banked and traded.

The final rulemaking also lowers the vehicle count threshold for the reporting requirement to fleets with 50 or more trucks and buses, rather than the originally proposed 100 vehicle fleet size.

ARB reports that these changes are being proposed to provide clear market signals to reach carbon neutrality in California by 2045, as well as achieve the state’s future ZEV adoption, climate, and air-quality goals.

ARB is accepting public comments on the final proposed rulemaking by May 28, 2020.  The Board is expected to take a final vote in June 2020.

For more information, or to submit a public comment, see here.

Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) Releases Hydrogen-Powered Drone Guidelines

By Connor Dolan, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association

On April 10, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) published guidelines for safe operation of hydrogen-powered fuel cell drones.  METI reports that fuel cell drones have a longer run-time compared to battery-powered drones, leading to an increasing demand in fields such as disaster response and distribution.

The guidelines note the particular challenges of fuel cell drones, which use high-pressure containers to store hydrogen fuel.  In response, the guidelines call for manufacturers and sellers of fuel cell drones to:

  • Use appropriate tanks of high-pressure gas, as well as drones with appropriate bodies.

  • Take measures for securing the safety of hydrogen tanks, taking into consideration the case where the drones fall during flight.

  • Take responsibility for securing appropriate skills of managers of fuel cell drones, as well as appropriate operation.

In addition, the guidelines call for managers of fuel cell drones to regulate the temperature of hydrogen tanks at 40 degrees Celsius or less, as well as prevent corrosion of tanks by moisture.

For more information on these guidelines, see the press release from Japan METI available online here.