That's great, Paul, thanks for researching that. I recall reading an article a few years back, I think in Mother Jones, called "The least powerful man in Washington". I can't find it anymore online. It talked about someone from the NIST's metric group who would go to conferences advocating metric usage to industry. The article noted how underfunded and powerless the metric group was.
Well, if sale by the kg holds (I'm hopeful, but hardly certain), and if H2 does become the transport fuel of the future (not certain either, unfortunately), the metric advocates at NIST will have achieved a major victory. It would be the biggest advance for our cause in many years. And here in LA, I could definitely get used to seeing the smog turn back into fog. From: Paul Trusten Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 7:58 AM To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:41311] U.S. National Work Group specifies the kilogram for hydrogen fuel sales U.S. industry, not just California, wants the kilogram as the unit of measurement for hydrogen fuel sales. Also, another SI unit could make its debut before the U.S. public: the megapascal. But, the bar is another possibility being debated for a hydrogen delivery pressure unit. NIST has formed a U.S. National Work Group for the Development of Commercial Hydrogen Measurement Standards (USNWG). At its 19 June 2008 meeting, the USNWG proposed that retail hydrogen dispensing devices dispense hydrogen fuel only by the kilogram, and also the delivery or service pressure of the dispenser in either bars or megapascals (the meeting attendees did not settle on the unit of pressure, but offered those two possibilities). NIST Weights and Measures Division is developing a hydrogen fuel Web site to enable the public to follow these issues as they develop. NIST's Laws and Metric Group will let us know when the site is launched. Personally, I have noticed that some hydrogen dispensers have their service pressures dual-labeled in SI and customary units (bar and pounds per square inch [see attachment and also http://www.hydrogencarsnow.com/hydrogen-filling-station-irvine-ca.htm]). Perhaps the USNWG can be persuaded in its deliberations to adhere to SI as the preferred system of measurement for U.S. trade in hydrogen (as it is legally for all U.S. trade according to the Metric Conversion Act), and specify hydrogen mass delivery in kilograms only and pressure delivery in megapascals only. -- Paul Trusten, R.Ph. Public Relations Director U.S. Metric Association (USMA), Inc. www.metric.org 3609 Caldera Blvd., Apt. 122 Midland TX 79707-2872 US +1(432)528-7724 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
