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You are here: Archives > May 2010 > Fuel Quality
May 2010
Hydrogen Fuel Quality – Discussion Invitation
Karen Hall, National Hydrogen Association


During the ISO/TC 197 Plenary meeting (see related article), a discussion took place regarding the International Standards development work for hydrogen fuel quality.

There are three activities relating to hydrogen fuel quality within ISO/TC 197. The original document, ISO 14687, had a scope intended to cover all applications. However, experts recognized that the grades of fuel described in this document were not suitable for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells and a new work item proposal was developed to create a grade suitable for PEM fuel cell vehicles. This resulted in a change in scope for ISO 14687 and a Corrigendum was published as follows: ISO 14687-1:1999/ Cor. 1:2001/Cor. 2:2008 Hydrogen fuel — Product specification —Part 1: All applications except proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells for road vehicles.

A Technical Specification (ISO TC 14687-2) was then developed and published to cover hydrogen quality for PEM fuel cells for road vehicles. That activity is now continuing to develop an International Standard. ISO 14687-2 Hydrogen Fuel —Product Specification — Part 2: Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell applications for road vehicles.  The Working Group (WG)12 draft International Standard is expected by the end of the year. 

During the past year, an effort to address a related issue for hydrogen quality for PEM fuel cells for stationary applications has also begun. This will produce ISO 14687-3 Hydrogen Fuel – Product Specification – Part 3: Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell applications for stationary appliances. This is being addressed by Working Group 14, which held a kick-off meeting in March 2010. Publication of this document will require a further change in scope to ISO 14687-1.

During the March kick-off meeting, WG 14 discussed a scope change for consideration by ISO/TC 197. This scope change was going to be proposed but has been withdrawn pending further discussion at the Technical Committee level during the 2010 Plenary. Experts at the Plenary raised concerns over the number of grades of hydrogen overall, which would be increased by the proposal from WG 14 to cover a range of hydrogen generators and purification systems.

In addition to all of this, the original document is due for a systematic review, and participating countries agreed the document required review and modification. There is a desire to review the general issue of hydrogen quality and consider simplifying the number of hydrogen fuel quality specifications.  ISO/TC 197 indicated that all three parts of ISO 14687 will be examined once part 2 has advanced.

As an active participant in much of this work, I have some observations and encourage discussion of the issues among the stakeholder groups.

  1. ISO 14687-1 is not being used as far as I can tell. Specifications are made by agreement between the hydrogen supplier and the customer.  I welcome hearing from anyone who is currently using this International Standard.

  2. ISO 14687-2 is developing test methods to enable testing for compliance with this document. Experts believe the resulting Part 2 will provide a fuel quality that is suitable for applications beyond PEM fuel cells for road vehicles.
  3. There is a desire to avoid requiring the same fuel to undergo separate testing to verify it complies with more than one resulting hydrogen fuel grade. After all, if the fuel complies with the most stringent grade, why undergo additional testing to allow use in less stringent applications?

A healthy discussion that involves hydrogen fuel providers, manufacturers of conversion technologies, fuel cell manufacturers, researchers, and fuel cell vehicle developers should consider the implications of basing the specification requirements on the requirements of the technologies that will use the fuel versus the technologies that will produce the fuel.

Naturally the fuel must be suitable for the technology that will use the hydrogen. Should testing take into account the hydrogen production method when a single source for the hydrogen is used? I recognize that this may not make sense when hydrogen will be coming from multiple sources and stored for vehicle refueling, for example – but what about the case envisioned by WG 14, where the hydrogen is being fed into a pipeline by a single source for stationary applications. Does it make sense to test for constituents that cannot be present?  Can and should fuel quality be validated taking both the end use and the fuel production and delivery methods into account?

I anticipate this is the concern that WG 14 will try to address at its next meeting sometime in September. I would like to encourage discussion and debate from the stakeholders before that meeting in order to allow experts to carry the findings to the WG 14 meeting and to influence the overall fuel quality debate in the international standards arena.