News

On November 13-17, 2023, an official meeting of members of the international standardization committee ISO TC 197 “Hydrogen technologies” will take place in Vienna. The main topic of the meeting was “Reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the use of green hydrogen in the energy sector.” The representative from Ukraine is the national mirror TC 197 “Hydrogen Technologies” and acts, once again, unfortunately, as a listener, since, despite the achievements in the light of the planning and direct application of hydrogen technologies in-situ, it boasts achievements in the field of standardization and representatives of Ukraine cannot certify as the basis of strategic planning and technical regulation. The reasons for this situation, of course, are significant: the military actions of our aggressive neighbor led to the liquidation of the production base (as the main consumer of electricity); to the destruction and disruption of sources of electricity generation with the emergence of an urgent need to use “practical” solutions (when the integration and production of hydrogen is simply “not on the clock”); to a reduction in the number of expert and professional base (technical committees and trade union organizations are not able to perform their functions).

Still, despite the above, there are grounds for optimism. On the Ukrainian side, calculations and feasibility studies are carried out for hydrogen production projects (free-standing and integrated electrolyzers), strategies, plans and roadmaps for the “green development strategy of Ukraine” are prepared (albeit with some delay) (including plans for production and use hydrogen). European, regional and international partners are extremely interested in establishing and developing mutually beneficial cooperation with Ukraine in the field of green energy, however, we note that they are not in a hurry to invest in even very attractive projects. The matter (except for the martial law, of course), as already mentioned, is complicated by the fact that Ukraine cannot yet boast of a developed regulatory framework and a reliable certification system, which is a prerequisite for the implementation of any serious international project.

CERTATOM (as the base organization of the secretariat of TC 197 and as a conformity assessment body in the energy industry with a long history) conducted research on the development of standards and the possibilities of their further application in Ukraine. Of the almost 700 standards existing in the world (in more or less open access), 3 have been adopted in Ukraine, although at least 60 are in urgent need of adoption (which will make it possible to begin work on the basis of a separate TR and regulatory legal acts). We are, of course, talking about international and regional standards that can be adopted if there is funding “right now” and that are directly related to hydrogen in the energy sector (i.e., the significant list of “root” or “reference” standards that which are referenced in the specified ND and which are also not valid in Ukraine). As for certification, as a “temporary basis”, it is proposed for manufacturers and suppliers of products to either use certificates for individual products of a foreign type (and place of issue), or refer to the technical regulations in force in Ukraine - low-voltage equipment, pressure vessels, etc. Note that neither the first nor the second options fully solve the existing problem of constructing large facilities (electrolyzers), certifying personnel, or obtaining a certificate of origin of “green” hydrogen, which is in demand abroad.

At the international level, ISO TC 197 proposed a solution to the issues of standardization and certification. In alliance with IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), users were offered the universal IECEx certification scheme, according to which hydrogen must be treated as an “explosive gas”. This certification has existed since 1996 and applies to equipment (systems, components, mechanical equipment), complex “complete” product (equipment verification, design verification), services (equipment installation, operation, repair), personnel (initial knowledge, competency assessment, training). As a certification base for ND, i.e. standards, documents are used that meet the requirements of the IECEx system, as well as ISO TC 197 “Hydrogen Technologies”, IEC TC 105 “Fuel Cells” and other national (harmonized) standards of the countries in which the certificate is issued (more than 140 thousand various certificates have been issued to date). Note that in order to obtain a certificate of origin for “green” hydrogen (i.e. hydrogen produced using renewable energy sources), you must first undergo IECEx certification (proof that the equipment with which hydrogen is “produced” meets explosion protection standards). Other international certification schemes, as well as separate “special” standards for the direction of “hydrogen energy technologies” for international development are not planned (ISO, IEC Standardization Plan until 2035).

Particular attention is paid to personnel training, i.e. “understanding” of working with hydrogen in the production of relevant equipment, its installation, operation, repair, etc. In this case, ISO and IECEx recommend using the provisions of ISO 15916 “Basic safety requirements for hydrogen systems” as a basis. This document contains the basic data necessary to understand the basic behavior and work with hydrogen as an energy source for both producers and consumers. CERTATOM has prepared working lectures based on ISO 15916, taking into account the national provisions established in the legal regulations of Ukraine and safety requirements harmonized with international standards, the main task of which is to provide an optimal package of knowledge and preparation for certification.

The scope of lectures includes:

- a basic package of knowledge about technical hydrogen (gaseous, liquefied, compressed, etc.), methods for its production, as well as the concept of safety culture when working with hydrogen;

- for manufacturers/suppliers: familiarization with the principles, safety requirements and their application at all stages of design, manufacture and use of equipment used for hydrogen technologies;

- for consumers: familiarization of consumers of products produced as a result of the use of hydrogen technologies with established safety measures for the formation of sustainable consumption of final products and services obtained as a result of the use of hydrogen technologies;

- mandatory requirements for “green” hydrogen (production, certification, transportation), prospects for its use and work with foreign counterparties.