Mining Engineering Dept.

This course deals with the application of programming and software as tools in the advancement of mining engineering for better exploration, exploitation and processing of mineral endowments. It is designed primarily for mining engineering students to keep them abreast of the applications of programming and software packages in mining engineering. It involves a review of all applicable mining computer programs and softwares such as Split Destop, ArcGIS, SuperMinex 5, MapInfo, Illwis Academic, Sufer, BRUNO, JKSmiMet, JKSimfloat and USIMPAC. This course will also cover projects in software development for relevant areas of the mining operations. The case studies of any existing or developed software will be examined in the area of computer simulation of mining and processing operations. Also, the results gotten from the case studies will be cross validated with other or pre-existing systems before the advent of the computer software. The course is an elective course for the 500L student and it will emphasize the importance of the use of programs and software in Mineral Fragmentation, GIS, Mineral Processing, Surveying, Mineral Economics and Mine Design.

Production of mineral resources has been one of the key sectors that play a great role in enhancing economic development in both the developed and developing countries of the world. However, the great danger caused from the production of mineral resources to the health and safety of both the owners and workers deserve urgent attention of all the stakeholders in the mining sector and its related field. Emphasis should be shifted from the profit making alone from mineral resources production to the hazard and risks minimization. This course is designed primarily for the students in mining engineering disciplines and related fields. A lot of topics and sub-topics will be covered in this course that will ensure and equip students with adequate training on health and safety. Some of the topics include the importance of mine health and safety to mining industry; health and safety and their controls in surface and underground mines operation; safety in mineral processing plant; safety regulation in the handling of blasting accessories; health and safety in offshore industry; general safety rules and regulations in mining industries and industrial visit to quarries and other mining industries for health and safety assessment.

Design of surface mine excavation. Determination of bench parameters. Calculation of the width of working platform of the bench. Determination of the optimum depth of a surface mine. Selection of mine equipment and machinery. This includes draglines, loaders, power shovels, drilling rigs, jack hammer, compressor, conveyor belt e.t.c Feasibility study of a proposed quarry. Design of a surface mine using an existing data. Software application to surface mine design in planning and organization using various software packages in the laboratory. Slope design in surface mines to ensure safe operation. Practical exercise.

The course is essential for students of Mining Engineering in acquainting themselves with the fundamental of the origin, occurrences, accumulation, exploration and production of petroleum resources of the world. It is also designed to expose the students to the latest technologies adopted in petroleum production in the upstream sector. Topics to be covered are: introduction to hydrocarbon reservoir; composition of petroleum; state of petroleum; origin; migration and accumulation of oil and gas; types of traps; the Niger delta traps; petroleum reservoirs; gas-reservoirs; gas-condensate reservoirs; oil reservoirs under various drive mechanisms; material balance applied to oil reservoirs; fluid flow in reservoirs; oil well drilling; completion and workover; christmas-tree, pressure build-up survey; well flow measurement and monitoring; monitoring and measuring devices; reservoir and well simulation.

Mine valuation and it concepts. Methods of sampling. Ore reserve calculation and statistical analysis applied to the valuation of ore deposits, Method of financial appraisal and valuation criteria for project selection. Leases, royalty and taxation: Interest rate, calculation of depreciation, depletion and increasing costs. Estimation of future cost and profits. Feasibility studies in mining and mineral projects. Evaluation of turn-around-maintenance of mineral facilities.

This course deals mainly with materials handling and other auxiliary operations in mineral processing. It covers such pre-concentration operations as run-off-mine handling, bulk material movement, stacking, blending, reclamation including all intra-plant and post-concentration operations like slurry pumping, concentrates storage, dewatering, tailings disposal, material recycling, metallurgical accounting in process plants, and other relevant operations. Review of recovery and refining flowsheets for some metals as well as environmental considerations in metallic ore processing and tailing disposal are also of primary concern in this course.

Each student in the final year of the Mining Engineering Programme selects an appropriate topic in any area of surface mining and develops this for presentation as seminar. The students are expected to commence their research and submit a suitable technical report before the end of the semester.

Artisanal and Small-scale mining (ASM) are important part of Nigerian Mining Sector which has the potential to raise internal revenue in addition to foreign exchange, create employment and reduce poverty and encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) if is well managed. ASM in Nigeria is undeveloped and has been long neglected due to over dependence on oil. Over 90% of mining activities in Nigeria are ASM of which 75% are carried out illegally. The sector is unguided and unregulated.The policies in place are inadequate and the miners are untrained. This makes ASM to adopt poor quality operational techniques that causes environmental disaster and losses of substantial revenue to the country through exports as well as royalties and taxes. A lot of topics and sub-topics that will make students self-employed will be covered in this course.Some of the topics include the principle guiding the operation of ASM, mining and processing some selected minerals for the benefit of mankind, market opportunities for the minerals, challenges of ASM in Nigeria and so on

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This course is a visionary tool designed to draw students’ attend to the relationships between scientific and technological knowledge, national policy and policy implementation and the eventual development of a nation as measured by its production capacity, resource management and improved living standards.

 This course is an introductory and practical course to the study of mine surveying. It is designed primarily for mining engineering students to replicate surveying operations both on surface and in underground mines. This course is about transferring surveying measurements from the surface to the underground environment, processing this observations using mathematical concepts, presenting the data in desired formats and using the results for the planning and design of surface and underground mining layouts. Topics to be covered include introduction to mine surveying, correlation of surface and underground surveys, typical mining surveys (Levelling, Theodolites, Total Station/GPS surveys), typical mining surveys (Linear measurements), three-dimensional calculations and setting out surveys, application of photogrammetry and remote sensing in mining and geographic information system, GIS (its application in mineral industry). The practical work is compulsory and it will cover typical mine surveying exercises. Students will be required to carry out surveying observations (both on the surface and in the underground), process the data to design an underground mine layout. Presentation of surveying results is by means of a project report.

This course is very vital for students of Mining Engineering in acquainting themselves with the basic knowledge of the various mine machinery and equipment that exploit the vast mineral resources of the world both in underground and in surface mines. It is also designed to expose the students to the latest techniques in the mining industry with respect to machinery, equipment and facilities both in surface and underground excavations. Furthermore, at the end of the course, the students are expected to master the component parts of this machinery, their operations and also, their maintenance procedures. Topics to be covered include essential features of a machine: gears, shaft bearings, couplings etc. Construction and application of wire rope used in mine machinery. Care of ropes. Lubricants for mine machinery. Surface mine machinery: Power shovels, front-end-loaders, dragline, hydraulic excavators, bucket wheel excavators, bucket change excavators, rippers, scrapers and bulldozers. Underground mine machinery: Loaders -gathering arm loaders, bucket type loaders, front-end-loaders, and load-and slushier hoist. Transports: Haulage trucks, locomotives – battery, trolley wire and diesel conveyor belts.

Design and construction of shafts, winze and raise. Phases of shaft construction. Different methods of shaft sinking such as bench method and Jora lift method. Detailed shaft site investigation in order to optimised construction cost and time to ensure safety. Detail discussion on hoisting machines, tunnel, drifts and adit design and constructions. Various methods of tunnelling in underground mines using tunnelling machines and explosives. Drilling and blasting parameters in shaft sinking and tunnelling. Design of powered supports arch and nut and bolt supports. Design of ventilation systems in underground mines. Selection of the best methods of mining during the design of underground mines. Application of software packages to underground mine design

Role of mineral industries in national development with emphasis on developing countries, especially Nigeria, Peculiar characteristics of the minerals industries. Variation in ore grade, non-renewable asset, increases in funding with increase in depth, wealth conservation. Global production and consumption patterns of major mineral commodities. Structures of established mineral market supply and demand; mineral pricing. Projecting and forecasting methods; Marketing research. Mine-legislation’s and mineral Industry: public and mineral act, mineral disposal systems, mineral taxation policy, conservation and preservation of the environment, etc. International bodies related to mineral industries like OPRC, ITC: their relevance to national development. International politics and the mineral industries especially its impact on the developing nations.

This course is an introductory and practical course to the study of operations research application in mining projects. It is designed primarily for mining engineering students to replicate what is happening in the mining industry in classroom so as to be able to apply the knowledge and skills gained during and after course of study to real life situations they might face in the industry. It involves demonstration of principles and techniques of operations research using real life projects. Topics to be covered include operation research and model formulation, solution of the operation research model, phases of an operation research study, techniques of operation research or operations research solution tools such as Linear Programming (LP) (Two phase (two variables) LP, Three phase (three variables) LP); Transportation models, Network models, Queuing systems (models) etc.

This course is designed primarily for the students in mining engineering disciplines. However, it also meets the need of students in other fields, as a course that provides knowledge on how to control various environmental problems in mining and other industrial organization. Topics to be covered include Environmental pollution, Impact of mining on the environment, Environmental management, Mine gases, Mine effluent (wastewater) and treatment, Mine closure and reclamation.

Each student in the final year of the Mining Engineering Programme selects an appropriate topic in any area of surface mining and develops this for presentation as seminar. The students are expected to present their seminar report and the mode of presentation shall be in Microsoft PowerPoint. Results of any programme written, drawings, charts and tables shall be imported to the PowerPoint document. The seminar shall be held in the second week after the mid-semester break and shall be assessed by lecturers.

This course is designed primarily for the students in mining engineering disciplines. However, it also meets the need of students in other fields, as a course that provides knowledge on how to manage mining enterprises with related laws. Topics to be covered include basic concept of management; functions and responsibilities of manager under planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling; different forms of business organizations, wage systems and industrial relations; project development, planning and execution; project appraisal and feasibility studies; project financing and product marketing strategies; budgeting and financial statements analysis; material procurement methods, contracts initiation, execution and management; Nigerian mining laws, Acts and Regulation.