The Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining is located in Goodwin Hall which provides lecture, laboratory and study facilities. The on-campus laboratories include a Rock Mechanics laboratory, Mine Environment laboratory, Computer Planning facilities, and several Mineral Processing laboratories. The department also operates an Explosive Test Site in Hinchinbrooke Township, near Kingston. Laboratories are fully equipped for the programs offered. In addition, they include extensive equipment for advanced study and research in the various fields of major interest. The facilities allow undergraduate courses to be conducted in close proximity to graduate study and research. As a result, sound professional practice can be emphasized while the potential for future development is demonstrated.

LABORATORIES

Automation and Robotics

 Advanced mining technology provides a competitive edge for the Canadian mining industry, and mechanical equipment related issues are a key aspect of such technology. The laboratory provides both undergraduate and graduate students with exposure to state-of-the-art techniques and tools for the maintenance, design, mechanization, and automation of mining equipment. Training is imparted primarily through software-based analysis, design, and simulation tools. These enable students to study complex mechanisms at the machine level, while also evaluating machine and process interactions at the systems level. The simulation software tools also enable the programming and evaluation of machine control and automation strategies. The laboratory is an integral part of the Mine-Mechanical Engineering program at Queen's University. This program is unique in North America in providing a blend of mining and mechanical engineering training, to equip engineers with the necessary skills for the increasingly equipment intensive mining industry. Undergraduates in the program utilize the laboratory for their final year design projects, as well as for courses in industrial automation and mine maintenance.

Centrifuge

The centrifuge is a 6m diameter machine driven by a 50 kW hydraulic motor and speed control assembly. It is designed to rotate up to a maximum speed of 350rpm and is capable of exerting up to 330 gravities on typical models. It is rated at 30g-tonne, since it can accelerate a 0.1 tonne mass to 300 gravities. The main beam of the centrifuge is 5m long and fabricated from a 200mm steel box section of 13mm wall thickness. A number of strong boxes are available to house the centrifuge models. The beam rotates on a 76 mm diameter steel shaft which is powered by the 50 kW hydraulic motor. The speed is controlled by ramping mechanisms in the hydraulic power supply, and can be maintained at any level between 50 and 350 rpm. The centrifuge has a total of 12 slip rings. Models can be viewed or video taped during flight through a port in the centrifuge concrete pit, and with the aid of a high intensity strobe light.

Explosives and Blasting

Queen's is the only University in Canada which has a well equipped Explosives Test Facility that is located 50 km north of Kingston. The facility includes a bunker equipped with an ultra high speed streak and framing camera, digital oscilloscopes, a portable data acquisition system, VOD monitors, a Hycam high speed camera and two Locam relatively high speed cameras. The facility also has two blasting chambers for the study of dust explosions and gaseous products of detonation. On-campus equipment includes a gas chromatograph, digital image analysis systems for fragmentation analysis and numerical modelling tools for the analysis of explosives performance and sensitivity as well as the calculation of damage, fragmentation and throw in commercial blasting applications.

Geotechnical Instrumentation

The instrumentation laboratory contains typical sensor technology (electrical, vibrating wire, optical, hydraulic, microseismic, etc.) utilized for the manufacturing of rock mechanics instrumentation. An extensive range of instruments available in the market are available for testing and calibration. These include extensometers, strain gauges, joint meters, stressmeters, strain cells, pressure cells, load cells, piezometers, etc. The application of data communication and data management techniques is also practised through a number of available data acquisition systems.

Microwave Extraction

Research is primarily concerned with the application of new energy sources for the recovery and recycling of metals with the use of plasmas and microwaves in extractive metallurgy. Microwaves are a relatively new energy source with considerable potential and fundamental research is being performed on the interactions of microwaves with minerals in this laboratory. The lab is equipped with microwave ovens, temperature sensors, crucibles, etc., and the technology is being studied for drying, heating and smelting applications. One particular application with potential is the drying and smelting of lateritic ores where microwaves are being considered for use as an alternative energy source in the conventional segregation process for nickel.

Mineral Processing

The Mineral Processsing Laboratory includes: sample preparation room, physical and chemical mineral concentration, ferrous and non-ferrous metals and precious metals extraction, wet chemical and instrumental chemical analysis, and gold fire assay.  The sample preparation room is equiped with jaw, gyratory, and rolls crushers, full range standard screen, Sweco and Gibbson screens, Disc and Bico pulverizers, and rotationary sample splitter.  The physical and chemical concentration labs include spiral concentator, shaking table, Knelson concentrator, low intensity and high intensity magnetic separators, dry and wet high gradient separator, Capco high tension separator, Denver and Wemco flotation cells, column flotation cell, centrifugal flotation cell and micro-flotation cell.  The metals extraction laboratory includes column leach, bottle roll leach, ambient and high temperature leach, Parr autoclave, roasting and induction furnace, carbon adsorption and desorption, resin ion exchanger, electrowinning and metals refinery.  The assay laboratory includes wet chemical analysis, atomic absorption spectrophotometer, X-ray analyser, LECO sulphur and carbon analyser, laser particle anlyser, infrared spectrophotometer and gold fire assay.

Open Pit Mine Design, Ore Reserves and Grade Control

Courses in these topics use the larger computer laboratory. In-house source code software utilising all the important languages and AutoCAD are used to develop ore reserves from exploration drill data using geostatistical and conventional methods, to design mines and push back sequences, optimize truck fleets, complete financial anlyses, and study grade control. In-house source code software is also available for underground orebody modelling and design of access and stopes using Lisp within AutoCAD.

Rock Mechanics

In addition to the usual equipment for physical property testing, the rock mechanics laboratory has: 880 kN and 4000 kN closed loop electro-hydraulic stiff-testing machines and a 200 kN lateral pressure triaxial cell; tensile and shear testing equipment; borehole instrumentation for measuring in-situ rock stresses; a cold environment laboratory (capability to -35 degrees Celsius); a large diamond saw for cutting rock blocks; a large mobile diamond drill; and microseismic monitoring systems for rockburst detection are also available for teaching and research. Two creep load frames and a standard load frame are available for testing soft rocks. The laboratory is also fitted with an oven, a freezer and two balances.

Underground Mine Design

The computer cluster has access to various packaged software products such as Surpac, Unwedge, Dips, Exam2D, and etc. These packages are used in various graduate and undergraduate courses.

Ventilation

The concentration of airborne dust particles, mine gases and radiation is precisely determined with specialized digital instrumentation. The laboratory is equipped with standard instruments used for ventilation surveys including barometers, manometers, anemometers and psychrometers. A ventilation analogue is used to simulate mine ventilation network systems, a simulator is used to evaluate pressure losses in mine roadways and an air flow system is used to size mine fans. Two automated ventilation systems permit computer controlled testing, simulation and characterization of main mine fan installations. A wind tunnel is also available to permit instrumentation calibrations and flow simulations.

Availability of Computers

Thanks to a major industry contribution, the Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining was able to provide students with an initial cluster of computer work-stations not generally available to other departments in the faculty. These computer facilities have been constantly upgraded to remain current with technology using student and faculty contributions including continuing education short courses, and through use of departmental funds.

Two separate computer networks are in use. The Novell is open to all students and used in the teaching of MINE-822, MINE-819, MINE-326, MINE-441 and MINE-445,projects and thesis. The other network is dedicated to the teaching of specific design courses in order to avoid conflicts with teaching commitments and thesis/project work in the winter term; is restricted to those with passwords; and provides e-mail service to some staff. In addition, and linked to this latter network, computing work-stations are provided in the mine-mechanical design laboratory which is primarily used by the students in that option.

Software use for graduate and undergraduate teaching

There are extensive software programs available to the students. All computers have Microsoft Office available through site licenses. The Novell network has a site license for Autocad 14, Lindo, Kedit, Visual and Power Basic, Fortran, 'C' and the McAfee virus software checks and cleans all files in and out of the server. Software is used for geostatistical studies, ore body development from raw diamond drill data, underground development and full pit limit and financial analysis. With source code supplied by the staff and students, students are independent of the many vendors of software for ore reserves and mine design, and can make discriminate choices when purchasing software later in their careers.

A minimum funding guarantee for eligible students at the Master’s level of $16,800 and at the Ph.D. level of $18,000 per year is available. M.Eng students are self funded.

Teaching Assistantships may be offered to stu­dents throughout the academic year.

Registered full-time students who are in good academic standing with Queen’s are eligible for a wide range of internal and external scholarship and bursary awards.

Rock Mechanics: J.F. Archibald, S. McKinnon, E. DeSouza

Blasting, Explosives, Impact Dynamics: P. Katsabanis

Automation, Reliability and Maintenance: L. Daneshmend

Ventilation: E. DeSouza

Scheduling, Planning, Design: G. Blackwell, S. McKinnon

Mineral Economics: J. Martin

Hydrometallurgical Processing: S. Kelebek, B. Davis

Pyrometallurgy: C. Pickles, J. Peacey

Environmental and Sustainability: T. Hodge, S. Kelebek, B. Davis

Occupational Health and Safety: V. Pakalnis

The minimum academic requirements are four term courses beyond the M.A.Sc. degree, satisfactory participation in the graduate seminar MINE-897, and completion of a research thesis (MINE-999). All courses must be taken at the graduate level. For this minimum academic requirement, three term courses must be taken within and one term course must be taken outside the Department. In certain cases, the number of courses required will be larger than the minimum. The selected academic program must be approved by the Department.

All students must take CHEM-801*, a non-credit course in laboratory safety, at the first opportunity after their initial registration. Students who have previously completed MINE-462 or MINE-862 as part of their regular undergraduate or graduate programs at Queen's University, are exempt from this requirement.

The comprehensive examination, an assessment of the student's understanding of the major areas of Mining Engineering, must be taken by all Ph.D. candidates and may, under special entrance requirements, be required to be taken in two parts.

Should an entering Ph.D. student's background in mining engineering or related disciplines be deemed to be insufficient, a designated program of study and/or completion of general knowledge examinations (first level comprehensive examination) will be required to be taken. The first level comprehensive examination will review the candidate's general background in Mining Engineering and must be held in the fall term of the second year of the Ph.D. program.

If a first level knowledge examination is not required, the Ph.D. student will be required to complete a comprehensive examination leading up to a final thesis defense that will cover the area of specialization and areas of the candidate's background preparation. This examination should be taken at least 18 months after a student's initial registration in the Ph.D. program and no later than 12 months prior to the final thesis defense.