The broad - based nature of the Mineral Resources Engineering programmes gives graduates wide choice of employment and career opportunities in Nigeria's rapidly expanding mineral and related factories, water resources, environmental control agencies, development banks, related government ministries, teaching and research, etc.
Training and Re-training of lecturers and Instructors
Nigeria does not have a strong mining culture. That is why there was virtually no university offering higher degrees in mining until very recently when Federal University of Technology started running higher degrees in mining engineering.
As Nigeria begins to pay greater attention to the solid minerals sector, it will be necessary to further expose mining lecturers and instructors to new developments in solid mineral exploitation. This can be done by granting scholarships to mining engineering lecturers and instructors to undertake further studies or to be attached to mining companies in countries with strong mining culture.
LINKAGES
The Department has strong links with professional bodies such as:
i. Nigerian Society of Mining Engineering (NSME)
ii. Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS)
iii. Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE)
ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT
A Head of Department administers the Department. The Head of Department is in charge of both the administrative and academic programmes of the department. The Department has sections headed by sector academic staff of the Department. This include:
a. Mining Engineering Section
b. Geological Engineering Section
c. Mineral Processing Engineering Section
d. Petroleum Engineering Section (yet to take off)
The Department has twenty-five academic staff, seven technical staff and six administrative staff overseeing activities in a wide range of well-equipped laboratories and workshops.
Major activities of the department include: GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS
The department combines geophysical methods with geological methods to investigate sub-surface for mining and civil engineering projects. The complexity of many projects requires a sound assessment of ground conditions and environmental implications. Using its ABEM TERRALOC MK6 and terrameter - the latest sets of geophysical ABEM equipment, the department undertakes the following:
a. Borehole Siting using the department's state-of-the art Seismograph or the terrameter
b. Determination of water-bearing rocks (aquifer) zones
c. Detection of fracture, near surface of deep-seated in the ground
d. Estimation of overburden thicknesses
e. Sub-surface lithology
The department undertakes seismic refraction surveys down to a thousand metres (100m) for engineering purposes such as planning for the following:
i. Roads
ii. Railways
iii. Pipelines
iv. Bridges
v. Dams
vi. Foundation for heavy industrial buildings,
vii. Sewers etc.
It also undertakes depth to bedrock studies, water-well siting and detection of fault zones in order to avoid siting abutments or installing other support systems in fracture zones.
GEOLOGICAL/HYDROLOGICAL MAPPING AND SOLID MINERALS INVESTIGATIONS
The Department is well-equiped to carry out programme of geological, hydrogeologic mapping and to undertake solid mineral investigation for:
i. Local Government Councils
ii. State Government and
iii. Other Organisations
The programme when carried out will provide data for numerous purposes such as planning, construction works, underground water exploration and management, pollution control, waste disposal problem and solid mineral exploration. The programme would normally comprise the following components:
i. Geological surveys
ii. Geological, geochemical and hydrogeological investigations
iii. Pitting, trenching, augering, drilling and coring
iv. Collection of samples (water, soil, rock and mineral) and storages
v. Laboratory testing and analysis
vi. Economic value determination
vii. Reserves estimation
MINE AND ENGINEERING SURVEYING
i. Setting out of mine workings
ii. Transfer of mine coordinates
MINE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
a. Planning and Design
b. Equipment and system Selection
c. Calculation of Stripping Radio and pit Limits
d. Mine Plan Layout
e. Design of underground mine openings
f. Selection and Cost Estimates of Equipment
QUARRY DESIGN OPEN-CAST DESIGN AND OPEN-PIT DESIGN
1. Feasibility study for quarry, open-cast or open-pit
2. Design for Dimension Stone Production
SIZE REDUCTION (COMMINUTION) OF MINERALS AND ROCKS
Size reduction of minerals and rocks are done for various reasons, which include concentration of valuable minerals or to render the enriched material int the most suitable physical condition for the subsequent operations.
MINERALS CLASSIFICATION AND SIZE ANALYSIS
Minerals can be classified or separated from other minerals on the basis of their velocity in a fluid system. The Department is well equipped with many types of classifiers such as hydrocyclones and spiral concentrators to carry out mineral classification. It also carries out sieve analysis on minerals. Size analysis of minerals is of fundamental importance in mineral processing - it is used to determine the efficiency of size reduction processes and to establish that the necessary degree of liberation has been established. In minerals separation stage, size analysis is used to ensure that the optimum size of the feed to the process is maintained and to determine the size at which losses occur. Size analysis is also useful in routine quality assessment and efficiency of machinery or concentration.
GEMSTONE PROCESSING
iii. Identification
iv. Polishing and tumbling
ROCK/SLABS CUTTING AND POLISHING
i. Preparation of slides
ii. Rock cutting
iii. Rock sample polishing
iv. Mineral Analysis
v. Metallogical Analysis
vi. Determination of grades of representative samples of minerals
MINERAL PROCESS DESIGN
a. Sampling
b. General information on economics
c. Conceptual flow sheet
d. Test work on what size should the ore be reduced to for optimum results, what grade of concentrate can be produced, what recovery can be achieved?
e. Test work on mineral separation methods
f. Detailed flow sheet
g. Cost estimates
BENEFICATION
Concentration or separation of various minerals with the department's froth flotation machines, concentration tables, jigs, magnetic separators etc. The department also carries out washability study of coals, proximate and ultimate analyses of coals.
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
i. Reserves estimation
ii. Cost benefit analysis
iii. Mining and process proposal
iv. Market study
GEOTECHNICAL AND ROCK INVESTIGATIONS
The department of Mineral Resources Engineering also undertakes investigations on bearing capacity values with respect to types of rocks and suitability to different types of structures. It is also involved in the determination of compressive strength, determination of tensile strength, determination of Young's modulus study of the properties and behaviour of rocks under stress and strain, study of the nature of stresses around underground openings and their relation in the design and support of mine workings, soil composition and solidity, rock quality, rippability, rock structure, foundation studies, etc.
COE - College of Engineering
Main menu |
