NFPA Documents in Public Input Phase
By Karen Hall, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association

A number of NFPA documents are now in the public input phase. Among these are two that are of particular interest to the fuel cell and hydrogen energy industry: NFPA 2 and NFPA 853.

NFPA 2: Hydrogen Technologies Code

The purpose of this code shall be to provide fundamental safeguards for the generation, installation, storage, piping, use, and handling of hydrogen in compressed gas (GH2) form or cryogenic liquid (LH2) form. 1.3* Application. 1.3.1 This code shall apply to the production, storage, transfer, and use of hydrogen in all occupancies.

NFPA 853: Standard for the Installation of Stationary Fuel Cell Power Systems

This standard shall apply to the design, construction, and installation of stationary fuel cell power systems. 1.1.2 The scope of this document shall include the following: (1) A singular prepackaged, self-contained power system unit (2) Any combination of prepackaged, self-contained power system units (3) Power system units comprising two or more factory-matched modular components intended to be assembled in the field (4) Engineered and field-constructed power systems that employ fuel cells.

A comprehensive list of all the NFPA documents currently accepting Public Input is available athttp://www.nfpa.org/aboutthecodes/list_of_codes_and_standards.asp?list=publicinput.

The official form for submitting input is available on the NFPA website atwww.nfpa.org. Public Input may be submitted until 5:00 pm EST/EDST on January 4, 2013.

RCS Review Available from FuelCell Today
By Karen Hall, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association

A new review of the progress and challenges in Regulations, Codes and Standards (RCS) for fuel cell technologies and hydrogen fuel is now available. 

The RCS Review, from FuelCellToday, provides information about international harmonization efforts, national approaches and priorities, and recent industry case studies. 

Readers can access the Review here:http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/analysis/legislation/2012/2012-fuel-cell-rcs-review.

Hydrogen Technologies Plenary and Working Groups Announced
By Karen Hall, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association

ISO/TC197, Hydrogen Technologies, have published their Calling Notice and Draft Agenda in preparation for their plenary meeting on February 28th, 2013. The meeting will be held in Montreal, Canada. The specific venue will be announced in the near future.

Two active working groups will also meet just before the Plenary as follows:

WG 16: Basic Considerations for the Safety of Hydrogen Systems: February 26th, 2013.

WG 17: Pressure Swing Adsorption Systems for Hydrogen Separation and Purification: February 27th, 2013.

Experts who plan to participate in any of these meetings are encouraged to notify their national Technical Advisory Group (TAG) at your earliest convenience.

2013 International Conference on Hydrogen Safety

The 5th International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2013) will be held in Brussels, Belgium on September 9-11, 2013 under the auspices of the International Association for Hydrogen Safety (IA HySafe). The conference will be hosted by the Joint Research Centre (Institute for Energy and Transport) of the European Commission and it will improve the public awareness and trust in hydrogen technologies by communicating a better understanding of both the hazards and risks associated with hydrogen and their management.

As we are approaching the beginning of the commercialization phase of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in 2015, ICHS 2013 will focus on progress in safety of hydrogen technologies and infrastructure, as crucial/essential means to enable the transition to a zero carbon energy system. Therefore, the conference seeks papers in a wide range of hydrogen safety topics like (but not limited to) Regulations Codes and Standards, safety in H2 infrastructure, safety solutions for the implementation of H2 technologies, hydrogen and hydrogen blends behavior, physical effects, consequence analysis, incidents, accidents and near misses, hydrogen effects on materials and components, safety of energy storage, risk management, fuel cells related safety issues. All contributions to ICHS 2013 will be evaluated exclusively in the light of their scientific content and relevance to hydrogen safety.

Additional information on the Conference organization, themes and topics, registration, and abstract submission is available online athttp://www.ichs2013.com/.

Please note: The deadline for abstracts is December 31st, 2012.