Clean Energy Standards Guide

Proven Products for the Future of Transportation

Clean energy transportation is here. Global investment into hydrogen- and compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered vehicles and their supporting infrastructure continues. For these technologies to meet their full potential, selecting and specifying high-performance components are essential.

But where to start? On-vehicle systems require dozens of components to operate reliably. Each of these components should be tested and proven to deliver reliable performance.

This guide will help simplify component selection, enabling you to navigate the industry’s testing and documentation landscape. Additionally, you can explore Swagelok’s complete portfolio of components that meet and exceed today’s most relevant testing protocols for hydrogen and CNG transportation.

Let’s get started.

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Clean Energy Standards Explained

While there is no single global standard for clean energy transportation, there are several standards that maintain significant influence in the industry. The most prominent and established include:

Hydrogen Standards:	CNG Standards:
EC 79	NGV 3.1
ECE R134	ECE R110
HGV 3.1	ISO 15500
ISO 12619	ASME B31.3
ASME B31.3/ASME B31.12

For engineers and system designers, however, the most important criterion to seek out is not necessarily the certification itself but whether full testing to the standards test protocol has been conducted by a third-party laboratory.

Components that have been independently tested in such fashion have demonstrated equal (or better) performance to those that bear the full certification. Additionally, components that have demonstrated extensive use in industry as certified by the supplier are equally suited for use as fully certified products. This means engineers and system designers should seek full testing documentation and/or extensive industry use when specifying components.

Testing is performed to a wide range of performance criteria, including corrosion testing, burst testing, hydraulic testing, vibration testing, pressure testing, and more. Appropriate documentation can be obtained from your manufacturer and can be generally broken down as follows:

 

Products that maintain letters of attestation or third-party test reports can be expected to perform equally to those that bear official international certification and therefore can be specified for on-vehicle applications.

 

Pressure Classes Explained

In clean transportation applications, gas is stored and transferred at high pressures in order to maximize energy density. Natural gas is stored at 248 bar pressure. The two pressure classes for hydrogen are:

 

The relevant standards and certifications described earlier set performance thresholds for both pressure classes. For example, a component may have the necessary documented testing performance for 350 bar but not for 700 bar. Be sure to consult with your component supplier to obtain the necessary testing data for each class depending on the needs of your application.

 

Products You Can Trust

Swagelok maintains broad testing and approvals for use in hydrogen and CNG transportation applications across our product portfolio. We can help you achieve: 

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Swagelok^® Tube Fittings

Swagelok tube fittings are designed to meet your highest expectations for safety and dependability, featuring proven design, precise manufacturing, and superior raw materials. They have met and exceeded the relevant testing procedures for all major hydrogen and CNG certifications and standards. This product line has qualified for “extensive use in industry” due to its historic use in hydrogen and CGN pressure applications.  

*Tested in accordance to ECE R134