CEN and CENELEC welcome the new roadmap on hydrogen standardsation

On Wednesday 1 March, CEN and CENELEC’s Director General, Elena Santiago Cid, received from the hands of Maive Rute, the European Commission’s Chief Standardization Officer, the new Roadmap on hydrogen standardization. CEN and CENELEC welcome the publication of this important document and are committed to collaborating to the roll out of large-scale hydrogen solutions across the EU.

The Roadmap represents a flagship moment in the EU’s efforts to facilitate the transition to more sustainable energy and transport systems. It provides a comprehensive overview of standardization gaps, challenges and needs across the whole hydrogen chain, together with the steps already taken by the industry.

It also includes a set of recommendations to streamline and accelerate the standards developing process, in line with the European Standardization Strategy of 2 February 2022.

The Roadmap has been developed by the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance, set up by the Commission to bring together industry and other stakeholders to support the large-scale deployment of clean hydrogen technologies by 2030.

In the words of Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Single Market, the objective of the plan is to “provide businesses with a stable regulatory and standardization framework, so as to ensure Europe’s technological sovereignty in this area and contribute to its decarbonisation.

It also creates the conditions to allow EU standards to become global benchmarks for hydrogen technologies”. CEN and CENELEC, as two of the officially recognised European Standardization Organizations (ESOs), have long been committed to developing standards for hydrogen technologies across the board. Activities in the area have been undertaken by a variety of Technical Committees: some examples include CEN- CLC/JTC 6 ‘Hydrogen in energy Systems’, CEN/TC 268 ‘Cryogenic vessels and specific hydrogen technologies applications’ and CEN/TC 234 ‘Gas infrastructure’. Furthermore, the CEN and CENELEC Sector Forum Energy Management Working Group ‘Hydrogen’, provides horizontal support to the different CEN and CENELEC Technical Committees working with hydrogen.

Based on this experience and on the wider commitment to a more sustainable energy system in the context of the Green Deal Industrial Plan, CEN and CENELEC are ready to participate to the development of the European hydrogen sector, together with all relevant experts and stakeholders. In particular, the two organizations are looking forward to the definition of the next steps, as foreseen by the Roadmap, including the expected Standardization Requests from the European Commission.

Elena Santiago Cid, CEN and CENELEC’s Director General, commented: “Through this Roadmap, the European Commission shows once more its trust in the strategic role played by standards in fostering the dissemination of a promising new technology. On the 30th Anniversary of the Single Market, this is another good reminder of the power of standards in the making of Europe. At CEN and CENELEC, we are committed to helping turn the vision of a fully decarbonised energy system into reality”.

KPS introduces lightweight electrostatically safe 6” piping system to make high-flow fuel & chemical transport simpler & safer

This new system, a world first, has been designed to combine KPS piping’s industry-leading safety and installer-friendly qualities with a high flow rate of up to 2,500 litres/minute to meet demand from applications including depots, fuel distribution, ports, mining, rail, data centres and many more.

The Importance Of Conductive Piping

‘When fuel flows through a pipe, it creates friction, creating an electrical charge on the pipe wall. If the material is not conductive, the charges (free electrons) can’t flow anywhere and consequently accumulate until a rapid discharge can occur: a spark!

In 1997, we developed the world’s first conductive HDPE piping to combine the lightweight, corrosion‐free benefits of HDPE with the conductive safety of metal. A conductive inner layer allows static electricity to dissipate into the earth.

Now, a number of countries, including China, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia and the Baltic States, require conductive piping to be used for filling stations, as well as a number of major oil companies, including BP, OMV, PetroChina, Q8, Aral, Total and Esso. As future fuels containing oxygen which generate more friction are increasingly used, conductive piping becomes ever more important.’ ‘ Staffan Helleday, Technical Director, KPS

High Flow, High Performance

KPS’ new 6” double wall conductive piping system provides flow rates up to 2,500 litres/minute, the highest flow rate available in the KPS piping portfolio. This innovative conductive system consists of a 160mm primary pipe and a 200mm secondary pipe, providing an extra layer of protection and enabling interstitial monitoring. Suitable for sensitive liquids like fuel and chemicals, including petrol, diesel, biodiesel, ethanol blends, AdBlue, Jet-A1, alcohols, acids and other chemical products. The system is approved to EN 14125, ATEX 137, EN 13463-1, as well as many other country and fuel-specific standards.

Engineered For Easy Installation

Like all KPS piping, the new 6” system is engineered for installers to reduce cost and build time. The complete range of fitting and components for the new 6” conductive double wall pipe system are electrofusion welded, with no butt welds needed, and the range is supported by the KPS technical team, including training and certification (classroom and on-site).

‘We’re excited to launch another KPS world first: the 6” piping range, centred around making fuel transport safer and installation easier’ Jo Stott, Marketing Director, OPW (KPS’ parent company). For more information visit kpspiping.com/6-conductive-HDPE-piping.