Quality requirements
This LAP is concerned with the applicable Requirements for acceptable concentration of impurities in Hydrogen used for fuel across the partner countries
Glossary:
Quality Requirements describe requirements for acceptable concentration of impurities.
Pan-European Assessment:
Overall, purity requirements are defined by the ISO 14687–2 and SAE J2719_201511 international standards. Directive 2014/94/EU will be transposed and implemented in all Member States. As this Directive states, in Annex II, that the ISO 14687 standard shall be followed, the LAP is not assessed to be associated with any significant legal barrier
Nevertheless, due to the very high purity requirements for hydrogen, standard ISO 14687–2:2012 is costly to implement, measure and enforce. The companies engaged in proposing new H2 production technologies and / or HRS technologies have to invest in high performance “quality assurance” for the H2 produced and / or delivered. This can be viewed as an economic barrier; however, it is in the interest of all those involved in building the market for hydrogen and FCEVs to develop standards accepted by everyone and develop and improve technologies.
Importantly, purity requirements should be verifiable, which is not the case in many EU–MS. The reason for this is that there are just a few independent laboratories (in the world) who can verify the purity required by ISO 14687–2:2012. In other words, the purity of hydrogen for FCEV cannot be guaranteed because the required measurements to show compliance with the standard are expensive/not available. This can be viewed as an operational barrier; however, its severity is negligible at the moment.
Nevertheless, due to the very high purity requirements for hydrogen, standard ISO 14687–2:2012 is costly to implement, measure and enforce. The companies engaged in proposing new H2 production technologies and / or HRS technologies have to invest in high performance “quality assurance” for the H2 produced and / or delivered. This can be viewed as an economic barrier; however, it is in the interest of all those involved in building the market for hydrogen and FCEVs to develop standards accepted by everyone and develop and improve technologies.
Importantly, purity requirements should be verifiable, which is not the case in many EU–MS. The reason for this is that there are just a few independent laboratories (in the world) who can verify the purity required by ISO 14687–2:2012. In other words, the purity of hydrogen for FCEV cannot be guaranteed because the required measurements to show compliance with the standard are expensive/not available. This can be viewed as an operational barrier; however, its severity is negligible at the moment.
Is it a barrier?
Yes
Type of Barrier
Economic barriers, Regulatory gap
Assessment Severity
2
Assessment
In Spain the RD 639/2016 stablish a framework for the implementation of an infrastructure for alternative fuels and stablish that new HRS must conform the quality characteristics of ISO 14687–2. The main concern is that certification of impurities is very restrictive and there is no laboratories able to certify the quality of hydrogen as fuel.
Hydrogen produced from electrolysis has only impurities as H20 and O2, both easily measurable. Hydrogen produced from electrolysis should be easier to certificate as ISO 14687-2.
Hydrogen produced from electrolysis has only impurities as H20 and O2, both easily measurable. Hydrogen produced from electrolysis should be easier to certificate as ISO 14687-2.
Questions:
Question 1
What are the current purity requirements for hydrogen as a fuel for mobility?
The purity requirement varies with the application and fuel cells require high hydrogen purity to prevent catalyst poisoning.
ISO 14687–2:2012 specifies the quality characteristics of hydrogen fuel in order to ensure uniformity of the hydrogen product as dispensed for utilization in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell road vehicle systems. Currently the quality standard has 13 gaseous impurities levels specified. SAE J2719_201511 provides background information and a hydrogen fuel quality standard for commercial proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell vehicles. The ISO 14687–2:2012 and SAE J2719_201511 currently specify purity standards for fuel cell applications with 99.97% overall hydrogen purity and additional allowable levels of key impurities (e.g. 0.2 ppm carbon monoxide and additional upper limits on sulfur compounds, formaldehyde, etc.).
In Spain the RD 639/2016 stablish a framework for the implementation of an infrastructure for alternative fuels and stablish that new HRS must conform the quality characteristics of ISO 14687–2
Describe the comparable technology and its relevance with regard to hydrogen
Biofuels
National legislation:
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Royal Decree 639/2016 of 9 December 2016 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure
This royal decree stablish specific measures for the creation of an infrastructure that guarantee the supply of energy, hydrogen and natural gas for the transport sector.
It establishes that hydrogen refueling points that are accessible to the public and that have been implemented or renewed as of November 18, 2017, will comply with the following technical specifications:
a) The outdoor hydrogen refueling points that distribute gaseous hydrogen for use as fuel by motor vehicles shall comply with the technical specifications of ISO / TS 20100 relating to the supply of gaseous hydrogen.
b. The degree of purity of the hydrogen distributed by the hydrogen refueling points must be in accordance with the technical specifications of ISO 14687–2.
c. Hydrogen refueling points shall use algorithms and supply equipment in accordance with ISO / TS 20100 regarding the supply of hydrogen gas.
d. The connectors of the motor vehicles for the refueling of gaseous hydrogen must comply with the ISO 17268 standard relating to connection devices for the supply of gaseous hydrogen to motor vehicles.
EU Legislation:
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Directive 2014/94/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure (AFID)
The AFID establishes a common framework of measures for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure in the Union in order to minimize dependence on oil and to mitigate the environmental impact of transport.
The Directive sets out minimum requirements for the building-up of alternative fuels infrastructure, including recharging points for electric vehicles and refuelling points for natural gas (LNG and CNG) and hydrogen, to be implemented by means of Member States' national policy frameworks, as well as common technical specifications for such recharging and refuelling points, and user information requirements.
Article 2 defines ‘Alternative fuels’ as fuels or power sources which serve, at least partly, as a substitute for fossil oil sources in the energy supply to transport and which have the potential to contribute to its decarbonisation and enhance the environmental performance of the transport sector. They include, inter alia: hydrogen.
It lays down, in Article 5, that Member States which decide to include hydrogen refuelling points accessible to the public in their national policy frameworks shall ensure that, by 31 December 2025, an appropriate number of such points are available, to ensure the circulation of hydrogen-powered motor vehicles, including fuel cell vehicles, within networks determined by those Member States, including, where appropriate, cross-border links.
Annex II contains technical specifications for hydrogen refuelling points for motor vehicles and additionally lays down that:
• Outdoor hydrogen refuelling points dispensing gaseous hydrogen used as fuel on board motor vehicles shall comply with the technical specifications of the ISO/TS 20100 Gaseous Hydrogen Fuelling specification.
• The hydrogen purity dispensed by hydrogen refuelling points shall comply with the technical specifications included in the ISO 14687-2 standard.
• Hydrogen refuelling points shall employ fuelling algorithms and equipment complying with the ISO/TS 20100 Gaseous Hydrogen Fuelling specification.
• Connectors for motor vehicles for the refuelling of gaseous hydrogen shall comply with the ISO 17268 gaseous hydrogen motor vehicle refuelling connection devices standard. -
Council Directive (EU) 2015/652 of 20 April 2015 laying down calculation methods and reporting requirements pursuant to Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels
This Directive establishes the Method for the calculation and reporting of the life cycle greenhouse gas intensity of fuels and energy by suppliers
It establishes the efficiency factor of the hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrain to be 0,4. It also lays down the average life cycle greenhouse gas intensity default values for fuels other than biofuels and electricity. It lays down the GHG intensity of compressed synthetic methane in a spark ignition engine resulting from the Sabatier reaction of hydrogen from non-biological renewable energy electrolysis at 3,3 gCO2eq/MJ (the lowest GHG intensity of the fuels considered) and the Compressed Hydrogen in a fuel cell resulting from the electrolysis fully powered by non-biological renewable energy at 9,1g CO2eq/MJ (second lowest intensity). -
ISO 14687–2:2012
Hydrogen fuel – Product specification – Part 2: Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell applications for road vehicles.
To secure the hydrogen quality so it does not influence the life time and output from the fuel cells.
- SAE J2719_201511 Hydrogen Fuel Quality for Fuel Cell Vehicles
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EN 17124:2018 - Hydrogen fuel - Product specification and quality assurance - Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell applications for road vehicles
EN 17124 specifies the quality characteristics of hydrogen fuel and the corresponding quality assurance in order to ensure uniformity of the hydrogen product as dispensed for utilization in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell road vehicle systems.