Abstract
A purity specification in an international standard (ISO 14687) for hydrogen for use in proton exchange membrane fuel cells is discussed. The specification, which is referenced in a recent EU directive, sets maximum limits for 14 impurities in hydrogen. We consider one entry in the specification, total halogenated compounds, and conclude that no currently available analytical method is able to measure total halogenated compounds in a robust, traceable and accurately quantifiable manner. Three suggestions for addressing this problem when the standard is revised are given, namely (1) replacing ‘total halogenated compounds’ with a list of key halogenated compounds that can be measured individually, (2) identifying compounds whose measurement is more routine to act as ‘canary species’ for hydrogen produced from different sources and (3) setting different specifications for hydrogen produced from different sources. Prior to the revision of ISO 14687, we propose that inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy provides the best currently available analytical solution to estimate the amount fraction of halogenated compounds in hydrogen.
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References
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the kind funding of the work by the UK Government’s Chemistry and Biology Knowledge Base Programme and thank David Carteau (Air Liquide, France) for reviewing an early version of this paper.
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Brown, A.S., Murugan, A. & Brown, R.J.C. Measurement of ‘total halogenated compounds’ in hydrogen: Is the ISO 14687 specification achievable?. Accred Qual Assur 20, 223–227 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00769-015-1135-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00769-015-1135-2