Interview with ISO/TC 197 Chair: Introducing Hydrogen Fueling Family of Standards
by Karen Hall, FCHEA

In March, we launched FCHEA's "Interview with the ISO/TC 197 Chairman" series of articles. The first edition introduced the Chairman, Dr. Andrei Tchouvelev and the goals and challenges of the International Technical Committee (TC) on Hydrogen Technologies, ISO/TC 197. This second article focuses on the technical work - specifically the family of hydrogen fueling standards presently under development.

I asked ISO/TC 197 Chair Andrei Tchouvelev why the Technical Committee is developing a family of documents rather than more traditional stand-alone documents. "We decided to establish a suite of standards all relating to gaseous hydrogen fueling stations - Fueling Family - since this seemed like a sound approach to help ensure safety throughout the system", he explained. "When we get to 700 bar refueling and communication-assisted filling operations, there is a significantly more strict set of requirements involved than in a more traditional environment. A high pressure storage system requires components are tested to even higher pressures. Plus an added bonus - convenience for the user of having the most relevant standards under one generic number."

These documents are related, and share a numbering system as follows:

ISO 19880-1: Gaseous hydrogen fueling stations - General requirements, recommends the minimum design characteristics for safety, and where appropriate, for performance of public and non-public fuelling stations that dispense gaseous hydrogen to light duty land vehicles (e.g. Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles). The document will first be issued as a Technical Report, facilitating field experience and feedback for the development of the International Standard. The early efforts address fueling mainly for light duty hydrogen land vehicles, but the later revisions will also encompass buses and fork-lift truck applications. The Technical Report will summarize existing knowledge and experience accumulated globally with hydrogen fueling, and includes separation distance considerations and approaches as well as fueling protocol options. The Technical Report will lay the foundation for the future international standard (see below) that will replace ISO/TS 20100:2008. Working Group 24 is responsible for this work product.

ISO 19880-2: Gaseous hydrogen - Fueling stations - Dispensers, provides the requirements and test methods on the safety of complete hydrogen dispensers with the normal working pressure of 35 MPa and/or 70 MPa for gaseous hydrogen fueling stations. Working Group 19 is responsible for this work product.

ISO 19880-3: Gaseous hydrogen - Fueling stations - Valves, provides the requirements and test methods of the safety performance of high pressure gas valves (1 MPa and over) for gaseous hydrogen fueling stations. Working Group 20 is responsible for this work product.

ISO 19880-4: Gaseous hydrogen - Fueling stations - Compressors, contains safety requirements for material, design, manufacture and testing of gaseous hydrogen compressor packages used in fueling station service. Working Group 21 is responsible for this work product.

ISO 19880-5: Gaseous hydrogen - Fueling stations - Hoses, covers requirements for gaseous hydrogen hose and hose assemblies which are used for connecting the dispenser to the fueling nozzle; used as vent lines which carry gas to a safe location; and flexible hoses for use in other locations where flexibility is necessary. Working Group 22 is responsible for this work product.

ISO 19880-6: Gaseous hydrogen - Fueling stations - Fittings, specifies uniform methods for testing and evaluating the performance of fittings, including connectors and stud ends for ports, used with compressed hydrogen gas in hydrogen fueling station applications. Working Group 23 is responsible for this work product.

ISO 19880-7: Gaseous hydrogen - Fueling stations - Fueling protocols (Proposed TBD)

ISO 19880-8: Gaseous hydrogen - Fueling stations - Hydrogen quality control (Proposed TBD)

When asked what the most significant challenges are in creating a family of documents to support gaseous hydrogen refueling, Dr. Tchouvelev responded that "the documents in this family require close coordination. This includes clear handoffs between one document and the next. For example, use of consistent terminology and an understanding of set point pressures use for components and systems is necessary to ensure the documents present clear requirements and assumptions are understood."

"There is a time-critical need by governments and industry for these documents. The European Union Alternative Fuel Infrastructure (AFI) Directive that is coming into effect in November 2017 directly references ISO standards. Working Group (WG) 24, responsible for the development of ISO 19880-1: Gaseous hydrogen -- Fueling stations - General requirements, is working aggressively to ensure this document is available for adoption in the European Union via CEN process under the Vienna Agreement in time to meet the timeline of AFI Directive implementation. WG 24 is convened jointly by Guy Dang-Nhu of France and Jesse Schneider of the U.S. This document is on track to finish the draft Technical Report in July for vote by the Technical Committee from August to the end of September. December 2016 is the target date for publication of the International Standard."

It typically takes 3-5 years to produce an International Standard. I asked Dr. Tchouvelev how WG 24s aggressive schedule is being accommodated. "Five in-person meetings are being held in 2015 to complete the Technical Report and start the draft international standard (DIS), Dr. Tchouvelev noted. Even with the intense meeting plan, the schedule to meet the EU requirements for AFI Directive implementation in 2017 is very challenging, and three subteams (station acceptance criteria, hydrogen quality, and safety distances) have been formed to handle these subjects in parallel." 

"There is already close coordination between ISO/TC 197 and CEN at program level who has the mandate over AFI Directive implementation, and CEN/TC 268/WG5 that acts as ISO/TC 197/WG24 mirror committee and will have a parallel vote on behalf of CEN for the WG24 DIS."

There is a clear, time-critical need for the ISO 19880-1 document in Europe. I asked Dr. Tchouvelev whether there is evidence of further international relevancy. He described the following examples: 

"In the USA, H2FIRST (see http://energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/h2first) is tackling technical work in support of H2USA to fill the most critical gaps and needs for achieving a better-performing, less-expensive hydrogen fueling infrastructure in the USA. One current task in particular, Hydrogen Station Equipment Performance-HyStEP; provides a feedback mechanism with the developing standards to identify data needs for the research to address. The HyStEP work is currently engaged with WG 24 which is responsible for field testing of a complete station as part of General requirements."

"19880-8 (reserved for a future WG to develop Hydrogen quality control requirements as per recently submitted NWIP by Japan) will engage with H2FIRST on their Hydrogen Containment Detector task. Many of the component standards in the 19880 family address components, which feed back into the H2FIRST Reference Station Design work." 

"There are similar activities in Japan. The Research Association of Hydrogen Supply /Utilization Technology - HySUT is an association founded in July 2009 aiming to establish hydrogen supply infrastructure and to improve hydrogen business environment. Research there is benefiting the development of requirements, and needs identified in the development of the standards feeds into research activities."

"The 19880 family of documents for hydrogen refueling stations have clear global relevance with significant urgency."

Exemplary work in Codes and Standards Recognized by DOE
by Karen Hall, FCHEA

Among ten awards given by the US Department of Energy's Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program on June 9 at this year's Annual Merit Review, several are directly related to the hard work and dedication of the recipients in the area of safety, codes and standards.

A Program award was presented to Jesse Schneider of BMW for his outstanding dedication and contributions to the global hydrogen refueling community and the U.S. Department of Energy's Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program.

In addition, DOE presented awards to Jennifer Hamilton of the California Fuel Cell Partnership, and Nick Barilo of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the area of codes and standards. 

The Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program presents awards to recognize achievements in specific areas, and for contributions to the overall efforts of the program. The full list of awardees is provided here:

Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Program Awards:

  • Jesse Schneider, BMW of North America
  • George Parks, FuelScience LLC

Program Area Awards:

  • Hydrogen Production: Pin-Ching Maness, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
  • Hydrogen Storage: Robert Bowman, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Fuel Cells: David Harvey, Ballard Power Systems
  • Safety, Codes and Standards: Jennifer Hamilton, California Fuel Cell Partnership
  • Safety, Codes and Standards: Nick Barilo, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
  • Systems Analysis: Marc Melaina, Brian Bush, and Michael Penev, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Amgad Elgowainy, Argonne National Laboratory
  • Technology Validation: Michael Kashuba, California Air Resources Board

The full text of these awards can be seen on the DOE website athttp://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/annual_review15_awards.html.

All ten recipients have made significant contributions to the overall efforts of the Program or exemplary achievements in specific areas. FCHEA would like to congratulate these winners and encourage everyone to keep up the great work!

Revisions to Hydride Standard Begins
by Karen Hall, FCHEA

ISO 16111:2008 - Transportable gas storage devices -- Hydrogen absorbed in reversible metal hydride, is undergoing revision. ISO TC 197/WG 25 has been formed to carry out the technical work. There are eight countries represented in WG 25.

The kick-off meeting took place on 9 July 2015 in Paris. The WG 25 convener from France, Dr. Dominique Perreux, started the meeting with a discussion on the objectives and limits of the revision.

No changes are being proposed to the design and testing procedures for tanks with internal volume less than 120 ml. These requirements are referenced by UN Model regulations.

As there are no other ISO standards to cover systems greater than 150 liters, there is currently interest in exploring the possibility to add some informative language in the standard that it might be considered as a guideline for larger systems, even though they are not within the scope.

Regarding design rules for tanks greater than 120 ml, there is interest in expanding applicability of the standard for a variety of types of hydrides, a variety of shell shapes, the possible inclusion of a heat exchanger, and the addition of Type IV tanks to the normative reference documents. 

There is also some interest in exploring the addition of bundles of metal hydride assemblies. The current definition of "Metal Hydride Assembly" is a "single complete hydrogen storage system, including shell, metal hydride, pressure relief device (PRD), shut-off valve, other appurtenances and internal components". There is interest in considering adding definitions and requirements for multiple bottles, connected together (bundle), possibly with a single PRD for the bundle. This option is currently not described in the published standard. Europe does not require a valve on each cylinder when they are bundled. It is presently not clear whether bundles will ultimately be a part of this standard or need to go into a new document. In either case, appropriate tests for bundled MH assemblies would need to be developed.

The Operating Temperature Range and Service Temperature Range are to be reviewed, giving consideration to the temperature range possible during transport.

The temperature of heat sources for fire tests may also need revising as the prescribed information seems to be only for Type I tanks.

There was also discussion of enhancing batch testing requirements to deal with some small variation in the composition of the hydride material. Large variations require new type testing, but clear requirements for small variations may be needed, particularly if the Maximum Developed Pressure (MDP) does not change. 

The meeting concluded with general agreement for the convener to draft revisions based on the discussions in the meeting, understanding there is a long way to go to gain consensus and determine what can be accommodated in the revision of this standard versus what may need to be proposed for a separate document.

The convener will inform the Secretariat of ISO/TC 197 that WG 25 would like the next meeting to take place in conjunction with the ISO/TC 197 plenary meeting in California. Currently, the plenary is scheduled for December 3-4, 2015, and working group meetings are being scheduled for earlier in the week. The exact meeting date and time will be announced once the schedule is available.

Model Code Revision Cycles
by Karen Hall, FCHEA

Here are the current code cycles for the US Model Codes for the International Code Council (ICC) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

The International Code Council (ICC) (excerpted from information published at www.iccsafe.org)

For code changes submitted to the 2015 I-Codes for the development of the 2018 Edition of the I-Codes, there will be three groups of code development committees and they will meet in separate years. The groupings are as follows:

Group A Codes: (Heard in 2015)

  • International Building Code Committees:
    • IBC-Fire Safety (Chapters: 7- 9, 14, 26 and App. D)
    • IBC-General (Chapters: 2-6, 12, 13, 27-34, App. A, B, C, F, H, K)
    • IBC-Means of Egress (Chapters: 10, 11 and App. E)
  • International Existing Building Code (IEBC Committee)
  • International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC Committee)
  • International Mechanical Code (IMC Committee)
  • International Plumbing Code (IPC Committee)
  • International Private Sewage Disposal Code (IPC Committee)
  • International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC/IZC Committee)
  • International Residential Code Committee:
    • IRC-M/P (Chapters: 12-33 and App. I, P)
  • International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC Committee)
  • International Zoning Code (IPMC/IZC Committee)
  • ICC Performance Code (sections are heard by various committees)

Group B Codes (Heard in 2016)

  • Administrative Provisions (Chapter 1 all codes except IRC, IECC , designated definitions, and administrative update of referenced standards, including administrative updates of referenced standards in IgCC) (Administrative Code Committee)
  • International Building Code Committee:
    • IBC-Structural (Chapters: 15-25 and App. G, I, J, L, M)
  • International Energy Conservation Code
    • (Commercial Energy Committee - see Note)
    • (Residential Energy Committee - see Note)
    • Note: Residential Energy Committee is responsible for Chapter 11 of the IRC and the Residential Provisions of the IECC.
  • International Fire Code (IFC Committee)
  • International Performance Code (ICC Performance Code Committee)
  • International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IFC Committee)
  • International Residential Code Committees:
    • IRC-B (Chapters: 1-10 and App. E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, O)
    • IRC-E (Chapter 11 - Residential Energy Committee is responsible for Chapter 11 of the IRC and the Residential Provisions of the IECC.)
  • ICC Performance Code (sections are heard by various committees)

Group C Codes (Heard in 2017)

  • International Green Construction Code Committees:
  • IgCC-Energy/Water Committee (Chapters: 6 and 7)
  • IgCC-General Committee (Chapters: 2-5, 8-11 and Appendices)

For a complete calendar of important dates for the I-Codes, seehttp://www.iccsafe.org/wp-content/uploads/2015-2016-2017-_Schedule_June2015.pdf.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) (excerpted from information published at www.nfpa.org)

NFPA Standards are developed and periodically revised through scheduled revision cycles. The Standards Council Secretary, with approval by the Standards Council, establishes revision cycle schedules for processing NFPA Standards. A new or revised NFPA Standard enters one of two revision cycles (annual or fall). Each Revision Cycle includes final dates for all critical events in the processing of NFPA Standards, such as a call for Public Input and Public Comments, the Notice of Intent to Make a Motion, the availability of Technical Committee Reports, the NFPA Technical Meeting, and Standards Council issuance. The Standards Council Secretary publishes and makes available these schedules of revision cycles. 

Documents reporting by cycle:

Public Input Dates may vary according to documents and schedules. For most up-to-date information, please check the specific document information page from the list of codes and standards athttp://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/document-information-pages, and go to the Next Edition tab. 

For example, NFPA 1: Fire Code, is on the Annual 2017 revision cycle. The closing date for public input was July 6, 2015. The First Draft Report will be posted for public comment by March 7, 2016. The public comment closing date will be May 16, 2016.

For a detailed schedule of activities for each active revision cycle, please see http://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/standards-development-process/revision-cycle-schedules.

International Conference on Hydrogen Safety
by Karen Hall, FCHEA

Excerpted from www.ichs2015.com

The 6th International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2015) will be held in Yokohama, Japan on October 19-21, 2015 under the auspices of the International Association for Hydrogen Safety (HySafe). The first five biennial conferences since 2005 succeeded in attracting the most relevant experts from all over the world, by providing an open platform for the presentation and discussion of new findings, information and data on hydrogen safety - covering the wide range of areas from basic research to applied research and development to standardization and regulations. 

As commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles is imminent and other hydrogen applications are being increasingly deployed globally, ICHS 2015 will focus on progress in safety of hydrogen technologies and infrastructure, as crucial/essential means to enable smart hydrogen solutions for global energy challenges. 

Please see the Preliminary Program for topics that have been accepted and which will be presented during this three day Conference.

Registration to the conference are now open on the sitewww.ichs2015.com. Please note the deadline for early registration is July 31, 2015.

Have something to share?
by Karen Hall, FCHEA

If you are aware of technical resources which may be of interest to stakeholders deploying hydrogen or fuel cell technologies, or upcoming meetings of codes and standards technical committees developing national or international standards for hydrogen or fuel cell technologies, please consider submitting them for the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Safety website. Anyone who has applicable materials they would like hosted on the website can send them to Connor Dolan (cdolan@fchea.org).