The Regulation lays down the quality requirements for hydrogen used in PEM fuel cell vehicles. Manufacturers of hydrogen used in the above-mentioned vehicles and entities trading this fuel in Poland will have to comply with these requirements.

Regulation of the Minister for Climate and the Environment on the quality requirements for hydrogen

The measure is aimed at defining the quality requirements for hydrogen based on best practices and available knowledge. The solution adopted in the draft Regulation is based on a publication by the Institute of Oil and Gas — National Research Institute: ‘Opracowanie wytycznych do kontroli jakości wodoru oraz skroplonego gazu ziemnego (LNG) stosowanych do napędu pojazdów samochodowych’ [‘Guidelines for the quality control of hydrogen and liquefied natural gas (LNG) used for the propulsion of motor vehicles’]. Said document describes
the state-of-the-art quality requirements for hydrogen used in vehicles with hydrogen-powered polymer (PEM) fuel cell systems. Building on the recommendations resulting from the guidelines, the draft contains solutions based on the standards EN 17124:2018 and ISO 14687:2019, which set the minimum qualitative (contained pollutants) and quantitative (limits for individual pollutants) requirements. The required parameters relate to grade D purity hydrogen, which is a step to ensure the proper functioning of hydrogen-powered vehicles. The draft refers to type I hydrogen, as it is the type currently used in vehicles and a basic fuel for the vehicles with PEM cells. The quality requirements adopted in the draft are based on current knowledge and stem from the standard indicated in European Union legislation: Directive 2014/94/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure (OJ EU L 307, 28.10.2014, p. 1, as amended) now indicates standard EN 17124:2018 (which lists exactly the same quality and quantitative requirements as ISO 14687:2019) as the one with which the quality of hydrogen released at stations should be compliant. On the other hand, the so-called AFIR Regulation (Regulation on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, and repealing Directive 2014/94/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council), which is intended to replace Directive 2014/94/EU as part of the ‘Fit for 55’ package, indicates the compliance of hydrogen quality with ISO 14687:2019. The draft Regulation will be compliant with the directive currently in force and the proposed AFIR regulation, since the standards EN 17124:2018 and ISO 14687:2019 applied in the draft refer the same quality and quantitative requirements for hydrogen.
Keywords: ‘hydrogen’, ‘hydrogen quality’, ‘quality requirements’, ‘alternative fuels’, ‘transport fuels’, ‘fuel cells’, ‘PEM’.