New Hydrogen Quality Working Group to Hold Kick-Off Meeting
by Karen (Hall) Quackenbush, FCHEA

The first meeting of ISO/TC 197/WG 27: Hydrogen Fuel Product Specification, will be held on 1st December, 2015 in Torrance, California, USA. This activity is the result of TC 197 approval of a New Work Item Proposal (NWIP) from Japan to combine the existing three standards on hydrogen quality, ISO 14687-1, 14687-2 and 14687-3 into one document, incorporating their revisions at the same time.

The project leaders for this NWIP are Mr. Yasuo Takagi and Mr. Osamu Tajima of Japan, who will serve as co-convenors of the new working group. The end goal of this effort is to combine and revise ISO 14687-1, -2 and -3 standards.

An initial discussion on the benefits of combining the three parts and harmonization of ISO 14687 standards was held at ISO/TC 197 plenary meeting in Paris in December 2013. At that time a Preliminary Work Item (PWI) was initiated under the leadership of the TPD Kazuo Koseki. A detailed preview of the proposed NWIP was presented at the ISO/TC 197 plenary meeting in Fukuoka on December 4, 2014. 

The discussion on the proposed new effort during the plenary meeting was positive and the scope and timeframe of the proposed activity received general consent of delegates in attendance. The Japanese delegation submitted the formal NWIP in June 2015.

During the Technical Advisory Board (TAB) review of the NWIP, the rationale for combining the three existing standards - for non-PEM FC use and PEM FC road vehicles and stationary applications - was analyzed. A concern was expressed that the NWIP proposes to combine various hydrogen fuel applications used by different industries. This means that the proposed Working Group will require members from very diverse users with different needs in terms of fuel quality. 

The resulting suggestion was that the NWIP activity should focus on hydrogen quality for PEM fuel cell applications, as this is a more near-term industry need. To achieve this goal, two Task Groups (TG1 and TG2) have been formed with leadership (and co-convenorship) from the original convenors of the former WG 12 and 14 that developed 14687-2 and -3 documents, respectively. At the present time, no technical revisions are planned on the original 14687-1 standard. A future third Task Group (TG3) will perform editorial work only, amalgamating all three parts once TG1 and TG2 have completed their work.

NREL Hydrogen Components Open House Report Published
by Karen (Hall) Quackenbush, FCHEA

(Excerpted from published NREL meeting report, Hydrogen Components Open House, May 28th & 29th, 2015 (C. Rivkin, R. Burgess, K. Harrison, C. Ainscough, W. Buttner, M. Peters, D. Terlip, S. Sprik, J. Kurtz, NREL))

On 28 & 29 May, 2015, NREL conducted a Hydrogen Components Open House. The purpose of the Open House was to:

  • see NREL's new Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF)
  • learn about ongoing hydrogen technology projects being conducted at the ESIF
  • learn of potential collaboration opportunities with NREL researchers
  • provide input into NREL's hydrogen technology research activities

The meeting started with short presentations on the following NREL projects related to hydrogen technologies, which are mainly focused on the hydrogen infrastructure required to support the deployment of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs):

  1. Energy Systems Sensor Laboratory
  2. Energy Systems Integration Laboratory stack testing
  3. Energy Systems Integration Laboratory pressure relief device testing
  4. Energy Systems Integration Laboratory hydrogen fueling hose testing
  5. ESIF Hydrogen dispensing station

At the end of the open house, attendees provided feedback to NREL researchers on the work they had seen a future research directions they would recommend NREL take.

The workshop report and results of attendee feedback can be seen here http://www.hydrogenandfuelcellsafety.info/resources/NREL-Hydrogen-Components-29May15.pdf.

International Effort on Hydrogen Fueling Stations presented at Fuel Cell Seminar
by Karen (Hall) Quackenbush, FCHEA

The online publication Green Car Congress recently published the following overview on the effort to develop international requirements for hydrogen fueling stations. The presentation was made at the 2015 Fuel Cell Seminar by Jesse Schneider of BMW, who serves as co-convener for the international working group developing the ISO documents. You can find the entire publication online athttp://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/11/20151118-iso19880.html.

ISO 19880 - New technical ISO document for hydrogen fueling station standardization
18 November 2015

At the Fuel Cell Seminar in Los Angeles, California today, Jesse Schneider (BMW), the ANSI Convener of ISO Working Group 24 (from the Technical Committee on Fueling Stations) gave an overview presentation on the new ISO 19880 technical report for hydrogen fueling stations.

The ISO WG (Working Group) 24 committee members represent hydrogen suppliers, hydrogen organizations, local and national governments as well as automakers (OEMs) from North America, Europe and Asia. Last month, the participating members (P-Members) of ISO/TC (Technical Committee) 197 (Hydrogen Technologies), voted to approve ISO Technical Report 19880-1, Gaseous hydrogen - Fueling stations - Part 1: General requirements-essentially a worldwide safety and performance guideline for hydrogen stations and the interface to fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs). The station safety expectation, according to ISO 19880-1, will give the same level of safety to that of fueling with conventional fuels.

The TR ISO 19880-1 represents the work of ISO TC 197 WG 24 and is the first document that is meant to start the harmonization of hydrogen fueling stations worldwide. The scope covers the processes from hydrogen production and delivery to compression and fueling a fuel cell vehicle.

Highlights of ISO 19880-1 include:

  • General design & maintenance requirements
  • Equipment & components
  • Hydrogen and electrical safety
  • Layout & safety distances
  • Quantitative risk assessment (QRA)
  • Fueling protocol & interface hydrogen dispenser FCEV testing
  • Quality control: guideline for sampling frequency
  • Alignment of pressure terminology and values
  • Station acceptance to confirm the fueling station performs correctly

ISO 19880-1 defines the minimum requirements considered applicable worldwide for the hydrogen and electrical safety of hydrogen stations. The technical report also includes safety considerations for hydrogen station equipment and components, control systems and operation and performance expected for fueling. SAE J2601 (earlier post) is currently referenced as a fueling protocol in this document.

ISO Technical Report (TR) 19880-1 is a first step towards standardizing hydrogen filling stations, and providing more up-to-date guidance than that developed as the earlier ISO TS 20100, published in 2008. The goal of the ISO TC 197 Working Group (WG) 24 ("Gaseous hydrogen fueling stations-General requirements")-the group responsible for TR 19880-1- is to create an all-encompassing guideline for the station and the interface between the vehicle and the hydrogen fueling station, including validation of the fueling process.

ISO 19880-1 differs from the previous ISO TS 20100 in a number of areas, including detailed guidance on the hydrogen dispensing process; more detailed guidance on the acceptance process (both safety and performance aspects); and a survey into variation of existing separation distances used currently around the world.

The document produced by the committee's WG 24 is to be published few months. The work planned for the next phase, an International Standard (IS), is on an aggressive schedule slated to end in 2016 and to be published thereafter. The international standard ISO 19880-1 will be especially important for adoption into the EU Alternative Fuels Directive (replacing the ISO TS 20100 document) for hydrogen stations in Europe (including the 400 recently announced in Germany and 50 additional in the EU) starting in 2017.

ISO 19880-1 also gives FCEV fueling and interface safety guidance related to the dispenser and fueling components.

An example of a fueling station dispenser, also showing the fuel cell electric vehicle compressed hydrogen storage systems (CHSS), with sensors as well as pressure relief device(s). Source: ISO 19880-1©, Presentation given at the Fuel Cell Seminar.

TR 19880-1 (and the plan for the standard) also gives guidance for the fueling validation with safety considerations relevant to the interaction between the hydrogen station and hydrogen road vehicles during fueling.

The TR ISO 19880-1 is the first technical specification which that provides not only general safety guidance for the implementation of fueling stations, and regarding fuel cell vehicle fueling, it provides technical guidance in the form of devices for validation of hydrogen quality, sampling frequency and performance of implementation of the SAE J2601 protocol. The Hydrogen Station Testing Apparatus and Hydrogen Quality Sampling Adapter are some of the key devices needed to do this and are utilized in ISO 19880-1.

-Jesse Schneider

SAE Publishes New Requirements for Fueling Connectors, Nozzles and Receptacles
by Karen (Hall) Quackenbush, FCHEA

SAE J2600_201510 - Compressed Hydrogen Surface Vehicle Fueling Connection Devices has been published as an industry Standard. Previously published as a Recommended Practice, SAE J2600 applies to the design and testing of Compressed Hydrogen Surface Vehicle (CHSV) fueling connectors, nozzles, and receptacles.

Revisions to the document include the incorporation of additional geometries for different pressures, and changes to testing requirements based on lessons learned by industry as technologies progress. 

For additional details or to purchase this document, please visithttp://www.sae.org/technical/standards/J2600_201510.

ISO TC 197 Meeting Schedule
by Karen (Hall) Quackenbush, FCHEA

The Secretary of ISO/TC 197 has recently circulated the final schedule of meetings to be held over the next few days in Torrance, California.

Experts wishing to participate in the work of ISO/TC 197 are encouraged to contact their national mirror committees, which can be accessed here.

Interested parties in the USA may also contact the Secretary of the US National Technical Advisory Group. Contact information and an application can be accessed online athttps://www.cganet.com/ISOTC197/USTAG.htm.

FCHEA will report the highlights from the ISO/TC 197 meetings in the January edition of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Safety Report.