Hydrogen Fuel Quality for Stationary Applications Out for Final Approval
by Karen Hall, Senior Technical Specialist, FCHEA

ICHS Success
by Jay Keller, Senior Technical Specialist, FCHEA; and Karen Hall, Senior Technical Specialist, FCHEA

Did You Know?
by Karen Hall, Senior Technical Specialist, FCHEA

Update on NFPA 853
by Karen Hall, Senior Technical Specialist FCHEA

Last Call to Review R 81 on Measuring Devices for Hydrogen Refueling
by Karen Hall, Senior Technical Specialist FCHEA

Global Technical Regulation for Fuel Cell Vehicles
by Karen Hall, Senior Technical Specialist, FCHEA

National Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Codes & Standards Coordinating Committee Teleconference - June 2013 Minutes (PDF)
Connor Dolan, External Affairs Manager, FCHEA

National Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Codes & Standards Coordinating Committee Teleconference - August 2013 Minutes (PDF)
Connor Dolan, External Affairs Manager, FCHEA

Hydrogen Fuel Quality for Stationary Applications Out for Final Approval
by Karen Hall, Senior Technical Specialist, FCHEA

ISO/FDIS 14687-3, Hydrogen fuel - Product specification - Part 3: Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell applications for stationary appliances is out for voting by member countries of ISO/TC 197. The vote is whether to approve this Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) for publication.

FCHEA member companies interested in reviewing the document for the purpose of providing comment may contact Karen Hall atkhall@fchea.org.

This document has been drafted by Working Group 14 of ISO/TC 197. The next step for this working group will be determined when the voting results are known.

ICHS Success
by Jay Keller, Senior Technical Specialist, FCHEA; and Karen Hall, Senior Technical Specialist, FCHEA

The fifth International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2013) was held in Brussels, Belgium, on September 9-11, 2013, under the auspices of the International Association for Hydrogen Safety (IA HySafe). The conference was hosted by the Joint Research Centre (Institute for Energy and Transport) of the European Commission. 

This year's conference aimed to increase public awareness and trust in hydrogen technologies by communicating a better understanding of both the hazards and risks associated with hydrogen and its management. ICHS 2013 focused on progress in safety of hydrogen technologies and infrastructure as a crucial means to enable the transition to a zero-carbon energy system.

The conference began with a high-caliber international panel Global Policies and initiatives for hydrogen in transitioning to a low-carbon economy, which highlighted how hydrogen energy technologies are being deployed around the world. Other conference presentations covered a wide range of hydrogen safety topics including regulations, codes and standards, safety in H2 infrastructure, safety solutions for the implementation of hydrogen 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, and fuel cells related safety issues.

In a welcome move to reach an even wider audience, this year the conference included webinar access to a key session: What We Can Learn from the Hydrogen Safety Events Database. Over 100 people participated by webinar in addition to those attending the ICHS in person. A recording of the webinar and the presentation slides have been posted to the following website: (http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/webinar_archives_2013.html)

We will post a link to the full conference proceedings after they become available.

Did You Know?
by Karen Hall, Senior Technical Specialist, FCHEA

Engineers and scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed an app that focuses on hydrogen safety. This free tool is now available in the Apple App Store and can be downloaded here.

The full press release can be found here.

Update on NFPA 853
by Karen Hall, Senior Technical Specialist, FCHEA

NFPA 853: Standard for the Installation of Stationary Fuel Cell Power Systems is under revision. The current edition of NFPA 853 was published in 2010. The next edition will be in 2015. The First Draft (previously Report on Proposals (ROP)) has passed ballot.

Next steps:

  • Second Draft (previously Report on Comments (ROC))
  • Public Comment Closing Date for Online Submission: 11/15/2013
  • Public Comment Closing Date for Paper† Submittal: 10/11/2013
  • Second Draft Report Posting Date: 7/18/2014

† Paper Submittals are considered any submission other than the online submission system

Last Call to Review R 81 on Measuring Devices for Hydrogen Refueling
by Karen Hall, Senior Technical Specialist, FCHEA

This notice is posted as a reminder to both the hydrogen and weights and measures communities that comments are due by the September 30, 2013, deadline on the first working draft of R 81 that was distributed in May. This draft model regulation includes the metrological and technical requirements and metrological controls and performance tests that apply to measuring devices and systems used for the dynamic measurement of cryogenic liquids in stationary, vehicle mounted, and vehicle refueling applications.

Global Technical Regulation for Fuel Cell Vehicles
by Karen Hall, Senior Technical Specialist, FCHEA

The March version of the draft, available here, will be submitted to the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) and to the Executive Committee of the 1998 Agreement (AC.3) for consideration and vote at their June 2013 sessions together with the final progress report: Report on the development of a global technical regulation on hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles, submitted by the Working Party on Passive Safety, available here.