MINING ENGINEERING

Rick Honaker
Chair and Professor

Department of Mining Engineering

230 Mining & Mineral Resources Bldg
Phone: 257-8026; e-mail: [email protected]
 OPPORTUNITIES
 Demand far exceeds
supply for entry-level
Mining Engineers

 Many are unfamiliar

with the mining
industry and its career
opportunities

 Scholarship
opportunities
 Graduate Mining Engineering Trend
 The upsurge in mining
engineering graduates in
the late 1970’s was due to
the energy crisis.
 Downward turn was a
correction in the supply vs.
demand relationship and
low coal and mineral
prices.
 Recent market conditions
and future projections
indicate an increase in
mineral and coal demand.
 Currently graduating about
140 per year in the U.S..
 Study found that 300 new
graduates per year will be
needed over the next 10
years.
 Mining Engineer Graduate Demand
(5% Growth Scenario)

 52% of the mining engineers in the U.S. are over 50 years of age.
 Based on a retirement age of 65, approximately 300 new mining
engineering graduates will be needed over the next 10 years to
meet the demand.
 Career & Salary Growth Potential
‘Show me the money!’
 Due to the retirement rate
and the growth in the
minerals industry, career
growth is accelerated.
 Potential to achieve upper
level management position
in less than 10 years.
 Salaries are 2005 data.
 Current 2007 starting
salaries are in the $55,000
- $60,000 range.
NATIONAL ENGINEER’S WORKFORCE
STATISTICS

90000
80000
70000
60000
50000 Median
annual
40000
income ($)
30000
20000
10000
0
Petroleum

Nuclear
Chemical
Civil

Manu.
Ar.
Mining

Software
 Academic Faculty Opportunities

 13 Mining
Engineering
programs in the
U.S..
 69 tenured or
tenure track faculty.
 24% will retire in
the next five years.
 Near half will retire
in the next 10
years.
 Undergraduate Mining Engineering
Scholarships (> 69 credits complete)
Math, Chem.
Amount per
Level GPA & Physics
Semester
GPA
I 3.60 – 4.00 3.20 – 4.00 $3800
II 3.30 – 3.59 3.00 – 3.19 $3400
III 3.00 – 3.29 2.50 – 2.99 $3000
IV 2.70 – 2.99 2.25 – 2.49 $2300
V 2.50 – 2.69 2.25 – 2.49 $1400
 UK Undergraduate Mining
Engineering Enrollment
120
UK Undergraduate Enrollment

101
100
88
80
67
60 52
51

40

20

0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Year
 IMPORTANCE OF
MINING INDUSTRY--
Just about
everything!

 All other industries depend on

mining and agriculture
 Nearly all energy sources are
obtained via mining
Can you name something
you are wearing or
something that you have
used today that came from
the mining industry?
 About 40,000 pounds of new mineral
materials are now required annually for each
U.S. Citizen
MATERIAL LBS MATERIAL LBS
Stone 8,260 Copper 32
Sand & Gravel 7,110 Lead 15
Cement 690 Zinc 12
Clays 470 Other metals 32
Salt 420 Petroleum 8,100
Other nonmetals 1,470 Coal 5,590
Iron & steel 1,190 Gas 4,205
Aluminum 55 Uranium 0.1
Coal Growth in Electric Generation
New Coal-Based Power
Generation Units
Promising Global Coal Outlook
WHAT DOES A MINING
ENGINEER DO?
 Responsible for the safe, economical, and environmentally sound
operation of mines.

 Find, extract, and prepare coal, metals, and minerals for use by
manufacturing industries and utilities.

 Design open pit and underground mines, supervise the

construction of mine shafts and tunnels in underground operations,
and devise methods for transporting minerals to processing plants.

 Some develop new mining equipment or direct mineral processing

operations to separate minerals from the dirt, rock, and other
materials with which they are mixed.
 VARIOUS SPECIALTY AREAS

• Ground control and excavation design

• Ventilation systems design
• Mineral processing
• Geological modeling and reserve analysis
• Power system design
• Material handling system design
• Economic feasibility
• Operations and corporate management
• Others
GEOLOGICAL ENGINEER
TYPICAL JOB TASKS
1. Direct drilling programs &
apply geological
interpretations.
2. Make computerized maps.
3. Applying geological
knowledge to directing
mining, processing and
research groups.
4. Work environment variety:
hiking surface, climbing
underground, corporate
office presentation.
MINING ENGINEER
TYPICAL JOB TASKS
1. Determine of best mining
practice.
2. Minimize ground disturbance.
3. Survey operations to
determine production levels.
4. Design explosive and blasting
operations.
5. Develop optimum materials
handling systems.
6. Evaluate operational
efficiency.
7. Develop ventilation & safety
engineering strategies.
 Longwall Mining
 Underground mining
method used in flat lying
deposits and mostly in coal.
 Mines the coal in large
blocks of approximately
10000 feet by 1000 feet.
 Shields (shown in picture)
run across the 1000 foot
face and support the roof
while a shearer removes
the coal from the face.
 As the shields move
forward, roof caves in
behind.
 Room-and-Pillar Mining
Roof bolter installing
Continuous miner roof bolts for roof
 Application in cutting and loading support
flat lying coal
deposits.
 Coal, Shuttle car
being
aggregates and loaded
minerals
extracted using
this technique.
 Extraction
achieved by
either: Shuttle car
Feeder/breaker
1. Drilling & discharging
load
Blasting or
2. Continuous Conveyor
belt
Miner.
 Sublevel Caving
 Underground mining
technique for fairly
steep deposits
(>60o).
 Weak to strong ore
and rock.
 Typically used for
sulfide ores or
precious metals.
 Mining is performed
downwards from the
top of the ore body.
Mineral Processing Engineer
TYPICAL JOB TASKS
1. Design the processes &
flow sheet needed to
produce a valuable
material.
2. Develop & direct the
processes that separate
minerals from other
minerals.
3. Optimize processing
operations to ensure
maximum profitability.
4. Produce a product that can
be transported.
5. Apply processing to reduce
environmental impacts.
 In-Situ Run-of-Mine
Rock Breakage Copper Ore
(0.50%)
100 tons/hr
Primary
Crusher
Typical Mineral
Secondary
Crushing Processing Flow
Sheet
Classification

Grinding

Classification

Solid-Solid Solid-Liquid Tailings

Separation Separation (0.14% Cu)
98.5 tons/hr

Solid-Liquid
Separation
Copper
Concentrate
(25% Cu)
1.5 tons/hr
Coal Preparation Flow Sheet
Size-Size Solid-Solid Solid-Liquid
Heavy
Dewatering
Coarse
Media
Screens
Raw Vessel
Screens

Basket
Small

Heavy Centrifuge
Deslime Media
Screens Cyclone

Coal Spirals Screen-Bowl

Centrifuges
Fine

Classifying
Cyclones
Ultrafine

Disc Filter

Froth
Flotation
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER
TYPICAL JOB TASKS
1. Ensures that the company is
aware of all laws.
2. Designs environmental
systems to protect against
mishaps that could endanger
people and surroundings.
3. Monitors air and groundwater.
4. Develops permits for additional
mining and reclamation areas.
5. Directs the reclamation
program.
6. Works with public to address
environmental issues of
mining.
 CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
• Mining has always been among the top
paying fields in engineering

• Fast career track relative to other fields in

engineering

• “Boeing assigns 100 engineers to design a

$100,000,000 jet. AMAX assigns 3 mining
engineers in their 20’s to design a
$100,000,000 coal mine.”
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES (CONT.)
• Fast track from mining engineering
to executive positions.

• Rural and international living

opportunities. Crushed stone mined
everywhere.

• Overall employment in the industry

will decline, but not technical
employment.
 OUR DEPARTMENT
• Approximately 105 undergraduates,
18 graduates, 3 post-docs, 8 faculty
• 25,259 square feet of space and $1.6
million equipment for teaching.
• 60,000 square feet research facility
and $7 million advanced research
equipment.
• Low student to faculty ratio…We get
to know you all.
 OUR DEPARTMENT (CONT.)
• Traditional curriculum with opportunities
to specialize in mineral processing,
power systems, ventilation, geostatistics,
system engineering, and other areas.
• Summer and co-op employment
opportunities are plentiful. Nearly all of
our graduates leave with considerable
work experience.
• Student Chapter of SME ranked among
top 2 nationally for each of the last 5
years.