As mining companies look to address societal pressure to decarbonize their businesses, many have looked to hydrogen recently as part of their strategy to decarbonize their truck fleet. The challenge is that these companies have already invested in a large fleet of diesel-powered trucks that cannot easily be replaced without significant loss. Thus, it seems to us the best way to integrate hydrogen into mine truck haulage is by retrofitting the existing fleet with fuel cell engines and hydrogen storage tanks. Can hydrogen fuel cells really replace diesel engines in massive mining trucks? Our latest research, published a paper in Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, dives into this question.
We developed and validated a drive-train model in Simulink of a Komatsu 830-E truck and used it to simulate typical duty cycles for diesel- and hydrogen-powered vehicles. We then used it to estimate the fuel storage requirements (to maintain similar driving range). Our goal was to determine if the existing truck real estate (if you take out the internal combustion engine and diesel fuel tank) would accommodate the fuel cell engine, batteries (we assumed a fuel cell drive train will use batteries), and hydrogen tank. We also discussed other challenges besides just the space requirements.
Our work indicates:
- The fuel cell trucks will require a higher volume of fuel per cycle even for the higher 700-bar storage than diesel trucks. At 300 bar, the volume of hydrogen required per cycle will be prohibitive to store on existing truck fleets. Even at 700 bars, the hydrogen fuel tank would have to be bigger to achieve the same driving range.
- Accounting for batteries and the fuel cell engine, the space on the existing fleet will not be adequate to fit everything you need on a truck during a retrofit. More extensive engineering redesign is required to design fuel cell trucks that are competitive in mines.
- If our results are right, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will need to make significant investments to produce hydrogen fuel cell trucks.
- Mining firms will also have to invest in hydrogen infrastructure to support a transition to hydrogen-powered haulage.
- Mining firms will have to address the safety concerns of handling hydrogen at mine sites, especially if they have to refuel at 700 bars.
This research is a step toward understanding what it will take to decarbonize mining haulage. If you are interested in the full discussion, we encourage you to read our paper in MME. Reach out if you have any questions or ideas for further research.