TOTAL EXAMINATION PROGRAM
PEO Syllabus of Examinations, 2018 Edition
MINING AND MINERAL PROCESSING ENGINEERING
PROFESSIONAL EXAMS – SPECIFIC TO MINING AND MINERAL PROCESSING ENGINEERING
GROUP A
18-MMP-A1 General Geology and Exploration
Mineralogy, determination and identification of minerals, with emphasis on ore minerals, Structures and forms of orebodies; processes for the formation of ores; classification of ores; definition of reserves and resources Petrology. Structural geology. Internal and external geologic processes. Structure and strategy of exploration programmes, exploration geochemistry, devising drilling/trenching programmes, surveying techniques and remote sensing.
18-MMP-A2 Underground Mining Methods and Design
Description and usage of the following underground mining methods: room and pillar, long-hole, longwall, open stoping, shrinkage, cut and fill sub-level stoping, timbered stoping, top slicing, underhand and overhand stoping, block caving, sublevel caving, and vertical crater retreat. Requirements for development and services including: shafts, hoists, ramp and multi-level access design. Design of pumping, ventilation, compressed air and power facilities. Underground design including: stope development, haulage systems, backfill, equipment selection, and scheduling of development and operations. Capital and operating cost estimation associated with underground mining activities.
18-MMP-A3 Mineral Processing
Material balances. Measures of efficiency of mineral separations. Sampling systems and sampling errors, use of Gy's equation. Particle size measurement and presentation of results. Mineral liberation by crushing, grinding, screening, and classification. Mineral concentration using gravity, dense medium, magnetic and high-tension separators. Froth flotation and flotation circuits. Use of reagents — collectors, frothers, depressants, and activators. Dewatering techniques — thickening, filtering, drying, flocculants, and filter aids. Flowsheet analysis emphasizing Canadian mineral processing plants.
18-MMP-A4 Mine Valuation and Mineral Resource Estimation
Aspects of geological conditions and control relating to mineral resource estimation. Principles of mineral resource estimation using conventional and geostatistical methods. Aspects of mine valuation - assessment of market conditions, capital and operating cost estimation, estimation of revenue including smelter contracts, taxation, cash flow, sensitivity and risk analyses, and economic optimisation of mine development and extraction variables including cut-off grade, installed capacity utilisation and sequencing.
18-MMP-A5 Surface Mining Methods and Design
Cyclic and continuous surface mining methods including strip mining, open pit mining, (dragline, bucketwheel excavators, truck and shovel and dozer methods), hydraulic mining and dredging. Design criteria for surface mines including scheduling, material removal and capacity-rated equipment-sizing, availability and utilization calculations, slope design, stripping ratio, materials handling, pit ramp and waste dump design, pit dewatering and land reclamation. Capital and operating cost estimation associated with surface mining activities.
18-MMP-A6 Mining and the Environment
Overall understanding of environmental practices in mining including; waste rock and tailings disposal systems; prediction/prevention/treatment/control of acid rock drainage; control of dust/noise/gaseous emissions; environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes; environmental effects monitoring (surface water and groundwater); reclamation and decommissioning; government regulations relating to environmental protection in design/operation/closure of mines; sustainable development principles and application to mining; risk assessment and management principles with respect to the environment.
GROUP B
18-MMP-B1 Applied Rock Mechanics
In situ and laboratory determination of rock properties. Subsurface investigations, structural surveys and rock mass classification systems. In situ stress determination in rock masses. Evaluation of stress fields around mine openings using analytical, empirical and numerical methods. Underground rock support systems. Mine subsidence. Hydraulic backfill, earth pressures, consolidation theory and practical consequences in mining. Field instrumentation, monitoring and control techniques, including seismic events, groundwater.
Principles and technologies of cutting, drilling, boring, and blasting, including vibration and shock effects. Explosives, including properties and classification, selection of chemical explosives and explosive mixtures, regulations and approved procedures for handling, storing, loading, and detonating. Blasting design, including detonators, delay systems, control blasting methods. Vibrations monitoring and blasting methods for vibrations control.
18-MMP-B3 Material Handling
Classification of materials handling systems. Mining systems. Equipment selection criteria. Earthmoving fundamentals. Loading and haulage equipment. Belt conveyors. Rail haulage. Mine hoisting systems. Slurry transport. Technical and economic considerations.
18-MMP-B4 Occupational Health, Safety and Loss Management
Control and detection of hazards in surface and underground mines: rock falls, slope failures, radiation, heat, noise, dust and gas. Ventilation requirements for underground mines, air flow through mine openings, air quality and control. Workplace health and safety. Industrial hygiene in mining environment. Risk analysis, risk management, loss prevention and control.
18-MMP-B5 Mill Design and Operations
Mineral processing flowsheet synthesis and circuit design. Material and energy balances. Selection and sizing of mineral processing equipment: comminution, classification, gravity, magnetic and electrostatic separations, froth flotation, dewatering, solids and slurry storage and transport. Sampling, data logging, process modelling and simulation of mineral process plants. Capital and operating cost estimations. Economic analysis.
18-MMP-B6 Mill Process Control
Basic process control and analysis: PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) loops, feedback, feed forward, cascade, interacting control systems, data acquisition, control loop monitoring and control network technology (fieldbus, wireless, security). Controller settings — analytical and loop-tuning techniques. Computer control: modelling, adaptive, and supervisory. On-stream analysis and sampling for control; strategies for control of crushing, grinding, flotation, and dewatering circuits. Instrumentation for bin and sump level sensing, solids and slurry flow rates, pulp density, power draw, reagent addition, pH measurement. Alarm and interlock systems, sequencing problems. Benefits and justification of automatic control.
18-MMP-B7 Extractive Metallurgy (16-Chem-B7 Extractive Metallurgy)
Thermodynamics of pyro- and hydro-metallurgical extraction processes. Kinetics of extraction processes. Materials preparation in the metallurgical industry. Slag and mattes. Pyrometallurgical processes including calcining, roasting, and smelting. Hydrometallurgical processes, including leaching (autoclave, agitation, and heap), purification and concentration via ion exchange, and solvent extraction, metal recovery via electrowinning, electrolysis or precipitation. Refining processes. Flowsheet studies.
18-MMP-B8 Mine Management and Systems Analysis
Mine organization and mine management. Budgeting and management accounting. Industrial engineering — work design and scheduling, work study and sampling, development of standard practices. Organizational structure of business in the mining industry. Contracting procedures. Labour/management relations. Operations Research methods — control networks (CPM, PERT), linear and nonlinear programming and simulation techniques. Experimental design. ISO 9000/14000 standard series.
18-MMP-B9 Rock Slope Engineering
Geologic investigations and field and laboratory testing. Detailed review of the mechanisms of rock slope instability. Evaluation of the influence of geology, groundwater and blasting on rock slope stability. Design of stable rock slopes. Dewatering methods for rock slopes. Field instrumentation and monitoring of rock slope behaviour. Stabilization of rock slope failures. Design criteria.
COMPLEMENTARY STUDIES
11-CS-1 Engineering Economics
Basic concepts of engineering economics through understanding of the theoretical and conceptual financial project analysis. Types and applications of engineering economic decisions. Capital, cash flow, and the time value of money concepts. Nominal and effective interest rates when considering loans, mortgages, and bonds. The application of present worth analysis, annual equivalent analysis and rate of return analysis in evaluating independent projects, comparing mutually exclusive projects, analyzing lease vs. buy alternatives and making decisions. After-tax financial analysis requiring an understanding of capital cost allowance (depreciation) and corporate income tax. Understanding methods of financing and capital budgeting. Break-even, sensitivity and risk analyses.
11-CS-2 Engineering in Society – Health and Safety
The duties and legal responsibilities for which engineers are accountable; safety laws and regulations; and a basic knowledge of potential hazards and their control: biological hazards – bacteria, viruses; chemical hazards - gases, liquids and dusts; fire and explosion hazards; physical hazards – noise, radiation, temperature extremes; safety hazards – equipment operation; workplace conditions - equity standards, human behaviour, capabilities, and limitations; managing safety and health through risk management, safety analyses, and safety plans and programs; practices and procedures to improve safety. The roles and social responsibilities of an engineer from a professional ethics point of view, as applied in the context of Canadian values. The integration of ethics into engineering practice, and its effect on public safety and trust.
11-CS-3 Sustainability, Engineering and the Environment
Basic knowledge of soil, water and air quality engineering: soil and water interaction, water supply issues, human activities and their interaction on soil, air and water resources. Fundamentals of: soil erosion, water quality, atmospheric pollution (carbon and nitrogen cycle), climate change, risk assessment. Basic knowledge of renewable energy sources: solar, photovoltaic, wireless electricity, thermal, wind, geothermal, and biofuels. Introduction to renewable materials engineering; nano materials, new material cycles. Eco-product development, and product life cycle assessment; recycling technologies; reuse of products; design for disassembly, recycling, e-waste, and reverse manufacturing. Consumption patterns; transportation; environmental communication; consumer awareness. Optimized energy and resources management. Sustainable methods: sustainability indicators; life cycle assessment; regulatory aspects of environmental management, ecological planning.
11-CS-4 Engineering Management
Introduction to management principles and their impact upon social and economic aspects of engineering practice. Engineering management knowledge topics including: market research, assessment and forecasting; strategic planning; risk and change management; product, service and process development; engineering projects and process management; financial resource management; marketing, sales and communications management; leadership and organizational management; professional responsibility. New paradigms and innovative business models, including: sustainable production, products, service systems and consumption; best practices and practical examples of successful implementations of sustainable scientific and engineering solutions.