Primary gas standards for the determination of sulfur-based impurities at trace level in hydrogen

Hydrogen fuel quality needs to comply with ISO 14687:2025 to avoid harmful impact on applications using proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. For total sulfur as one of the most impactful contaminants, an amount fraction of 4 nmol/mol has been set as threshold (so-called Grade D quality). In this study, novel gaseous primary gas standards (PGS) of seven sulfur compounds were prepared either gravimetrically at 1000 nmol/mol, 100 nmol/mol, and 10 nmol/mol, or dynamically diluted down to 4 nmol/mol in hydrogen and argon matrices with relative expanded uncertainties well below 10 % (k = 2) and proven stability of at least 9–12 months. Two different cylinder passivation treatments were compared, with one treatment identified as unsuitable since reactions took place within the mixture. By performing a cross-check study, equivalence between both sets of PGS could be demonstrated (≤5 % relative deviation for most of the sulfur species).