Under Environmental Pressure, Mining Industry Takes
a Serious Look at a Fuel Cell Alternative to Diesel
By Frank Lynch, Hydrogen Components, Inc.
The Fuel Cell Propulsion Institute held a Joint
Economic Forum on Mining and Fuel Cells at the Colorado (U.S.A.) School
of Mines on 23 April 1998. The Forum brought together mining companies;
manufacturers of mining vehicles and fuel cells; hydrogen production, storage,
and safety experts; and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
The one-day meeting was organized into individual
presentations from among the stakeholders describing the needs of the mining
industry and the state-of-the-art in fuel cell power systems. Sandia National
Laboratories and Westinghouse Savannah River Company contributed information
on hydrogen storage and safety. A panel discussion gave the group access
to fuel cell experts from Advanced Power Sources (U.S.A.), Ballard Power
Systems (Canada), and Zevco (Belgium).
Another panel was charged with selecting a suitable
vehicle type to use as a platform for a fuel cell mining vehicle demonstration.
This panel was comprised of representatives from Cyprus Amax, Interwest
Mining and Peabody (mining companies), Hydrogen Components (metal hydrides),
Long-Airdox (electric mining vehicles), CANMET (Canada’s “DOE”)
and moderated by MSHA. An earlier presentation by Atlas Copco (diesel mining
vehicles) showed the benefits of fuel cells for heavy-duty load-haul-dump
applications. The consensus of the panel was that a utility vehicle (medium-size
mining truck) would be a good platform for the first demonstration. This
relatively inexpensive vehicle could carry electric equipment to a job site
and power the equipment from its fuel cell.
The problems facing the mining companies include
increasingly tough diesel emission regulations and the limitations of battery-
and cable-powered electric vehicles. Discussions throughout the day provided
the mining companies with technical insight about how zero-emission fuel
cell power systems and ultra-safe metal hydride hydrogen storage systems
could enhance health, safety, productivity, and energy efficiency in their
industry. The fuel cell and hydrogen experts learned about how vehicles
are used, what the operating environment is like, and what vehicle criteria
are most important in underground mining.
Economics was a key topic of discussion but
few conclusions were reached. Benefits of health, safety, productivity,
and efficiency must be balanced against the excess costs of fuel cells over
diesels. If diesels are taken off the list of alternatives by regulations
that cannot be met, highly developed battery and cable electric alternatives
still pose serious competition to fuel cell mining vehicles. A Subcommittee
of the Institute, chaired by Atlas Copco Wagner, held a dinner meeting to
develop a “typical” coal mining application for fuel cell mining
vehicles. This vehicle will be the basis for an economic analysis. The economic
analysis will be undertaken with the cooperation of four mining companies.
Wagner will act as liaison and report back to the Institute within one month.
The Institute will provide staff support.
The Institute will hold its next meeting 8-9
October 1998. NHA is invited. The meeting will probably involve a tour of
an underground mine.
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the National Hydrogen Association.
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