1998 Activities

The Department of Mining Engineering had a good year in 1998. The major positive development was the initiation of several major research projects in close cooperation with industrial as well as other partners. The future clearly lies with such cooperative projects, and last year has been noticeably productive for the initiation of such ventures. We started several new research projects that will contribute significantly to further developing research strengths in the department. Professor Pierre Mousset-Jones initiated a major study on diesel exhaust emissions in underground mines in collaboration with the Desert Research Institute, a world leader in diesel exhaust research. The collaboration between the department and the Desert Research Institute in this area is most certainly a cooperative effort between separate groups of the University System that demonstrates the benefits of integrating various strengths within the System. This research effort is further enhanced by the active cooperation of several mining companies: field work will be conducted at several underground mines on the Carlin trend. This research effort, with potentially major implications for the very current issue of the effects and regulation of diesel exhaust in underground mines will keep the department at the forefront in the area of underground mine environment protection and control.

A second exciting and productive cooperative venture initiated by Professor Mousset-Jones is the project with Professor Fred Harris to develop virtual reality computer simulation software to assist with the training of mine truck drivers. This project, supported by MSHA, the State of Nevada Mine Safety & Training Section, Newmont and Echo Bay will integrate departmental participation in some of the most up-to-date mine safety training in the world.

A third cooperative project, under the leadership of Professor Danny Taylor and supported by Getchell Gold and the University of Nevada, Reno Applied Research Initiative, is a feasibility study of the production economics of wollastonite, a potential by-product in a number of Nevada gold deposits. Danny Taylor also is the lead faculty member of a cooperative study with NSA Engineering on site characterization using acoustic tomography, certainly one of the more sophisticated and advanced technologies currently available for rock mass characterization.

Professor George Danko has continued his collaboration, which now has been productive for many years, with the Clarkson Company of Sparks, a worldwide recognized leading valve manufacturer. This collaboration has supported students in the successful completion of many Master's theses, and has resulted in the construction of The Clarkson Hydraulic Transportation Laboratory, a unique outstanding mining engineering laboratory.

Professor Danko has most successfully continued his major research collaboration with TRW and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the areas of ventilation modeling studies and experimental thermal and heat flow studies for the Yucca Mountain project, site investigations for a potential nuclear waste repository. Also supported by the U.S. Department of Energy is Professor Danko's study of radioactive contamination in pipes and vessels, in collaboration with Professor W. Culbreth of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

While the focus in this report is on research activities, obviously many other activities, especially in the educational arena, take place in parallel with the research efforts. One of the major achievements in this regard was the runner up recognition awarded Dana Mullin, who obtained the B.S. degree in May, in the National Senior Mine Design Competition.

Undoubtedly the most noticeable student activity was the winning of the International Intercollegiate Mining Competition. As a result of this win, the Competition is being held in Reno in 1999. The John Mackay Club participated in the SME Convention in Orlando, Florida, and as a result had the rather rare opportunity to visit mines in Florida and Georgia.

All in all, 1998 was a good year for the Department. We accomplished a variety of successful educational and research objectives.