SAE FUEL CELL CODES AND STANDARDS

Final Scientific/Technical Report

November, 2007

Award Number: DE-FC36-02AL67609

Recipient: Society of Automotive Engineers International (SAE)

Project Title: Fuel Cell Codes and Standards

Project Director: Patrick Davis

Teaming members: SAE International, SAE Fuel Cell Standards Committee

(comprised of industry representatives)

Unlimited Announcement

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Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION 3

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3

3. PUBLICATIONS 3

3.1. SAE STANDARDS 3

3.2. SAE Standards Works In Progress 9

4. SAE FUEL CELL COOPERATIVE RESEARCH 10

4.1. Completed Projects 10

4.2. Current Projects 12

4.3. Planned Projects 13

5. PATENTS 13

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1. Introduction

In 1999, the Society of Automotive Engineers established a committee for Fuel Cell Standards.
The committee then organized into smaller working group to focus on specific issues such as
fuel cell safety, fuel cell performance and fuel cell recycling. New working groups continue to
form as needs arise. All working groups report to the parent Fuel Cell Standards committee.

In September 2002 SAE International was awarded funds from the Department of Energy
(DOE) to continue the development of industry standards and recommended practices for fuel
cell vehicles, fueling facilities and fuel transport. Also SAE was tasked with supporting and/or
assisting international standards activities including International Organization of
Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), global technical
regulations (GTR), and others as directed by the DOE. Further, SAE’s efforts were to the
development and carrying-out of supporting research projects.

2. Executive Summary

The SAE Fuel Cell Standards committee and its numerous working groups have been integral in
advancing hydrogen infrastructure development and to helping to enable the emergence of
hydrogen as a significant energy carrier. To facilitate harmonization of all fuel cell related work
the membership of the SAE Fuel Cell Standards Committee includes, but is not limited to;
automotive OEMs and suppliers, national laboratories, international research organizations, and
related standards development organizations.

As the lead standards development organization tasked with establishing standards for vehicle
fuel cell systems and its interfaces to the vehicle, the SAE Fuel Cell Standards committee has
developed and published eleven (11) technical reports of which there are eight (8) approved
standards since beginning in April of 2002 and has three (3) additional standards in progress.
The technical reports cover the safety aspects of fuel cell systems in vehicles, test procedures
to establish the performance of the system and its components, and interface requirements.
With the support of the US Department of Energy, the SAE Fuel Cell Standards Committee and
its numerous working groups has facilitated consistency and harmonization among and across
codes and standards developed by different organizations, shared standards development
information, and promoted collaboration to minimize duplication of effort.

3. Publications

3.1. SAE STANDARDS

3.1.1. SAE J2574 Fuel Cell Vehicle Terminology March 2002

This SAE Information Report contains definitions for hydrogen fuel cell powered
vehicle t. It is intended that this document be a resource for those writing other

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hydrogen fuel cell vehicle documents, specifically, Standards or Recommended

Practices.

3.1.2. SAE J2600 Compressed Hydrogen Surface Vehicle Refueling Connection

Devices October 2002

SAE J2600 applies to design, safety and operation verification of Compressed

Hydrogen Surface Vehicle (CHSV) refueling connection devices hereinafter referred
to as nozzle and receptacle. CHSV Refueling nozzles and receptacles shall consist
of the following components, as applicable. Alternatives may be used as long as
the alternative geometries shall not be interchangeable with the standard geometry
specified in this SAE Standard and the standard geometry in Section 6 provides
insufficient flow rates: a. Receptacle and protective cap (mounted on vehicle) (see
Section 6 and 7); b. Nozzle (see Section 5).

This document applies to devices which have Working Pressures of 25 MPa, 35

MPa, 50 MPa or 70 MPa hereinafter referred to in this document as the following
(see 9.1c): H25 - 25 MPa at 15 \mDC; H35 - 35 MPa at 15 \mDC; H50 - 50 MPa at
15 \mDC; H70 - 70 MPa at 15 \mDC.

This document applies to nozzles and receptacles which (1) prevent hydrogen
fuelled vehicles from being refueled by dispenser stations with Working Pressures
higher than the vehicle; (2) allow hydrogen vehicles to be refueled by dispenser
stations with Working Pressures equal to or lower than the vehicle fuel system
Working Pressure, (3) prevent hydrogen fuelled vehicles from being refueled by
other compressed gases dispensing stations and (4) prevent other gaseous fuelled
vehicles from being refueled by hydrogen dispensing stations.

All dimensions used in this document are in metric units [International System of
Units (SI)].

For the purposes of this document, compressed hydrogen gas should meet the
requirements of ISO 14687 Hydrogen fuel - Product specification.

All references to pressures (MPa) throughout this document are to be considered

gauge pressures unless otherwise specified. All test procedures listed in this
document are design verification test procedures unless otherwise noted. All
products must pass all tests to be considered to have met this design standard.
Currently Under Revision

3.1.3. SAE J2578 Recommended Practice for General Fuel Cell Vehicle Safety
December 2002

This SAE Recommended Practice identifies and defines the preferred technical
guidelines relating to the safe integration of fuel cell system, fuel storage, and
electrical systems into the overall Fuel Cell Vehicle. Purpose The purpose of this
document is to provide introductory mechanical and electrical system safety

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guidelines that should be considered when designing fuel cell vehicles for use on
public roads. Field of Application This document covers fuel cell vehicles designed
for use on public roads. The committee has initiated a review to make this a system
based performance standard.

3.1.4. SAE J2594 Recommended Practice to Design for Recycling Proton Exchange
Membrane (Pem) Fuel Cell System September 2003

The purpose of this SAE Recommended Practice document is to provide a tool that
helps the FC system designers and engineers incorporate recyclability into the PEM
FC design process. This document was derived by considering existing recycling
recommended practices then applying them to assess and evaluate the recyclability
of the PEM FC system. This document should be used to continually assess the
recyclability of component and assembly designs during the early design phase, in
order to reach optimized recyclability, recycled content, and minimized
environmental impact associated with those designs. This document defines a PEM
FC rating system that assesses the ease of removal of the PEM FC system and/or
components from a vehicle; then upon removal from the vehicle, the ease of
recycling those components and materials. The derived rating is used as a PEM FC
component design tool for continual improvement opportunities and not for
purposes of calculating recyclability of the entire vehicle. While other trade-offs
such as mass, piece-cost, volume, etc. must also be considered when designing
these systems; they are not discussed in this document.

While there are various types of Fuel Cell architectures being developed, the focus
of this document is on Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell stacks and
ancillary components for automotive propulsion applications. Within the boundaries
of this document are the: Fuel Supply and Storage, Fuel Processor, Fuel Cell
Stack, and Balance of Plant, as shown.

3.1.5. SAE J1766 Recommended Practice for Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicle
Battery Systems Crash Integrity Testing April 2005

Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicles contain many types of battery systems.
Adequate barriers between occupants and battery systems are necessary to
provide protection from potentially harmful factors and materials within the battery
system that can cause injury to occupants of the vehicle during a crash. This SAE
Recommended Practice is applicable to all Electric Vehicle and Hybrid Electric
Vehicle battery designs, including those described in SAE J1797. The potentially
harmful factors and materials addressed by this document include electrical
isolation integrity, electrolyte spillage, and retention of the battery system. The
purpose of this document is to define test methods and performance criteria which
evaluate battery system spillage, battery retention, and electrical system isolation in
Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicles during specified crash tests.

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3.1.6. SAE J2616 Testing Performance of the Fuel Processor Subsystem of An

Automotive Fuel Cell System June 2005

This recommended practice is intended to serve as a design verification procedure

and not a product qualification procedure. It may be used to verify design
specifications or vendor claims. Test procedures, methods and definitions for the
performance of the fuel processor subsystem (FPS) of a fuel cell system (FCS) are
provided. Fuel processor subsystems (FPS) include all components required in the
conversion of input fuel and oxidizer into a hydrogen-rich product gas stream
suitable for use in fuel cells.

Performance of the fuel processor subsystem includes evaluating system energy

inputs and useful outputs to determine fuel conversion efficiency and where
applicable the overall thermal effectiveness. Each of these performance
characterizations will be determined to an uncertainty of less than +/- 2% of the
value. The method allows for the evaluation of fuel processor subsystems for two
general cases. - Compare fuel processors with different designs (e.g., catalytic
partial oxidation reforming, autothermal reforming or steam reforming) on a
common basis where no specific fuel cell system design has been identified. -
Assess the performance of a specific fuel processor in the context of a specific fuel
cell system design.

This document applies to all fuel processor subsystems for transportation

applications regardless of fuel processor type, fuel cell type, electrical power output,
thermal output, or system application (propulsion or auxiliary power unit (APU)). For
example, the fuel processor subsystems associated with proton exchange, molten
carbonate and solid oxide fuel cells can differ due to the requirements of the fuel
cells themselves. Performance of the fuel processor subsystem, and preprocessor
if applicable, is evaluated.

A stand alone fuel processor system or even the primary reactor (e.g., autothermal,
partial oxidation or steam reforming reactor) of a fuel processor subsystem that
would normally be integrated into a fuel cell system can be evaluated. The fuel
processor together with the preprocessor (if required) converts the fuel (gasoline or
other liquid hydrocarbon) to a reformate gas consisting largely of H2, CO, CO2,
H2O and N2 (if air is used). After the fuel processor subsystem, reformate gas
typically contains only trace levels of carbon bearing components higher than C1.
The FPS would be evaluated in a test facility that is designed to evaluate a stand-
alone component rather than a portion of the reformer such as a specific catalyst or
a particular vessel design.

Any fuel(s) mutually agreed to by the test parties can be used such as 1) straight
run gasoline (EPA Fuel- CARB reformulated gasoline Tier II, 30 ppm sulfur), or 2)
methanol or 3) hydrocarbon fuel such as iso-octane, naptha, diesel, liquefied
natural gas (LNG) or LPG (propane), etc. The procedures provide a point-in-time
evaluation of the performance of the fuel processor subsystem. Steady state and
transient (start-up and load-following) performance are included.

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Methods and procedures for conducting and reporting fuel processor testing,
including instrumentation to be used, testing techniques, and methods for
calculating and reporting results are provided. The boundary limits for fuel and
oxidant input, secondary energy input and net energy output are defined.
Procedures for measuring temperature, pressure, input fuel flow and composition,
electrical power and thermal output at the boundaries are provided. Procedures for
determination of the FPS performance measures such as fuel processor efficiency
and cold gas efficiency at a rated load or any other steady state condition are
provided. Methods to correct results from the test conditions to reference conditions
are provided. SI units are used throughout the recommended practice document.

3.1.7. SAE 2719 Information Report on the Development of a Hydrogen Quality

Guideline for Fuel Cell Vehicles November 2005

This document is an information report on the development an evolving H2 Fuel

Quality guideline for the vehicular refueling interface, which will mature as
technology advances toward commercial feasibility. The latest guideline will form
the basis of a proposed standard for commercial hydrogen fuel Purity for H
powered vehicles, possibly including ICE's.

3.1.8. SAE J2572 Recommended Practice for Measuring Fuel Consumption and Range
of Fuel Cell and Hybrid Fuel Cell Vehicles Fuelled by Compressed Gaseous
Hydrogen August 2006

This SAE Recommended Practice establishes uniform procedures for testing fuel
cell and hybrid fuel cell electric vehicles, excluding low speed vehicles, designed
primarily for operation on the public streets, road and highways. The procedure
addresses those vehicles under test using compressed hydrogen gas supplied by
an off-board source or stored and supplied as a compressed gas onboard. This
practice provides standard tests that will allow for determination of fuel consumption
and range based on the US Federal Emission Test Procedures, using the Urban
Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) and the Highway Fuel Economy Driving
Schedule (HFEDS). Chassis Dynamometer test procedures are specified in this
document to eliminate the test-to-test variations inherent with track testing, and to
adhere to standard industry practice for fuel consumption and range testing.
Communication between vehicle manufacturer and the governing authority is
essential when starting official manufacturer in-house and official government
confirmatory testing that incorporates this practice.

3.1.9. SAE J2760 Pressure Terminology Used in Fuel Cells and Other Hydrogen
Vehicle Application May 2006

The purpose of this technical information report is to disseminate definitions for

pressurized systems and containers prior to the release of SAE J2579 ensuring

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other technical groups are aware of the information. SAE J2579 is being developed
by the SAE Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) Safety Working Group (SWG) to provide
recommended practices for Fuel Systems in Fuel Cell and Other Hydrogen
Vehicles.

3.1.10. SAE J2617 Recommended Practice for Testing Performance of PEM Fuel Cell
Stack Sub-system for Automotive Applications November 2007

This recommended practice is intended to serve as a procedure to verify the design

specifications or vender claims of any PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) type fuel
cell stack sub-system for automotive applications. In this document, definitions,
specifications, and methods for the performance characterization of the fuel cell
stack sub-system are provided. The performance characterization includes
evaluating electrical outputs and controlling fluid inputs and outputs based on the
test boundary defined in this document. In this recommended practice, a typical fuel
cell stack sub-system includes the following: - Fuel cell stack(s) - An Assembly of
membrane electrode assemblies - (MEA), current collectors, separator plates,
cooling plates, manifolds, and a supporting structure. - Connections for conducting
fuels, oxidants, and exhausts. - Electrical connections for the power delivered by
the stack sub-system. - Devices for monitoring electrical loads, which are for
interface to the fuel cell system (FCS). - Devices for monitoring cell voltage (Not all
stacks are designed to read every cell voltage.) - Additional connections for
conducting additional fluids, such as cooling media and inert gas - Instrumentation
for detecting normal and/or abnormal operating conditions. - Enclosures or
pressure vessels, and ventilation systems. Not included in the sub-system are the
following: - Fuel and air processors - Thermal management system - Power
conditioner and distributor - Controllers The goal of this recommended practice is to
provide a method for users to conduct fuel cell stack sub-system tests on a
common basis. This allows the comparison of fuel cell stack sub-systems with
different designs where no specific fuel cell system design has been identified.
Alternatively, the performance of a specific fuel cell stack sub-system can be
assessed in the context of a specific fuel cell system design based on the
agreement of the testing parties.

3.1.11. SAE J2799 70 MPa Compressed Hydrogen Surface Vehicle Fuelling Connection
Device and Optional Vehicle to Station Communications May 2007

This technical information report specifies a guideline for the hardware

requirements for fueling a Hydrogen Surface Vehicle (HSV) with compressed
hydrogen storage at a Nominal Working Pressure of 70MPa. It contains a
description of the receptacle geometry and optional communication hardware and
communications protocol to refuel the HSV. The intent of this document is to enable
harmonized development and implementation of the hydrogen fueling interfaces. It
is intended to be utilized for the hydrogen vehicle field evaluation until enough
information is collected to enable standardization. The receptacle portion of this TIR
is to be reevaluated utilizing international field data in approximately 2 years and
subsequently superseded by J2600 in the 2009 timeframe. At that time, input would
be gathered from international locations through the representation in the SAE Fuel

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Cell Committee in order to confirm the final decision regarding the direction of the
receptacle and communications standard. The communications portion of the TIR is
also to be reevaluated utilizing international field data and subsequently
superseded by J2601. It is anticipated that the communications protocol and
hardware could be standardized before the above mentioned timeframe. It is not
the intent of this document to imply a position regarding the commercial fueling
protocol, communications, or non-communication strategy, but simply serves as a
reference for the receptacle hardware and IRDA communications if this strategy is
selected. In addition, it is not intended to be referenced by other Standard and/or
Code organizations.

3.2. SAE Standards Works In Progress

3.2.1. SAE J2579 Technical Information Report for Hazardous Fluid Systems in Fuel
Cell Vehicles

The purpose of this document is to define design, construction, operational, and

maintenance requirements for hydrogen storage and handling systems in on-road
vehicles. Performance-based requirements for verification of design prototype and
production hydrogen storage and handling systems are also defined in this
document. Complementary test protocols (for use in type approval or self-
certification) to qualify designs (and/or production) as meeting the specified
performance requirements are described. Crashworthiness of hydrogen storage
and handling systems is beyond the scope of this document. SAE J2578 includes
requirements relating to crashworthiness and vehicle integration for fuel cell
vehicles. Note: Ultimate design qualification for crash impact resistance is achieved
by demonstrated compliance of the vehicle with applicable regulations.

3.2.2. SAE J2783 Liquid Hydrogen Surface Vehicle Refuelling Connection Devices

3.2.3. SAE J2601 Compressed Hydrogen Vehicle Fueling Communication Device

The working group is refining the fueling scope with data being gathered from a
variety of demonstration sources including transit bus coverage and coordination
with CaFCP guideline efforts.

3.2.4. SAE J2722 Recommended Practice for the durability testing of testing of PEM
Fuel Cell Stacks

This recommended Practice is intended to serve as a procedure to verify the

durability specifications or vender claims of any PEM Proton Exchange Membrane
type fuel cell stack sub system for automotive applications. In this document,
definitions, specifications, and methods for the durability characterization of the fuel
cell stack sub system are provided. The durability characterization includes
evaluating electrical outputs and other stack characteristics over time while

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controlling fluid inputs and outputs based on the test boundary defined in this
document.

4. SAE Fuel Cell Cooperative Research

4.1. Completed Projects

4.1.1. Root Cause Analysis and Report for CNG Tank Field Failures

Powertech Labs, Inc. was contracted to examine the Powertech CNG cylinder field
failure database to determine if there are any evident trends. The scope of the
investigation was limited to incidents involving catastrophic rupture of cylinders, although
major leaks attributed solely to the cylinder were included. Currently, there are over
6.1M CNG vehicles in the world (www.IANGV.org). Since 2000, there have been 26
CNG cylinder failures.

The approach taken was to tabulate the data in reverse chronological order, fields
included were:
ƒ Date
ƒ Location
ƒ Number of cylinders involved
ƒ Cylinder manufacturer
ƒ Cylinder design type
ƒ Vehicle type
ƒ Source of the data
ƒ Brief description of the incident
ƒ Cause of failure
ƒ Failure mode category

Single cylinder failures attributable to “rupture failure mode” were noted with two
exceptions:
• Type 3 glass cylinder merely leaked due to SCC
• Type 4 carbon cylinder leaked after impact with overpass

Multiple cylinder failures attributable to “leakage failure mode”:

• Type 1 steel pinhole leaks (<50)
• Type 4 plastic liner leak incidents (100’s)

The data was then classified according to eight unique failure causes:
• Mechanical Damage – External abrasion and/or impact
• Environmental Damage – External environment assisted, typically SCC
• Overpressure – Faulty fueling equipment or faulty CNG cylinder valves
• Vehicle fire – Faulty PRDs or lack of PRDs; localized fires
• Plastic Liner Issues – Man. defects incl. cracking at end boss/liner interface,
flawed welds, liner seal failures

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• Metal Liner Issues – Man. defects incl. pinhole leaks, laminations, poor heat
treat practice
• User Error – Test facility error
• Unknown Cause – Limited or no data available

18
16
16

14
12
No. of Failure Incidents

12

10

8
8
6
6 5

4 3 3

2 1

0
Mechanical Environmental Overpressure Vehicle Fire Plastic Liner Metal Liner User Error Unknown
Damage Damage Issues Man. Issues Cause
Failure Cause

Figure1.0 Failure Incidents by Failure Cause

The investigation of failure incidents reported by cylinder type revealed:

• Type 1 steel cylinders are involved in nearly 50% of failure incidents
• Aftermarket vehicles represent just over 50% of failure incidents
• Data is related as most aftermarket conversions employ low cost/readily
available Type 1 cylinders
• Many of the installations less likely to follow sound engineering practice
(regarding use of standards, materials/workmanship quality, installation codes,
maintenance/inspection procedures)

30

25 24
No. of Failure Incidents

20

15
12
11
10

5 4
2
1

0
Type I Type II Steel/Glass Type II Alum/Glass Type III Type III Alum Type IV
Alum/Glass Carbon
Cylinder Type

Figure 2.0 Failure Incidents by Reported by Cylinder Type

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35
32

30

25
No. of Failure Incidents

20

15
15

10
7

0
OEM Vehicle After Market Vehicle OEM Bus
Vehicle Type

Figure 3.0 Failure Incidents by Reported by Vehicle Type

Conclusions
¾ Vehicle fire is the leading cause of CNG cylinder failures – at least 4 out of 16
due to localized fire
¾ Environmental damage is the second leading cause of CNG failures, but cylinder
standards have adequately addressed this failure cause
¾ Less than 25% of the CNG cylinder failures were attributed to Type 3/4 cylinders
(13 incidents):
• Only 5 incidents involved rupture failure mode
• Of these 5 incidents, 4 involved vehicle fires

4.2. Current Projects

4.2.1. Evaluation of the Performance Verification (Design Qualification) Test for

Compressed Hydrogen Containment Systems

Qualification and routine testing shall be performed on hydrogen containment vessels

designed for 70 MPa service in order to validate proposed methods. Current proposed
test methods are defined in a draft version of SAE TIR J2579, section 5.2.6 and
appendix C. Status: This project has been approved and the testing is underway.

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4.3. Planned Projects

4.3.1. Performance evaluation of 70 MPa Hydrogen Station Breakaways, Hoses, fittings

and Nozzles

The performance of existing hydrogen station dispenser breakaway to nozzle

assemblies shall be examined against current draft standards (ANSI/CSA HGV4 series)
and to tests designed to recreate actual service conditions. The hardware shall be
examined on a component level through a series of pre-qualification tests for baseline
performance (similar to that already performed on nozzles for the SAE J2799/J2600
committee). Following the baseline component level testing, several “real life” tests will
be performed to evaluate conditions expected in service that are not necessarily covered
in standards. The results of this study will be shared with the SAE Fuel Cell committee
and the CSA America HGV committee. Status: This project proposal is being reviewed
by NREL staff.

4.3.2. Suitability of Alternative Test Gases for Leak Testing Hydrogen Refueling
Devices

The goal of this project is to develop alternatives to the use of “pure” hydrogen gas when
performing leak test measurements of compressed hydrogen refueling devices. The
successful outcome will lead to the development of alternative gas combinations for use
a nearly every hydrogen based standard currently under development. Status: This
project proposal is being developed.

5. Patents
None

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