Interview with the ISO/TC 197 Chairman

by Dr. Andrei V. Tchouvelev, Chair, ISO/TC 197, and Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

In this thirteenth installment of FCHEA’s "Interview with the ISO/TC 197 Chairman" series of articles, Dr. Andrei V. Tchouvelev, focuses on the critical work of the ISO/TC 197 Technical Advisory Board (TAB). I asked Dr. Tchouvelev if the Technical Committee (TC) workload has diminished due to the recent travel restrictions in place due to the Global Pandemic. According to Dr. Tchouvelev, the TC’s TAB has been busy reviewing and providing recommendations to the TC on a number of new work item proposals (NPs) submitted by P-member bodies. “The TAB plays a very important role in advising the TC in terms of the NP technical viability and its market relevance as well as the adequacy of the proposed future WG leadership (convenor / project leader) qualifications and experience to perform their duties”, Dr. Tchouvelev explained. “TAB review is an iterative process that helps the proponents to improve their proposals by addressing the comments received from TAB. This, in turn, enables TAB to develop a comprehensive and concise recommendation to the TC, which ensures smooth sailing of the NP through the TC Committee Internal Ballot (CIB)”, he elaborated.

Since the plenary meeting in December 2019, the TAB has reviewed three NPs. These included a joint proposal from USA and Japan to renew the work of Working Group (WG) 15 on hydrogen ground storage vessels, a proposal from Canada on fuel system components for hydrogen fueled vehicles, and a proposal from the Netherlands on electrolyser test requirements for performing electric grid services that were developed within the European pre-normative research project QualyGridS. The hydrogen ground storage proposal was approved in May 2020; the CIB on the proposal from Canada closed on July 13, 2020 and was also approved, and the NP from the Netherlands is in the middle of its 8-week ballot.

I asked Dr. Tchouvelev whether the TAB reviews were hindered due to the inability to meet in person. He responded that it had no impact, as the necessary research and coordination was able to be completed remotely. “There was no impact on the ability of the TAB to do its usual thorough job in reviewing these cases”, Dr. Tchouvelev asserted. He provided the following example: “To illustrate the scrutiny of TAB review, it is worth looking into more detail into the TAB review of the NP from the Netherlands (NEN P-member body). The original submission from NEN called for the development of an international standard (IS). However, the NP did not contain names of convenor / project leader. Upon further interaction with the proponent and sequential consultations with industry stakeholders, it became obvious that industry is not ready to standardize electrolyser performance tests for electric grid services. Yet, there was a desire to test the recommendations of the QualyGridS project in the real world without the pressure of mandatory compliance. Another complication was that the future work had to coordinate the input from 4 different Technical Committees, three of which are from the IEC. This unprecedented case is a difficult task by itself. The compromise was found by the achieved consensus to develop a Technical Report (TR) instead.”

This was reflected in the TAB recommendation that reads as follows:

  • Upon consultations with industry stakeholders, the proposed type of ISO document – Technical Report – appears to be the most appropriate as it allows stakeholders to:

    • get a detailed understanding of the outcomes from the QualyGridS project before proceeding to a higher type ISO document (i.e. TS or IS);

    • make a weighted decision whether it is appropriate to standardize these requirements;

    • work out how to have the 4 different technical committees (one ISO and three IEC) collaborate well together, and gain an understanding of what everyone brings to the table; and

    • preserve QualyGridS work as an ISO document that could later be continued to pursue a TS or IS if sufficient interest is generated with time and at the right time.

  • This Technical Report will support the growth of the carbon-neutral energy utilising variable renewable energy sources. It will establish test protocols and provide guidance for evaluating water electrolysers ability to perform the electricity grid stabilization. As such, it will serve as logical support to the general design and safety requirements specified in ISO 22734:2019 standard.

  • TAB also is of the opinion that the proposed leadership for this NP, Ms. Regine Reißner, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany and Mr. Cyril Bourasseau, French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), France, have sufficient qualifications and experience to serve as the convenor and project leader respectively of a new WG to develop this Technical Report. Ms. Regine Reißner served as the Coordinator of the QualyGridS project and also has close contact with the proposed collaborating IEC TCs 108 and 120. Mr. Cyril Bourasseau was one of the technical leads for the QualyGridS project and works closely with Dr. Pierre Serre-Combe, Chair of the French ISO/TC 197 mirror committee. In addition, CEA team has a direct contact with the Chair of IEC TC/105 Dr. Laurent Antoni. Thus, this arrangement ensures seamless communication between all 4 collaborating committees engaged into the development of this Technical Report.

Dr. Tchouvelev stressed that “in the traditional NP approval system that does not include a TAB review, this NP would go directly to the CIB and could likely be approved as submitted. This would undoubtedly lead to a stalemate situation and most likely a failed project. TAB review, on the other hand, helped to find a proper solution before the TC vote, thus ensuring not only the TC approval, but also a successful start of the new WG under a proper leadership team”.

Dr. Tchouvelev communicated that TAB has started reviewing another new work item proposal – from Japan on O-rings. This is expected to be another addition to the Fueling Family (19880 series) of standards. The TC CIB on this NP is expected to be launched by mid-August 2020.

I thanked Dr. Tchouvelev for the report on the continuing work of the TAB behind the scenes, and asked whether, given the ongoing travel restrictions, an in-person plenary meeting will go as planned in December 2020 in Seoul. “The plenary meeting most likely will proceed virtually”, Dr. Tchouvelev commented. He is currently in communication with the partners from Korea and Australia (who extended invitations to host plenary meetings in 2020 (firm) and 2021 (tentative) respectively) to ensure this decision is properly vetted before an official announcement is posted by the end of July 2020.

HGV Documents Out for Review

by Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

The following two CSA documents are currently open for public review and comment:

  • CSA ANSI HGV 2 Compressed hydrogen gas vehicle fuel containers. This is an opportunity to provide specific input on technical content.  Suggested revisions and rationale are greatly appreciated by CSA.  Please do not comment on grammar, spelling, formatting or other editorial issues. All comments received through the public review period will be considered.

    The review period will end on July 29th, 2020. Earlier responses are appreciated. Visit: https://publicreview.csa.ca/Home/Category/004.

  • CSA HGV 4.4 North American deviations for CSA HGV 19880-3, Gaseous Hydrogen - Fuelling Stations - Part 3: Valves.  This project is an adoption of ISO 19880-3 with North American deviations that will be presented prior to the ISO standard.  Please note that CSA is not soliciting for any proposals for the published ISO standard.    

The draft document has been posted at the CSA Public Review website for industry feedback.  Please click here to access the file: https://publicreview.csa.ca/Home/Details/3894. The draft document will be available through the link for Public Review until September 10, 2020, however, the Industry Review period is set to close on Monday, August 10, 2020. 

Comments on the draft documents can be made via the online Public Review and Commenting System.  Please note that you must register with the external public review site. That site is not linked to any other CSA site.

IPHE Hosts Webinar on the Global Hydrogen Economy

By Jennifer Gangi, FCHEA

On June 18, 2020, the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE) hosted a virtual Global Hydrogen Forum, a two-part webinar that included presenters from government and the private sector.  The main purpose was to discuss global hydrogen investments, initiatives, and opportunities to accelerate the demand, supply, and use of hydrogen around the world.

IPHE was formed in 2003, bringing together 20 different countries to cooperate and coordinate efforts on hydrogen and fuel cell R&D, codes and standards, and infrastructure development.  The U.S., led by DOE, is the current IPHE Chair.  There are currently 19 partner countries in IPHE, however, one of the webinar’s participants, Morocco, could be a potential 20th member.

Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, Secretary General of Hydrogen Europe, moderated both parts of the Forum.  The first section included high-level government speakers from the U.S., the European Union, Germany, Morocco, Japan, and Australia, as well as a representative from the International Energy Association (IEA).  The speakers provided overviews of their respective country’s (or organization’s) current hydrogen footprint and plans for investment, projects and deployments, and policy and regulatory framework.

Several countries have recently released energy plans that include hydrogen as the key to both environmental and economic recovery after COVID and outline steps and actions needed to accelerate hydrogen industry through R&D, investments, and regulations.

In the U.S., Assistant Secretary Simmons highlighted the H2@Scale initiative and DOE’s recent $100 million investment into two new National Laboratory-led consortia to advance hydrogen and fuel cell technologies research and development (R&D) on large-scale electrolyzer systems and durability, cost, and performance of fuel cells for heavy-duty applications. 

Director General Matsuyama from METI in Japan stressed the need for harmonized codes and standards, particularly for hydrogen infrastructure such as fueling stations, and for growing markets such as heavy-duty trucking that every country is involved in.   

The second part of the Forum featured high-level CEOs and executives from Cummins (which in 2019, acquired Hydrogenics and GE’s solid oxide fuel cell assets, invested in Loop Energy, and entered an MoU with Hyundai), ENGIE, Nel Hydrogen, Hyundai, and Air Liquide.

The lineup for both sections included:

  • Daniel Simmons – Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy, and Chair of IPHE – live

  • Kadri Simson – Commissioner of Energy, European Union – pre-recorded message

  • Andreas Scheuer – Minister, Federal Ministry of Transport & Digital Infrastructure, Germany – pre-recorded message in German (English subtitles)

  • David Turk – Deputy Executive Director, IEA – live

  • HE Aziz Rabbah – Minister, Ministry of Energy, Mines and Sustainable Development, Morocco – live

  • Yasuhiro Matsuyama – Director General, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan – live (but screen shot)

  • Alan Finkel – Chief Scientist, Australia – live

  • Tom Linebarger – Chief Executive Officer, Cummins – live

  • Gwenaelle Avice-Huet – Chief Executive Officer of the North America Business Unit, and Executive Vice-President, Global Renewable Business Line, ENGIE – live

  • Jon Andre Lokke – Chief Executive Officer, Nel – live

  • Euisun Chung – Executive Vice-Chairman, Hyundai Motor Group – pre-recorded

  • Pierre-Etienne Franc – Secretary of the Hydrogen Council, and Vice-President, Hydrogen Energy World Business Unit, Air Liquide – live

After the second round of presentations, there was a short Q&A section and then Noé van Hulst, Hydrogen Envoy, Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy, The Netherlands, and Vice-Chair of the IPHE, provided closing remarks.

The overarching themes of almost all the presenters was that in this unprecedented time, there is tremendous opportunity for hydrogen.  According to IEA, due to the COVID virus shutting down travel, manufacturing, and economies all around the world, energy demand in 2020 is expected to be down 6%, resulting in an 8% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Once this pandemic has passed and life hopefully returns to normal, there is a chance to reinvent and shift the world’s energy portfolio away from carbon-intensive fossil fuel and combustion to a more sustainable path with hydrogen.  Almost every speaker stressed the need for investments in developing and utilizing hydrogen infrastructure, both large and small-scale, to stimulate innovation, create jobs, and kick-start economies in a sustainable way. 

All participants called for increased global collaboration to build up both the supply and demand sides for hydrogen.  No matter the country or company, all speakers see hydrogen as a universal tool to decarbonize energy-intense sectors such as steel making, shipping, and aviation, and to help meet the goals of their respective governmental climate strategy.

Both parts of the webinar can be found here -https://www.iphe.net/virtualh2forum.

ANSI Publishes Updated Standardization Roadmap for Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Excerpted from June 30, 2020 ANSI Press release

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has announced the publication of the Standardization Roadmap for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Version 2.0). The roadmap was developed by the Institute’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Standardization Collaborative (UASSC), a group established to coordinate and accelerate the development of the standards and conformity assessment programs needed to facilitate the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS, or “drones”) into the national airspace system of the United States. More than 400 individuals from 250 public- and private-sector organizations supported the document’s development, including representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), other U.S. federal government agencies, standards developing organizations (SDOs), industry, academia, and others. A webinar with UASSC leaders providing an overview of the roadmap was held on July 15.  The webinar slides and recording will be made available on the ANSI website.

Version 2.0 expands the document’s content. In addition, many sections of the document were substantially revised or expanded, including such areas as: categories of spectrum applicable to command and control (C2) link and communications, continued operational safety, UAS detection and mitigation, and public safety tactical operations. New gap analysis sections were added related to:

  • Blockchain for UAS

  • Recreational Operations

  • Design and Operation of Aerodrome Facilities for UAS

  • UAS Service Suppliers (USS) Process and Quality

  • Implementing UAS for Hydrocarbon Pipeline Inspections

  • Implementing UAS in Airport Operations

  • Commercial Cargo Transport via UAS

  • Commercial Passenger Air Taxi/Transport via UAS (both short- and long-haul flights)

  • Commercial Sensing Services

  • Use of small UAS for News Gathering

  • UAS for Emergency Management and Disasters

  • Standardization of Data Formatting for small UAS Public Safety Operations

The full ANSI press release is available online at https://www.ansi.org/news_publications/news_story?menuid=7&articleid=58757077-aeb7-4554-b359-4aa34ae8881d.

You can access the Roadmap by completing the survey in the following link - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TJTGZS9.

Did You Know?

by Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

The International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS) is planning an in-person conference "Safe Hydrogen for Net Zero", to be held in Edinburgh, Scotland on 21-23 September 2021.

ICHS 2021 will include thematic plenary sessions, topical lectures, and parallel oral and poster sessions. The conference seeks to facilitate the near-term introduction and global trade of hydrogen and its technologies in the marketplace.

There is currently a Call for Abstracts open through December 31, 2020.

For further information on this conference, please visit www.ICHS2021.com.