Safety, Codes, and Standards Projects
NREL's hydrogen safety, codes, and standards projects are focused on ensuring safe operation, handling, and use of hydrogen and hydrogen systems through safety sensors and codes and standards for buildings and equipment.
Safety Sensors
To facilitate hydrogen safety, NREL is testing hydrogen sensors at the Vehicle Codes and Standards Research Laboratory that detect leaks and monitor gas purity. Because hydrogen is colorless and odorless, sensors are important for safe hydrogen fueling stations, equipment, and facilities.
NREL researchers are testing fiber-optic sensor configurations resistant to electromagnetic interference. They also are testing protective and self-cleaning overlayer coatings for sensors. For remote hydrogen sensing, NREL is assessing sensor requirements and design options for innovative hydrogen sensor technologies and the feasibility of using analytic techniques.
Other sensor projects include testing wide-area visible hydrogen sensors and low-cost sensor arrays to address the transfer of instrument calibration between devices and the stability of devices over time. NREL explores the application of gettering polymer films for coating onto pipe and joined surfaces, gettering gasket materials based on Teflon composite materials, and incorporating sensor chemicals into coating and gasket materials.
Learn about NREL's international collaboration on hydrogen safety sensors.
Codes and Standards
NREL facilitates developing and promulgating building and equipment codes and standards for hydrogen systems in commercial, residential, and transportation applications. NREL also provides technical resources to help international standards development organizations.
By developing and promulgating codes and standards, NREL contributes to making hydrogen a more-significant energy carrier and fuel. Codes and standards are critical to commercialize hydrogen-based products and systems. To achieve this focus, NREL developed national templates for hydrogen codes and standards.
In addition to hydrogen projects, learn about NREL's advanced vehicles and fuels safety, codes, and standards projects.
Contact: Carl Rivkin 303-275-3839
