PEC EPE Mining flashcards
PEC EPE Mining · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Cutoff grade
- The minimum grade at which mined material is economic to process; material below the cutoff is treated as waste or stockpiled for possible future use.
- Stripping ratio
- The ratio of waste material to ore material mined; a high stripping ratio increases cost per tonne of ore produced and affects economic viability.
- Mineral resource
- A concentration of material of economic interest in or on the Earth's crust, classified by confidence in geological knowledge and sampling data.
- Mineral reserve
- The economically mineable part of a measured or indicated resource, including dilution and losses, based on a modifying factor study and a mine plan.
- Qualified person
- A professional with relevant experience and membership in a recognised professional body who takes responsibility for public reporting of exploration results and reserves.
- Powder factor
- The mass of explosive used per unit volume of rock blasted, expressed in kilograms per cubic metre; it controls fragmentation and blast efficiency.
- Burden and spacing
- The distance from a blasthole to the free face (burden) and the distance between adjacent blastholes (spacing); both govern fragmentation and flyrock risk.
- Methane explosive range
- Methane mixed with air is explosive at roughly 5% to 15% by volume; ventilation and gas monitoring keep concentrations well below the lower explosive limit.
- Roof bolting
- A ground support method where bolts are installed into the roof or hanging wall to bind rock strata together and prevent falls of ground.
- Bench height
- The vertical height of a single mining bench in an open pit; it is limited by equipment reach, blasthole depth, and slope stability considerations.
- Haulage cycle time
- The total time for a haul truck to complete one trip, including loading, hauling, dumping, returning, and queueing or spotting at the shovel.
- Truck-shovel match
- The number of trucks assigned per shovel, calculated from the ratio of shovel cycle time to truck cycle time to avoid queueing or shovel idle time.
- Mining dilution
- The proportion of waste material mined together with ore, which lowers the grade delivered to the processing plant and increases cost per unit of metal.
- Grade control
- The process of defining ore and waste boundaries through drilling, sampling, and assay so that material is sent to the correct destination.
- Silicosis
- A lung disease caused by inhaling respirable crystalline silica dust; prevention relies on wet suppression, ventilation, and respiratory protection.
- Hierarchy of controls
- A risk management framework ranking controls from elimination and substitution through engineering controls to administrative controls and personal protective equipment.
- Net present value
- The sum of discounted future cash flows using a chosen discount rate; a positive NPV indicates a project adds value at that rate.
- Rehabilitation bond
- A financial assurance provided by a mining company to cover the cost of mine closure and rehabilitation if the company fails to complete the work.
- Environmental impact assessment
- A formal process that identifies, predicts, and evaluates the environmental and social effects of a proposed mining project before approval is granted.
- Progressive rehabilitation
- The staged rehabilitation of disturbed land during mine life rather than only at closure, reducing final liability and improving environmental outcomes.
- Open pit slope angle
- The overall angle of the pit wall; steeper slopes reduce stripping but increase risk of slope failure depending on rock mass and groundwater conditions.
- Sublevel stoping
- An underground mining method where ore is blasted in stopes between sublevels and drawn from below, suitable for steep, competent orebodies.
- Room and pillar
- A mining method leaving pillars of ore to support the roof while extracting rooms; pillar design controls stability and recovery.
- Ventilation air quantity
- The volume of air flowing through a mine airway per unit time, calculated as cross-sectional area multiplied by air velocity.
- Flyrock
- Rock thrown beyond the blast area by explosive energy; controlled by adequate burden, stemming, and blast design to protect people and equipment.
- Stemming
- Inert material placed in the top of a blasthole above the explosive charge to confine gases and reduce flyrock, airblast, and fumes.
- Head grade
- The grade of ore delivered to the processing plant; it is reduced by dilution and determines recovery and metal production economics.
- Recovery
- The fraction of metal or mineral in the ore that is successfully extracted and recovered in the concentrate or final product.
- Payable factor
- The proportion of contained metal in concentrate that the smelter or refiner pays for, after deductions for treatment and refining charges.
- Feasibility study
- A detailed engineering and economic assessment that confirms the technical and financial viability of a mining project before a construction decision.
- Mine plan
- A schedule of mining sequence, equipment, and production volumes that guides ore and waste extraction over the life of the mine.
- Diesel particulate matter
- Fine particles emitted by diesel engines in underground mines; exposure is controlled by ventilation, engine maintenance, and low-emission fuels.