Hydrogen dispensers should be listed or approved for operation.
Noncombustible construction should be used in the hydrogen dispensing area (within 15 feet of the dispenser).
Indoor refueling activities should be located in buildings with fire sprinklers and fire alarms.
Hydrogen production, compression, and storage equipment should be installed in a safe area outdoors, as this minimizes the potential for a large gas release inside the facility. Indoor installation guidance is provided in the applicable fire codes.
Dispensers should be installed in unconfined areas of large rooms having ceiling heights greater than 25 feet. Where this is not possible, a mechanical ventilation system should be installed in accordance with the applicable codes and standards.
The dispenser and hydrogen piping should be protected from vehicle impact.
The dispensing area should be equipped with a manually operated emergency stop button (ESB) located remotely from the dispenser, but within sight. The ESB should end the fueling process and isolate the hydrogen outside of the facility. A manual shutoff valve, as well as automatic shutoff valves with sufficient redundancy, should be provided.
For indoor dispensing, a shutoff means should be provided outside of the facility.
All vents from the dispenser should be piped outdoors to a safe location.
Consistent with the facility fire prevention plan, a portable fire extinguisher may be provided for the purpose of extinguishing a combustible material fire in the area of the dispenser.
The dispenser and hydrogen supply piping should be electrically bonded.
The dispenser should utilize a nozzle designed in accordance with SAE J2600 for the specific pressure rating of the hydrogen storage tank on the industrial truck. SAE J2600-designed nozzles are mechanically coded to connect only to vehicles that can be safely filled with the dispensing pressure. These nozzles have been extensively tested and approved, contain double-block-and-bleed features, and cannot be opened unless connected to an industrial truck.
The dispenser should have self-sealing break-away joints to minimize gas leakage in the event of an industrial truck pull-away incident. Break-away connections should be mechanically supported to ensure that a "drive-off" event will cause the break-away connection to release.
Where multiple types of vehicles and/or fuel tanks reside within a single facility, a means should be provided within the dispenser to ensure that they can all be safely filled. This may require a vehicle identification system to provide different fueling protocols as needed.
