Challenges of comtemporary mining engineering education: Part 2 — Mine planning

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Kwame

In my last post, I started a discussion on the challenges of contemporary mining engineering education. My post was inspired by an article in Mining Engineering Vol. 64, No. 10, pp. 27-35 (October 2012), written by Professors H. Sevim and … Continue reading →

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Challenges of contemporary mining engineering education: Part 1 — General issues

Posted on November 10, 2012 by Kwame
A miner's education is crucial in many ways. Here a new miner gets mentoring from an experienced miner.

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I recently read an article by Professors H. Sevim and R. Honaker on “Review of the evolution of mining engineering curriculum in the US”, Mining Engineering Vol. 64, No. 10, pp. 27-35 (October 2012). I immediately knew I wanted to … Continue reading →

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MINExpo 2012

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Kwame
At the entrance to the Las Vegas Convention Center, I was quickly reminded how big the exhibits are at MINExpo.

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This year’s MINExpo International exhibition started yesterday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It is expected that 43,000+ exhibitors and attendees will walk through the doors of the Exhibition in the 3 days. It goes without saying that a lot … Continue reading →

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Free OEM training courses: How free are they?

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Kwame

I have attended my share of “free” training courses offered by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and/or their vendors. Most of them have been very good. But the one that stands out the most was the training portion of Caterpillar’s Quarry … Continue reading →

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NPV, IRR and strategic mine plans: The relationship between mineral economics and mine planning

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Kwame

Most mining engineers recognize the connection between mineral economics and mine planning, especially medium- to long-range (strategic) mine planning. However, my experience is that most mine planning engineers are more competent in the engineering aspects of design and planning than … Continue reading →

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Assessing uncertainty: What is the most important variable?

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Kwame
If your output depends on the roll of a die, then your input uncertainty is known (1 in 6 chance of getting each outcome). The question is how sensitive is your output to the outcome of the experiment...i.e. how much money will you lose.

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Many mine engineering analyses involve uncertainty due to variability in input variables. Simple methods can be effective in some cases but can be limiting in others. Regardless of what approach one takes it is important to focus such analyses on … Continue reading →

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The mine & its local community: Aiming for a sustainable relationship

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Kwame
Many historic mining districts, like the one shown here, still benefit from tourism generated by the mining activity. Sustainable mine closure should take into account economic activity long after the mining is complete.

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A mine and its local community are inextricably linked. The two will thrive together or fail together but rarely will one thrive without the other for any length of time. Yet, mine planning engineers and mine managers often do not … Continue reading →

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