Regulations Governing Transportation of Portable Fuel Cell Devices and Systems in Aircrafts

The revolutionary advancements of electrical fuel cell power within the past decade has drawn public awareness and criticism to the hazardous nature of hydrogen and other fuels used in fuel cell powered devices and systems. Although these fuels are regulated, their fuel storage devices (cartridges) are not, hence, requiring various governmental agencies approval such as the Department of Transportation, which typically applies its regulations for transportation of hazardous materials. As the development of these devices grow, issues regarding transportation of hazardous materials, components in mass transportation systems: e.g. passenger aircrafts, ships, trains, and buses, USPS, will come under intense legal scrutiny. The United States and other nations, including international bodies such as the United Nations have national and international laws regulating transit of hazardous/toxic materials across state/national and international boundaries. These different regulations often conflict and are serious barriers to the transportation of fuel cell powered consumer electronic devices such as laptop computers, cell phones, camcorders, calculators and even portable CD Players in commerce. This report addresses the regulatory framework regarding transportation of fuel cell hazardous-material – containing devices by aircrafts and suggests solutions to obtaining approval from various governmental agencies.