Technical Resources
Online Tools
The Hydrogen Incident Reporting Database is a database-driven website intended to facilitate the sharing of lessons learned and other relevant information gained from actual experiences using and working with hydrogen. The database also serves as a voluntary reporting tool for capturing records of events involving either hydrogen or hydrogen-related technologies. This database was previously known as the Hydrogen Incidents Data Base.
The Introduction to Hydrogen for Code Officials Web-based course provides an overview of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, how these technologies are used in real-world applications, and the codes and standards required for permitting them.
The Hydrogen Safety Best Practices Manual is an online manual that captures the wealth of knowledge and experience related to the safe handling and use of hydrogen that exists as a result of its extensive history in a wide variety of applications. The purpose of the manual, prepared collaboratively by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory, is to share this knowledge gathered from numerous experts, public domain documents, and references in an online, easy-to-use manner.
The Hydrogen Safety Panel's Safety Considerations for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Applications is available online. This presentation covers fuel cell basics and applications, properties of hydrogen, primary codes and standards, fundamental safety considerations, and hydrogen safety resources.
The Center for Clean Energy Engineering (C2E2) at the University of Connecticut is leveraging its expertise and that of its partners to screen commercial off the shelf (COTS) cleansers and degreasers and determine if they are likely to adversely affect PEM fuel cell performance and durability. An overview of the study is available online at www.fchea.org/cleansers-test.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) Alternative Fueling Station Locator lists nearly 34,000 public and private stations, including biodiesel stations carrying B20 or higher blends, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), E85, electric vehicle (EV) charging, propane, and hydrogen fueling stations.
Workshop Proceedings and Presentations
Increasing the Value Proposition: Hydrogen Safety
On December 13, 2018, the Northeast Electrochemical Energy Storage Cluster and the Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Association hosted a webinar to provide an overview of design considerations that could be employed to ensure safety for a range of hydrogen applications; recent codes and standards changes for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies; and resources available through the Hydrogen Safety Panel.
International Hydrogen Infrastructure Status Presentation Slide
On August 30, 2016, the Department of Energy's Fuel Cell Technologies Office (DOE FCTO) released slides from a webinar providing an update on international hydrogen infrastructure developments. The slides covered hydrogen infrastructure deployments around the world, as well as a primer on inter-governmental partnerships to advance hydrogen and fuel cell technology.
International Hydrogen Infrastructure Challenges Workshop Summary - NOW, NEDO, and DOE
This webinar summarized the international information exchange on the hydrogen refueling infrastructure challenges and potential solutions to support the successful global commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. The information exchange took place in June 2013 at the German Ministry of Transport, in Berlin. Workshop participants included topical experts from Germany, Japan, the United States, Scandinavia, and the European Commission. Key focus areas of the webinar included the station requirements necessary to meet the latest SAE J2601 protocol and the development of alternative fueling protocols, maintaining and measuring purity to the SAE J2619 fuel quality standard, and the availability and accuracy of meters for hydrogen dispensing for 700 bar onboard fueling. Also included was an overview of the current status of key hardware for 700 bar refueling.
What Can We Learn From Hydrogen Safety Event Databses
This European/United States bilateral webinar was held in conjunction with the 5th International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS2013) and highlighted important safety event database tools that have been developed to bring lessons learned and related information to the forefront of the hydrogen community. These Web-based tools include Europe's Hydrogen Incident and Accident Database (HIAD) and the United States's Hydrogen Incident Reporting and Lessons Learned Database (H2Incidents.org). These tools serve as examples of different, but complementary, approaches. The safety event information collected in this manner can serve as a valuable resource. The webinar introduced these safety event databases, explored their features, and illustrated how they are being integrated and used to engage, educate, and inform various stakeholders. In addition, recent improvements to the databases were discussed.
Hydrogen Compatability of Materials
This webinar described hydrogen embrittlement and its impact on hydrogen distribution and storage. In particular, the webinar examined the challenges and existing guidance for selecting structural materials for hydrogen service. Speakers from DOE's Sandia National Laboratories reviewed the "Technical Reference for Hydrogen Compatibility of Materials," an important tool for identifying promising materials for hydrogen service and summarizing hydrogen compatibility data, as well as discovering gaps in available materials data and standards for qualifying materials for hydrogen service.
Sandia has also published a technical reference for hydrogen compatibility of materials, available online here.
DOE Analysis Related to H2USA
EERE staff and Fuel Cell Technologies Office-funded researchers provided an informational briefing on models, tools, and various analyses relevant to H2USA, a new public-private partnership focused on advancing hydrogen infrastructure to support more transportation energy options for U.S. consumers, including fuel cell electric vehicles. The new partnership brings together automakers, government agencies, gas suppliers, and the hydrogen and fuel cell industries to coordinate research and identify cost-effective solutions to deploy infrastructure that can deliver affordable, clean hydrogen fuel in the United States.
Hydrogen Refueling Protocols
More than 200 hydrogen refueling stations are projected to be constructed across the United States, Japan, and Germany in the next few years. Automobile Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have developed fueling protocols that incorporate critical information related to their vehicles such as fuel temperature and pressure, initial vehicle pressure, and initial state of charge of the vehicle. These protocols allow for a fast and safe fill at the station and complies with the storage system operating limits. However, a single, performance-based protocol is needed to standardize the market and allow for a safe fueling of all vehicles. In March of 2010, SAE International published the Technical Information Report (TIR) guideline, SAE TIR J2601, to standardize hydrogen refueling protocols. This webinar presented the current refueling methods including the TIR guideline, SAE TIR J2601. The TIR guideline was developed using OEM hydrogen storage systems and third-party laboratory testing. The guideline establishes a table-based approach which allows all OEMs to safely fuel vehicles within a few minutes. The fueling protocol has now gone through two years of field trials, being used in hydrogen fueling demonstration projects in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Additional Resources
FCHEA Regulatory Affairs Matrix for Codes and Standards
International & National Codes and Standards Overview Chart
Hydrogen Supplier Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
Regulators’ Guide to Permitting Hydrogen Technologies
Hydrogen Vs. Gasoline Fuel Leak Simulation, by Dr. Michael Swain