Hydrogen Fueling Station Case Study: Oakland, California
The AC Transit station in Oakland, California, dispenses gaseous hydrogen generated by steam methane reforming.
The Chevron AC Transit station opened March 13, 2006. The facility generates and stores up to 150 kg of gaseous hydrogen from steam methane reforming of natural gas. Production, purification, compression, and storage are incorporated into an integrated system. The station's hydrogen fuels AC Transit fuel cell buses and fuel cell vehicles as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Project to help demonstrate and gather data about hydrogen fuel cell vehicles so that they can become an everyday reality.
Station Facts
Location:
AC Transit Bus Maintenance Facility
1100 Seminary Ave.
Oakland, CA
Fuels Available:
This station offers gaseous hydrogen (5,000 psig).
Hydrogen Generation:
The hydrogen is generated through steam methane reforming of natural gas.
Gaseous hydrogen is stored in a cascaded series of high-pressure tanks
Gaseous Hydrogen Storage:
Gaseous hydrogen (366 kg) is stored at 6,250 psi in a series of cascaded tanks.
Dispensers:
The station offers two gaseous hydrogen dispensers for dispensing at 5,000 psig (200 kilograms per day).
Safety Features
The station's safety features include:
Station
- Emergency shut-offs
- Hydrogen detectors
- Flame detectors
Hydrogen storage
- Tank vent active control valves for vapor control
- Pressure relief devices
Dispensing
- Vapor control at the dispenser by means of vapor capture
- Breakaway hoses
- Below-grade piping
- Electrical grounding
- Crash bars around dispensers.
Station Permitting Process
The AC Transit station underwent an extensive review and approval process by the Fire Department of Oakland, California. Learn more about this process by reading:
- Chevron/AC Transit Fueling Station (PDF 900 KB), a presentation of the building contractor Download Adobe Reader.
- AC Transit Hydrogen Energy Station/Oakland Fire Department Project (PDF 1.6 MB), a presentation of the assistant fire marshall. Download Adobe Reader.
Contact Information
For more information, contact:
Leroy Griffin
Assistant Fire Marshall
City of Oakland
510-238-7759
Jaimie Levin
AC Transit
(510) 891-7244