Results of the ICC Final Action Hearings
Nine new hydrogen-related proposals approved regarding metal hydrides, vehicle fueling, liquid hydrogen and more
Patrick Serfass , National Hydrogen Association
From May 22-26, 2007, the Final Action Hearings for the International Code Council family of codes was held in Rochester, NY. Those hearings ended the 2006-07 cycle for I-Code revisions. The results are reported below.
What’s New? How is this relevant? Please read on below.
2006/07 ICC Results for Hydrogen-related Proposals
Legend:
AS - Approved as Submitted
ASF - Approved as Submitted by Assembly Floor Action at Code Development Hearing
AM - Approved as Modified by the Code Committee at Code Development Hearing
AMF - Approved as Modified by Assembly Floor Action at Code Development Hearing
AMPC1 – Approved as Modified by Public Comment #1
D - Disapproved
DF - Disapproved by Assembly Floor Action at Code Development Hearing
WP - Withdrawn by Proponent
 What’s New in the International Codes for Hydrogen?
For starters, all the new language in proposals that were approved at the Final Action Hearings (F53, F54, F154, F156, F157, F191, F194, FG54 and FS37) is now a part of the I-Codes as a published supplement to the relevant code. For example, the language in F191 is now in the supplement to the International Fire Code and the language in FG54 is in a different supplement to the International Fuel Gas Code. Every alternate cycle, several supplements are published instead of each entire code book. (The result of the next 07-08 cycle will be to publish full editions of each International Code.) However, in the end, the effect is mostly the same: this language is now in the codes.
What’s New:
- With F154, there is now a slightly improved requirement for hydrogen dispensers that protects the hydrogen vehicle’s fueling system and harmonizes the language with current requirements from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE);
- With F156, there is now a new requirement for the pad that you drive onto at a fueling station that will make sure to dissipate any static electricity built up by driving the vehicle before you even open your door to fuel;
- With F191, there are new requirements for the construction of liquid hydrogen tanks;
- With F194, metal hydride storage systems will now be recognized logically as regular, flammable gas systems which maintains the same level of safety, but allows for easier approval of metal hydride systems, hopefully leading to increased use;
- With F54, battery room ventilation systems will now be “supervised” by one of a variety of signals to inform someone that the air in the battery room has a concentration of hydrogen greater than 1 percent; and finally,
- With F157, there is an expanded ability for gas detection systems that are listed OR approved to now be used in a variety of applications, expanding the number of products that can be used to detect certain gases.
More detail on each of these follows. For exact code language and proposals, please refer to the links in the table above.
F154-06/07: "Vehicle overpressure protection"
Proponent: Thomas Joseph, Chair, Hydrogen Industry Panel on Codes
This newly-approved language resets the level at which the overpressure system on the dispenser side of the vehicle fueling system should activate to prevent overpressure of the vehicle fuel system. The level (“140 percent of the service pressure of the fueling nozzle it supplies”) was chosen to be consistent with overpressure levels as determined by SAE. At the time of publication, SAE has recently tweaked their overpressure level from 140% to 138% to be consistent with other requirements. Safety-wise, this is a negligible change however it helps to harmonize the SAE and ICC requirement for overpressure protection.
[Go back to What’s New]
 F156-06/07: "Electrostatic discharge for fueling pads"
Proponent: Thomas Joseph, Chair, Hydrogen Industry Panel on Codes
This new language improves the safety of both hydrogen and gasoline vehicle fueling by making sure that the static electricity built up by driving the vehicle is immediately dissipated when the vehicle drives onto the fueling pad, and BEFORE the driver even opens the door. Fueling station builders have a choice with this language of making the fueling pad out of concrete or of any approved material that has a resistivity of less than 1 megohm.
If you drive a gasoline car, you might have noticed that most gasoline fueling stations already have concrete pads because it is a long standing recommended practice of the American Petroleum Institute. (The concrete not only helps to dissipate static electricity, but it helps to prevent petroleum fuels from contaminating groundwater. Asphalt is porous and petroleum based fuels can both dissolve and penetrate it.) Therefore, there is little or no effect to the current gasoline practices. However, this puts the already common practice of using concrete into code and also sets an improved precedent for new hydrogen fueling stations.
If you do not want to use concrete, approved materials could be ones that meet either of the following standards:
[Go back to What’s New]
 F191-06/07: "Movement of LH2 language and new LH2 tank requirements from CGA"
Proponent: Larry Fluer, Fluer, Inc., representing Compressed Gas Association
This code change proposal has three main parts to it, all related to liquid hydrogen: new definitions, moving requirements among chapters and new liquid hydrogen tank construction requirements.
This new language adds new definitions for "bulk liquefied" and "bulk compressed" gas systems where specific details surrounding such installations can be found.
Other parts of this approved language moves the requirements for liquid hydrogen from Chapter 32 (cryogenic fluids) to Chapter 35 (Flammable Gases and Flammable Cryogenic Fluids). This is important for consistency since there are no other fuel-specific requirements in Chapter 32. Therefore, liquid hydrogen-specific requirements don’t belong there either. Chapter 35 has the fuel-specific language in it to account for things like the different properties of fuels. The liquid hydrogen requirements have been moved there.
Finally, the Fire Code now has new requirements for liquid hydrogen tank construction that are harmonized with the newly published CGA Standard H-3-2006 on Cryogenic Hydrogen Storage. According to the proponent, the more specific minimum design requirements established by Section 3506.3 coupled with the general requirements of Chapter 32 applicable to all cryogens (see paragraph above) improve the code resulting in greater consistency and an increase in public safety.
[Go back to What’s New]
 F194-06/07: "Guidance for metal hydride systems"
Proponent: Larry Fluer, Fluer, Inc., representing Compressed Gas Association
This proposal adds important language relevant to metal hydrides. In short, this should help to accelerate the installation and approval of metal hydride systems in the marketplace due to the fact that metal hydride systems can now (again) be treated in many ways as regular gaseous hydrogen systems.
It is interesting to note that part of this language had been adopted into the fire code before (during the 04-05 cycle), and was deleted during the last (05-06) cycle. Now, this improved language has been approved during the 06-07 cycle which just ended in Rochester in May.
The new code language was proposed by the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) in an effort to bring the different-minded parties to consensus in a manner that recognizes the presence of these unique systems, and to place fundamental requirements in the code to address their use. This language requires that the metal hydride container be treated as a flammable gas container and not with any special treatment to the materials that make up the metal hydride mixture. This is considered a safe practice because metal hydride tanks are designed to never allow the metal hydride material to leave the container—only the hydrogen goes in and out.
[Go back to What’s New]
F54-06/07: "Required automatic status monitoring of lead acid battery room ventilation systems"
Proponent: Lynne M. Kilpatrick, Fire Department, City of Seattle, WA
This change requires that the ventilation systems for battery changing rooms have supervision by an "approved central, proprietary, or remote station service" or the activation of "an audible and visual signal at a constantly attended on-site location." These alarms are automatically activated when there is more than 1% of hydrogen in the room. According to a discussion with the proponent, this language only applies to stationary lead-acid battery systems with an electrolyte capacity >50 gal. and now requires status monitoring of the ventilation system. This is typically accomplished with a vane-type paddle in the duct that changes position when there is no airflow and activates a position switch that can be monitored by the fire alarm system. Although this change will increase the cost of new installations, cost may not increase by much since the smoke detectors already required (by 608.8) will make sure a fire alarm system is present and a fire alarm circuit is nearby.
[Go back to What’s New]
F157-06/07: "Consistent 'listing' of lighter-than-air gas detection systems"
Proponent: Greg Rogers, South Kitsap Fire & Rescue, representing ICC Joint Fire Service Review Committee
The language expands the ability to use new gas detection systems. Specifically, it changes gas detection systems from requiring to be "approved" (approved by the permitting official) to requiring that they be "listed or approved." Systems that are certified by a third party are often “listed.” The proponent says this change is needed because similar sections in other parts of Chapter 22 also require gas detection systems to be "listed" (See 2208.2.2 which deals with natural gas motor fuel dispensing facilities and 2209.2.2 which deals with hydrogen motor fuel-dispensing and generation facilities). Therefore, requiring that gas detection systems be “listed OR approved” will allow a greater number of gas detection systems to be used; it will expand the ability to install new technologies and therefore open the market for these devices; and it makes the language more consistent with other parts of the code.
For a history of the results of past ICC hearings see the following articles:
|
