Hydrogen Codes and Standards: An Overview of U.S. DOE Activities

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1 Hydrogen Codes and Standards: An Overview of U.S. DOE Activities James M. Ohi a a National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO 80401, USA, jim_ohi@nrel.gov ABSTRACT: The Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies (HFCIT) Program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), with the help of leading standards and model code development organizations, other national laboratories, and key stakeholders, are developing a coordinated and collaborative government-industry effort to prepare, review, and promulgate hydrogen codes and standards needed to expedite hydrogen infrastructure development. The focus of this effort is to put in place a coordinated and comprehensive hydrogen codes and standards program at the national and international levels. This paper updates an overview of the U.S. program to facilitate and coordinate the development of hydrogen codes and standards that was presented by the author at WHEC 15. KEYWORDS : hydrogen codes and standards Introduction The development and promulgation of codes and standards are essential if hydrogen is to become a significant energy carrier and fuel because codes and standards are critical to establishing a marketreceptive environment for commercializing hydrogen-based products and systems. The Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies (HFCIT) Program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), with the help of the leading standards and model code development organizations, other national laboratories, and key stakeholders in the U.S., are coordinating a collaborative government-industry effort to prepare, review, and promulgate hydrogen codes and standards needed to expedite hydrogen infrastructure development. The author gave an overview of this effort WHEC 15 in [1] This paper highlights significant achievements and activities in progress since Over the past several years, a coordinated national agenda for hydrogen and fuel cell codes and standards has emerged through DOE leadership and the support and collaboration of industry and key standards development organizations (SDO) and model code organizations. For example, hydrogen, which was recognized as a fuel gas in the 2003 edition of the International Code Council s (ICC) Fuel Gas Code, now has in addition to those in the 2003 edition, other sections covering its use in the 2006 editions of the International Building, Residential, Fire, and Mechanical Codes. Also, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) incorporated hydrogen safety requirements in its family of codes and standards, including NFPA 853 (Stationary Fuel Cell Power Plants), NFPA 52 (Vehicular Fuel Systems), and NFPA 55 (Standard for the Storage, Use and Handling of Compressed Gases and Cryogenic Fluids in Portable and Stationary Containers, Cylinders and Tanks). The DOE has undertaken a comprehensive program to support and facilitate the development of hydrogen codes and standards based on research, development, and testing (RD&T) needed to establish the scientific and technical foundation for requirements embodied in the codes and standards. The overall structure of the program is shown in Figure 1. This paper describes two elements of the DOE program, codes and standards as structured under the national templates, and the RD&T, as structured under the R&D Plan. The third element of the program is hydrogen safety, which is focused on establishing sound standard operating procedures for all projects funded by the DOE and on first-responder training for potential hydrogen incidents, is not discussed in this paper. 1/8

2 Figure 1. DOE Hydrogen Safety, Codes and Standards Program National Templates The creation and implementation of national templates have been key to the emergence of a national agenda for hydrogen and fuel cell codes and standards development in the U.S. Through the templates, DOE, NREL, major SDOs and model code organizations, and other stakeholders coordinate the preparation of critical standards and codes for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and maintain a coordinated national program for hydrogen and fuel cell codes and standards. DOE leadership has coincided with the emergence of heightened national and international interest in hydrogen energy in general and in codes and standards in particular. The national templates have been accepted by the major SDOs in the U.S., the FreedomCAR- Fuel Partnership, key industry associations, and many state and local governments as guideposts for the coordinated development of standards and model codes. The national template for Vehicle Systems and Refueling Facilities is shown in Figure 2 and that for Stationary and Portable Systems in Figure 3. As shown in the templates, all of the relevant major SDOs and model code organizations in the U.S. are part of this national effort. Implementation of the templates is 2/8

3 Figure 2. National Template for Vehicle Systems and Refueling Facilities Figure 3. National Template for Stationary and Portable Systems 3/8

4 facilitated through the National Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Codes and Standards Coordinating Committee (NHFC4) created by the DOE, the National Hydrogen Association, and the U.S. Fuel Cell Council in March The DOE and NREL help implement the templates through subcontracts with SDOs and model code organizations designated for lead roles on the templates. Although the overall effort has been affected by significant funding reductions, all of the subcontracts were incrementally funded to maintain implementation of the templates. The national templates are living documents for coordinating codes and standards development and will be modified as hydrogen and fuel cell technologies advance and as new needs and priorities emerge. The national templates by consensus through the NHFC4: establish lead SDOs or code development organizations to develop codes and standards for major components, subsystems, and systems and the organizations that will work collaboratively with or in support of the lead organization minimize duplication of effort in codes and standards development harmonize requirements across standards identify codes and standards development needs and gaps and the organizations that should have responsibility for addressing the gaps. While the templates were not intended to specify which organizations should receive DOE funding, they have helped to solidify the roles of the organizations identified as having a lead role in developing a particular standard or model code. Implementation of the templates has also encouraged collaboration among the funded SDOs. The status of the templates through specific accomplishments by SDOs and code development organizations is summarized below. American National Standards Institute (ANSI) ANSI administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. ANSI also manages and maintains the National Resource for Global Standards (NSSN) on which standards and codes are posted for downloading under licenses and agreements with the relevant SDOs or licensed distributors. Under an NREL subcontract, ANSI augmented the NSSN to include the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Codes and Standards Portal: ( a web-based database and search engine to search for the hydrogen and fuel cell-related codes and standards of participating CDOs and SDOs (e.g., NFPA, ICC, ASME, etc). The target audiences are state and local building code officials who enforce and issue building permits, fire safety officials, and facility engineers and product designers. American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) ASME prepared the Hydrogen Standardization Interim Report for Tanks, Piping, and Pipelines, that reviews existing reference standards; existing data, standards, and materials; and needs for additional data and information. The report provides the technical basis for a standard for high-pressure hydrogen stationary, transportable, and portable tanks and for a standard addressing use of non-steel metals and composite materials for high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks. ASME also initiated development of ASME B31.12, which will provide design criteria and materials recommendations for high-pressure piping in hydrogen service. Compressed Gas Association (CGA) The CGA serves as Administrator for the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for ISO TC197 (Hydrogen Technologies). With funding support from DOE, CGA developed a website to help manage its TAG activities. The website keeps members of the TAG informed about ISO activities, helps to develop consensus positions on proposed international standards, and facilitates balloting on specific TAG issues. CSA America CSA America completed draft hydrogen standards for hydrogen dispensing systems (HGV4 Series) and ancillary components and for pressure relief devices (HPRD1). CSA America developed the draft hydrogen standards in parallel with developing and updating of its natural gas-related standards. CSA will work with SAE to harmonize requirements for hydrogen dispensing systems and PRDs with those for on-board hydrogen containers. International Code Council (ICC) During its code development cycle, the ICC Ad Hoc Committee for Hydrogen Gas (AHCHG) completed development of new hydrogen safety requirements (and modifications to existing requirements) 4/8

5 for incorporation in the 2006 editions of the International Building Code, International Fire Code, and International Fuel Gas Code. Key provisions since the 2003 editions include underground liquid hydrogen storage and canopy-top storage of pressurized gaseous hydrogen. In developing these and other provisions for hydrogen applications, the ICC worked closely with Sandia National Laboratories and other organizations conducting hydrogen safety R&D. With completion of the 2005 Code Development Hearings, the AHCHG accomplished its mission and was disbanded by the ICC. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) The NFPA completed revision cycles for two hydrogen and fuel cell-related codes and standards, NFPA 52 (Vehicular Fuel Systems 2005 Edition) and NFPA 55 (Standard for the Storage, Use and Handling of Compressed Gases and Cryogenic Fluids in Portable and Stationary Containers, Cylinders and Tanks 2005 Edition). New safety requirements relating to hydrogen were incorporated into the two documents. In addition, the NFPA Standards Council approved consolidating all of the hydrogen safety requirements in its various codes and standards into a single document, NFPA 2 (Hydrogen Technology), to increase ease of use and facilitate harmonization of safety requirements. Consolidation should also facilitate the process of changing existing requirements and formulating new ones as hydrogen and fuel cell technologies evolve and as operating experience is gained. In an important step, with DOE support, the NFPA, ICC, and NHA have formed an Industry Panel on Hydrogen Codes (HIPOC) to harmonize requirements in the hydrogen codes and standards of the two organizations and to coordinate development of new hydrogen codes and standards. Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) The SAE, through the Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Standards Committee and its working groups, has developed a number of hydrogen and fuel cell-related standards and guidelines. Notable recent accomplishments include publication of SAE J2617 (Performance Testing of Fuel Cell Stacks) and SAE TIR J2719 (Technical Information Report on the Development of Hydrogen Quality Guidelines for FCVs). The SAE fuel quality guideline is harmonized with that of ISO (TS ). SAE is also updating SAE J2600 (Compressed Hydrogen Surface Vehicle Refueling Connection Devices) to harmonize it with ISO and to provide for 700 bar refueling. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) UL completed a draft of UL2264B (Standard for Hydrogen Generators Using Water Reaction), which undergoing technical content review. In addition, UL is developing two other standards in the UL2264 series (Gaseous Hydrogen Generation Appliances), 2264A (Electrolyzers) and 2264C (Reformers). These two documents will be harmonized with the applicable ISO drafts currently in the Draft International Standard (DIS) stage. UL with CSA America is attempting to harmonize UL2265 with IEC (Fuel Cell Technologies, Part 6-1: Micro Fuel Cell Power Systems Safety). In summary, the templates are broadly acknowledged as the seminal documents that helped to create a more unified national approach to hydrogen and fuel cells codes and standards in the U.S. The templates and the NHFC4 that helps to manage the templates provide a virtual national forum for SDOs, model code organizations, industry, government, and interested parties to address codes and standards issues, both immediate and long-term. R&D Roadmap The R&D Roadmap provides a guide to the research, development and demonstration activities needed to obtain data required for SDOs to develop performance-based codes and standards for a commercial hydrogen fueled transportation sector in the U.S. The Roadmap was prepared in late 2004 by members of the Codes and Standards Technical Team (CSTT) of the FreedomCAR and Fuels Partnership, which includes federal government agencies (DOE, Department of Transportation), energy companies (BP, ChevronTexaco, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Shell Hydrogen), and automotive companies (DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors) belonging to the U.S. Consortium for Automotive Research (USCAR). The objective of the Roadmap is to help establish a substantial and verified database of scientific information on the properties and behavior of hydrogen and the performance characteristics of new hydrogen technology applications needed to enable development of effective, performance-based codes and standards for emerging hydrogen applications. The Roadmap is organized into four Focus Areas: 5/8

6 1. Hydrogen Behavior 2. Hydrogen Fuel Infrastructure 3. Fuel-Vehicle Interface 4. Hydrogen-fueled Vehicles The technical goal for each of these Focus Areas is to gather sufficient information and validating experience on technology applications so that the responsible SDO can prepare requirements based on technical data and information. Each Focus Area is further divided into key target areas (Figure 4), which identify important information needed to develop codes and standards based on such requirements, and is briefly summarized below. Figure 4. Focus and Target Areas of the RD&D Roadmap Under the Hydrogen Behavior focus area, the DOE is supporting R&D primarily at Sandia National Laboratories to develop a comprehensive, verified, and validated database of physical and chemical properties of hydrogen needed to develop accurate predictive models, including the effects of hydrogen on innovative and conventional materials. For combustion and flammability of hydrogen, accurate and comprehensive information on circumstances under which hydrogen could ignite and characteristics of its combustion will be acquired. Accurate heat transfer correlations to model the effects of hydrogen flame impingement and heat fluxes from an ignited jet or combustible cloud will be determine. Values found in the literature will be experimentally verified and additional data will be generated as necessary. Data on the compatibility of materials with hydrogen are being compiled from reports and journal publications. Research on the effects of hydrogen on yield and tensile strength, fracture toughness and threshold stress-intensity factor, fatigue crack growth rates and fatigue thresholds is underway to ensure the safe design of components. Other data needed include creep rates and creep rupture strength for the design of components exposed to temperature extremes and hydrogen permeation rates to quantify the amount of hydrogen that might penetrate through boundaries in contact with hydrogen gas and subsequently break down the structure of the material. Permeation of hydrogen through solid polymer boundaries is of particular interest since the structure of polymers is dramatically different compared to metals, and data on the hydrogen compatibility of polymers and composite materials exposed to hydrogen gas environments will be identified and evaluated. For the hydrogen fuel infrastructure, large central hydrogen production plants are common and have been built and individually permitted as industrial sites, but most industrial requirements are either inappropriate or too restrictive for widespread use in consumer environments. Comprehensive data regarding hydrogen behavior relative to the anticipated smaller scale retail and consumer applications are needed. Approaches to gather these data include scenario analyses, risk assessments, and/or experimentally generated data from production mock-ups to identify and analyze the potential hazards of these facilities. Instead of having to extrapolate hazard information and existing code requirements developed from or for larger industrial/commercial facilities, SDOs will be able to use these hazard data directly to write code language suitable for smaller-scale applications. R&D is also needed to determine the most effective methods for safety by design approaches that can mitigate potential unintended hydrogen releases and to develop detection methods using various 6/8

7 sensor technologies. For pipeline delivery of hydrogen, appropriate non-destructive testing (NDT) methods are needed so that industrial practice can be efficient and consistent. Understanding failure modes due to rapid pressurization and temperature of components and subsystems involved in pipeline applications, including materials and component failure rate data for various elements, is also essential. For the fuel-vehicle interface, SDO and model code organizations are developing requirements for hydrogenfueled vehicles and refueling stations to ensure safe consumer interaction and use of hardware and systems. R&D and testing need to address the dispensing nozzle at the station, sensor and control equipment onboard the vehicle, feedback strategies, fuel weights and measures, and approaches to prevent pressure relief device (PRD) activation during fueling or failure when overpressurized. Empirical results from demonstration and validation programs will be included in the analysis of requirements for safe refueling of hydrogen vehicles. Determining hydrogen fuel quality requirements is a high priority under the Roadmap. These requirements must be quantified at the vehicle/station interface, as it affects the onboard fuel cell, balance of plant, and hydrogen storage systems. A comprehensive, structured testing effort is needed to determine the effects, especially degradation mechanisms, of various impurities on fuel cell electrodes and membranes. Preliminary guidelines based on available data and information have been prepared by ISO (2) and SAE (3). These guidelines will be refined as R&D and testing proceed. Standard analytical procedures, including sampling and instrumentation to measure non-hydrogen fuel constituents to the levels required (sub-ppm for selected constituents), are also critical needs. Finally, implications of hydrogen fuel quality for complexity, performance, and durability of fuel cell systems and upstream hydrogen infrastructure and on the cost of hydrogen fuel must be understood so that critical trade-offs can be assessed. For the Hydrogen-fueled Vehicles focus area, the Roadmap acknowledges that existing vehicular standards will be used where appropriate, and new standards will be developed as needed for any new technologies being implemented. For hydrogen-fueled vehicles, the key new technology is on-board hydrogen storage as standards exist for electric systems in electric vehicles (EVs) and compressed gaseous fuel systems in natural gas (CNG) vehicles. Consequently, this portion of the Roadmap focuses on the RD&D required to obtain safety-related data for onboard hydrogen storage systems that will be needed to develop performance-based standards. Materials used for storage systems (high pressure gaseous, liquid, solid-state, chemically bound hydrogen, etc.) need to be defined and modeled, and exposure of the storage-fuel system to static electricity and other ignition sources during normal and abnormal conditions needs to be evaluated, For compressed gaseous hydrogen storage, tanks and associated fuel lines need to be evaluated for the effects of internal pressure and operating temperature on material properties over thousands of filling cycles. Potential life cycle issues, such as durability of compressed gaseous hydrogen storage tanks under repeated exposure to temperature extremes and impacts of hydrogen fuel quality on material durability, must also be assessed. Other key R&D needs for hydrogen-fueled vehicles include a comprehensive and systematic evaluation of PRDs under foreseeable operating conditions; development and validation of reliable, dynamically accurate, responsive, and inexpensive pressure and temperature sensors compatible with existing and emerging storage systems; and establishment of a test method to certify parking hydrogen vehicle indoors. Conclusion The DOE, with guidance provided by the Codes and Standards Technical Team (CSTT) of the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership (FCFP), will implement the Codes and Standards R&D Roadmap and will continue to provide overall coordination of hydrogen codes and standards activities in the U.S. NREL will continue to support DOE and the CSTT create a unified agenda for hydrogen standards, codes, and regulations that will enable the U.S. to present a consensus position of industry and government at critical international negotiations on global hydrogen standards and regulations. All of these parties will also continue to support and conduct R&D needed to establish a scientific foundation for requirements incorporated into standards, codes, and regulations. Consensus of the scientific community on these foundations will facilitate consensus in developing requirements for standards, codes, and regulations and will enable harmonization of such requirement in both domestic and international venues. 7/8

8 References 1. Ohi, James M., and Neil Rossmeissl, Hydrogen Codes and Standards: An Overview of U.S. DOE Activities, WHEC 15, Yokohama, Japan, June ISO Working Group 12, Technical Committee 197, Hydrogen Fuel Product Specification-Part 2: PEM Fuel Cell Applications for Road Vehicles, PDTS , March 3, SAE International, Surface Vehicle Information Report, Information Report on the Development of a Hydrogen Quality Guideline for Fuel Cell Vehicles, SAE J2719, November /8