MINING ENGINEERING

Rick Honaker

Chair and Professor

Department of Mining Engineering

230 Mining & Mineral Resources Bldg

Phone: 257-8026; e-mail: rhonaker@engr.uky.edu

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.

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NATIONAL ENGINEER’S WORKFORCE STATISTICS

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)

Level GPAMath, Chem.

& Physics GPA

Amount per Semester

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

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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

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.

TYPICAL JOB TASKS

MINING ENGINEER

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.

TYPICAL JOB TASKS

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 MiningContinuous miner cutting and loading coal

Roof bolter installing roof bolts for roof support

Shuttle carbeing loaded

Shuttle cardischargingload

Conveyor belt

Feeder/breaker

Application in flat lying deposits.

Coal, aggregates and minerals extracted using this technique.

Extraction achieved by either:1. Drilling & Blasting or2. Continuous 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

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.

TYPICAL JOB TASKS

In-SituRock Breakage

SecondaryCrushing

PrimaryCrusher

Solid-SolidSeparation

Classification

Grinding

Classification

Solid-LiquidSeparation

Solid-LiquidSeparation

CopperConcentrate(25% Cu)1.5 tons/hr

Tailings(0.14% Cu)

Run-of-MineCopper Ore

(0.50%)100 tons/hr

98.5 tons/hr

Typical Mineral Processing Flow Sheet

Coal Preparation Flow Sheet

DeslimeScreens

Heavy Media

Cyclone

BasketCentrifug

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Heavy Media Vessel

Dewatering

ScreensRaw Screens

Coal Spirals Screen-BowlCentrifuges

ClassifyingCyclones

Sm

all

Solid-Solid Solid-Liquid

Size-SizeC

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Ult

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Froth Flotation

Disc Filter

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER

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.

TYPICAL JOB TASKS

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.