MIN E - Mining Engineering

Mining concepts and terminology, company operations, stages of mining, unit mining operations, surface and underground mine development and methods, feasibility studies and mine costs, ethics, equity, sustainable development and environmental stewardship, public and worker safety and health considerations including the context of the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Conventional and geostatistical methods for construction of orebody models. Contouring techniques for mapping bounding surfaces of stratigraphic layers. Coordinate transforms and geometric techniques. Estimation and simulation methods for characterizing ore grade variability. Ore reserve classification, uncertainty assessment, mine selectivity, and grade control. Co-requisites: MATH 209, EAS 210, and MIN E 325.

Conventional and geostatistical methods for construction of orebody models. Contouring techniques for mapping bounding surfaces of stratigraphic layers. Coordinate transforms and geometric techniques. Estimation and simulation methods for characterizing ore grade variability. Ore reserve classification, uncertainty assessment, mine selectivity, and grade control. Co-requisites: MATH 209, EAS 210, and MIN E 325.

Conventional and geostatistical methods for construction of orebody models. Contouring techniques for mapping bounding surfaces of stratigraphic layers. Coordinate transforms and geometric techniques. Estimation and simulation methods for characterizing ore grade variability. Ore reserve classification, uncertainty assessment, mine selectivity, and grade control. Co-requisites: MATH 209, EAS 210, and MIN E 325.

Mechanical properties of rock masses, field and laboratory determination; classification and index testing; permeability and flow; stresses around underground openings, elastic prototypes and numerical methods; ground support principles and mechanics of common support systems, loads on supports; hydraulic backfill, earth pressures, consolidation theory and practical consequences in mining; mechanics of subsidence and caving; rockburst mechanics; slope stability, rock mechanics instrumentation. Prerequisite: CIV E 270.

Mechanical properties of rock masses, field and laboratory determination; classification and index testing; permeability and flow; stresses around underground openings, elastic prototypes and numerical methods; ground support principles and mechanics of common support systems, loads on supports; hydraulic backfill, earth pressures, consolidation theory and practical consequences in mining; mechanics of subsidence and caving; rockburst mechanics; slope stability, rock mechanics instrumentation. Prerequisite: CIV E 270.

Mechanical properties of rock masses, field and laboratory determination; classification and index testing; permeability and flow; stresses around underground openings, elastic prototypes and numerical methods; ground support principles and mechanics of common support systems, loads on supports; hydraulic backfill, earth pressures, consolidation theory and practical consequences in mining; mechanics of subsidence and caving; rockburst mechanics; slope stability, rock mechanics instrumentation. Prerequisite: CIV E 270.

Drilling methods, breakage mechanics, performance, and equipment. Explosive characteristics, initiation systems, selection, handling, and loading. Blasting, rock dynamics, design of surface and underground blasts, fragmentation prediction, vibrations and damage control, monitoring. Prerequisite: MIN E 295.

Introduction to mine planning and design using professional software tools. Drillhole databases; drillhole compositing; surfaces and solids; geological and economic block models; open pit mine layout and planning requirements; pit limit optimization; haul road design; pit and waste dump design; long and short-term mine production scheduling; cut-off grade optimization. Prerequisites: MIN E 295, CIV E 265.

Introduction to mine planning and design using professional software tools. Drillhole databases; drillhole compositing; surfaces and solids; geological and economic block models; open pit mine layout and planning requirements; pit limit optimization; haul road design; pit and waste dump design; long and short-term mine production scheduling; cut-off grade optimization. Prerequisites: MIN E 295, CIV E 265.

Introduction to mine planning and design using professional software tools. Drillhole databases; drillhole compositing; surfaces and solids; geological and economic block models; open pit mine layout and planning requirements; pit limit optimization; haul road design; pit and waste dump design; long and short-term mine production scheduling; cut-off grade optimization. Prerequisites: MIN E 295, CIV E 265.

Underground and surface mine transport systems, including truck haulage, free steered vehicles, rail haulage, wire rope hoisting, belt conveying, silo storage, hydraulic pipelining and pneumatic conveying. Auxiliary mining services such as electric power distribution, pumping and compressed air power. Labs include software-based design problems dealing with the materials taught in the classroom. Prerequisites: MIN E 295 and ECE 209.

First phase of a dynamic scenario-based mine feasibility study from exploration through operations to final mine closure plan. Includes preparation of a geological model, calculation of resources, generation of focused technical reports, community consultation and economic reports. Identify and compare conceptual mining methods for consideration in Mine Design Project II (see MIN E 403). Prepare regular team reports and presentations. Present findings during a half-day final industry seminar. Weekly seminars with instructor and industry experts. Corequisites: MIN E 413 and MIN E 414. Note: Restricted to fourth-year traditional and fifth-year co-op engineering students.

Second phase of a dynamic scenario-based mine feasibility study from exploration through operations to final mine closure plan. This course follows MIN E 402 with detailed mine plans and equipment selection, manpower, ventilation, processing, environment and economic analyses. Prepare regular team reports and presentations. Present findings during an industry seminar. Weekly seminars with instructor and industry experts. Prerequisite: MIN E 402. Note: Restricted to fourth-year traditional and fifth-year co-op engineering students.

Principles and practices of underground total air conditioning. Control of quantity, quality, and temperature-humidity of the underground mines. Design and analyses of mine ventilation networks. Theory and applications of fans to mine ventilation systems. Ventilation planning and overall system design. Prerequisites: MIN E 414 and one of CIV E 330 or CH E 312. Corequisite: MIN E 422.

Fundamentals of economic evaluation. Cost estimation, commodity price modelling and revenue forecasts and taxation related to mine development. Economic evaluation of mining ventures, profitability, risks and uncertainty analyses. Commodity markets and mine management strategies. Weekly laboratory/tutorial sessions will address case studies and specific problems. Prerequisites: ENG M 310 or 401, and STAT 235.

Principles and application of surface mining methods (mechanical, aqueous, and continuous surface mining methods). Production and productivity considering the generation of mine specific landform structures. Loading and hauling systems. Water drainage systems. Haul road design and maintenance. Waste dump and tailings facility design and management. Closure and reclamation. Prerequisites: MIN E 310, 330, 323, and 325.

Methods and applications in underground excavation and tools to select equipment for underground drilling and loading processes. Methodology to examine shape, size and orientation effects, as well as support requirements, in the design of underground mine opening. Methods include room-and-pillar, sublevel stoping and caving, vertical crater retreat, block caving, selective methods for vein mines, and underground coal mining systems. Labs include software-based design problems dealing with underground mining methods selection, visualization and optimization. Prerequisites: MIN E 323, MIN E 324 and MIN E 325 or consent of Instructor.

Introduction to the principles of equipment selection and maintenance practice. Selected issues of machine and component longevity, wear, service and performance for both surface and underground equipment. Basic principles of maintenance management are introduced. Prerequisites: CIV E 270, MIN E 413 and MIN E 414.

Environmental impact of mining projects and activities. Topics include: environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes, sustainable development, mine closure, reclamation planning, social responsibility of mining, regulations, guidelines, surface subsidence, tailings disposal, erosion and acid rock drainage. Corequisite: MIN E 413.

Research studies and/or projects dealing with selected metal, nonmetal and coal mining subjects. Suitable subjects are chosen in consultation with a mining engineering faculty member. Typical study categories are reserve evaluation, surface and underground mining methods and operations, mine planning, computer simulation of mining operations, mineral processing, ventilation, regulations, mine safety, feasibility studies, economics and management. Prerequisite: consent of Instructor

Principles and fundamental subjects in Mining Engineering at the advanced level: definition of the terms used in mining, particularly those that are specific to either mines or minerals. Definition of mineral resource, reserve, and stages of mining based on applicable standards. Classification of mining methods, mining process, and selection of mining equipment. Waste dump design and management.

Geostatistical methods are presented for characterizing the spatial distribution of regionalized variables. The theory of random variables and multivariate spatial distributions is developed. This class focuses on the quantification of spatial variability with variograms, estimation with kriging, and simulation with Gaussian techniques.

Cell based methods for geology modeling, including indicator formalism for categorical data and truncated Gaussian simulation. Object based and process-based approaches for fluvial reservoirs. Indicators for continuous variable estimation and simulation. Multivariate geostatistics including models of coregionalization, cokriging, Gaussian cosimulation, Markov-Bayes simulation and multivariate data transformation approaches. Introduction to advanced simulation approaches including direct simulation, simulated annealing and multiple point simulation. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

Advanced methods for the modeling of heterogeneity, quantification of uncertainty and management of risk. The theory and place of historical and advanced methods in geostatistics. Matrix methods, alternative variogram measures, kriging with a trend, dual kriging, spectral simulation, direct simulation and multiple point statistics.

Public domain and commercial software are reviewed for geostatistical modeling. Special projects in petroleum, mining, environmental and other areas will be undertaken.

Properties of intact rocks and testing methods. Properties of rock masses and rock mass classifications. Rock and rock mass strength criteria. Stresses in rock masses. Analysis of rock mass performance, rock support and stabilization. Empirical, analytical and numerical analysis techniques. Surface and underground rock engineering case studies Prerequisite: Consent of Instructor.

A study of selected surface and underground mining equipment designs, enhancements and appropriateness for operation within given mining conditions. Strategies for machine dynamic performance benchmarking and evaluation, as tools for planning, maintenance and operations scheduling are considered for good and poor operating environments. Prerequisite: consent of Instructor.

This course covers underground mining methods and associated bulk materials handling methods. Sublevel stoping, vertical crater retreat mining, raise mining, room-and-pillar mining (hard and soft rock), longwall and shortwall mining, sublevel caving, block caving, cut-and-fill stoping, and shrinkage stoping. Bulk materials handling methods, silos, belt conveyors, slurry transport, mine hoisting, and underground trucks. Prerequisites: Consent of Instructor.

Surface mining methods, mechanics of surface mine layouts design, haul roads design, waste dump design, theory of Lerchs-Grossman's, floating cone, conditional simulation, neural network and heuristic algorithms for surface mine optimization. Large scale applications of these algorithms for designing and optimizing surface mine layouts and subsequent advance mining systems design. Students undertake design projects under Instructor's direction. Prerequisites: MIN E 413 or consent of Instructor.

Surface and underground mining equipment engineering and management approaches are investigated. Use of the observational method to equipment management is introduced. Theory and application of planning, operations and maintenance strategies will be discussed with appropriate case studies. Students undertake retrofit and/or hybrid design assignments for selected equipment operational issues. Prerequisite: MIN E 520, MIN E 622 or consent of Instructor.

Fundamentals of discrete-event simulation modelling and its industrial applications. Theoretical and statistical aspects of simulation, including input analysis, random number generation, experimental design, and variance reduction techniques. Arena Simulation Environment used for explaining simulation concepts.

Special studies of developments of current interest within the mining industry in exploration, mining methods, mine planning, mine simulation, environment, regulations, economics and management; e.g. tar sands mining, ocean mining, in situ gasification.

The course integrates theory and applications by means of undertaking a design project using mine planning software. Emphasis is placed on pit limit optimization, strategic mine planning, short-term planning, and open pit mine design. Prerequisites: MIN E 631 or consent of the Instructor.

The course integrates theory and applications by means of undertaking a real-world simulation project using discrete event simulation software. Emphasis is placed on transporters, customization of simulation using VBA, pseudo agent-based modeling, simulation based optimization, verification and validation techniques, and experimental design. Prerequisite MIN E 641 or consent of the instructor.

Readings and discussion of selected topics in mining engineering.

An engineering project for students registered in a Masters of Engineering program.

An engineering project for students registered in a Masters of Engineering program.

An engineering project for students registered in a Masters of Engineering program.

An engineering project for students registered in the joint MBA/MEng program.

An engineering project for students registered in the joint MBA/MEng program.

An engineering project for students registered in the joint MBA/MEng program.