UWA PLUS
Tailings Operations – Delivered by Future Tails
This micro-credential has been designed for professionals working in the field of tailings management. It is best suited to practicing engineers, geoscientists or individuals with responsibility for planning tailings deposition schedules to ensure operational safety and efficiency of the tailings storage facility.
In this micro-credential the importance of a Tailings Management Plan is discussed, illustrating the benefits of planning both short term and long term deposition schedules.
Controlling deposition to manage the beach and the relationship with maintaining adequate freeboard are illustrated and the value of controlled layer thickness demonstrated through examples. Relative benefits of both active and passive decant systems and associated risks with both systems are also covered.
This micro-credential is one of a series of 12 micro-credentials (currently in development) which, if successfully completed, will lead to a Graduate Certificate in Tailings Management* at UWA.
Future Tails is a five-year initiative funded by sponsors Rio Tinto and BHP to facilitate industry understanding of best practice mine tailings management.
Upon successful completion of this micro-credential, you'll receive:
- Two PD Points - stackable for academic credit towards the Graduate Certificate in Tailings Management*
- A Certificate of Achievement
- A UWA Plus Professional Development Transcript, listing all successfully completed micro-credentials
*In order to apply for the Graduate Certificate award you must have a Bachelor of Engineering degree or a degree in a related field and have met UWA’s English language competency requirements. Please refer to the Graduate Certificate in Tailings Management.
- Delivery mode
- Online access to learning material, on demand. Two online discussion forums will be held for students to discuss the learning material and share their own insights into the topics covered.
- Course date
- Registrations are open from 4 March 2022 to 31 March 2022.
- The course starts on 4 April 2022. Participants will have until 3 June 2022 to complete the micro-credential.
- Applications close
- 31 March 2022
- Effort
- 50 hours (including online learning, personal study time and assessments)
- Academic lead
- Professor Andy Fourie
- Cost
- $1,100 inc. GST
- Critical information summary
- MINEM521 Tailings Operations [PDF 243KB]
What you'll learn
You will learn about the importance of developing, documenting and implementing a Tailings Management Plan that caters for short term tailings capacity requirements, while also implementing strategies to cater for life-of-mine requirements. The key role of aspects such as deposition strategies, layer thickness, maintaining freeboard, decant systems and how to incorporate these aspects into a Tailings Management Plan are covered.
Participants will be able to:
Evaluate the impact of beach slope on storage capacity and freeboard
Analyse the effect of changing layer thickness on achievable in-situ density
Incorporate daily operational practice into a long term management plan
Demonstrate the link between daily operations and geotechnical stability of a tailings storage facility
Why study this course?
As a result of the recent Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM), there is increasing demand for tailings professionals at the same time as the industry is experiencing a shortage of personnel with appropriate training. The GISTM will bring rapid change to the way the industry manages tailings and waste. This micro-credential and the subsequent micro-credentials will allow you to keep up with standards, technologies and guidelines dealing with tailings management.
Recommended prior knowledge
This micro-credential has been designed for professionals working in the field of tailings management. It is best suited to practicing engineers, geoscientists or individuals with responsibility for planning tailings deposition schedules to ensure operational safety and efficiency of the tailings storage facility.
Engineering numerical skills are required, as there will be some calculations that are essential to understanding the material.
What's next after this course?
This micro-credential is one of three on the topic of Tailings Operations and Water Management. The other two on this topic are: (1) Water Balance; and (2) Tailings Dewatering Technologies. Topics covered by the other micro-credentials include an Introduction to Tailings Management, Tailings Risk Evaluation and Tailings Governance. The Calendar of micro-credentials can be found here.
*In order to apply for the Graduate Certificate award you must have a Bachelor of Engineering degree or a degree in a related field and have met UWA's English language competency requirements. Please refer to the Graduate Certificate in Tailings Management.
Apply
Applications are open.
- If you are not an employee of BHP or Rio Tinto, please click here to register and pay for this micro-credential
- If you are an employee of BHP or Rio Tinto and this is your 1st-3rd Tailings Management micro, your fee is covered by your employer. Please click here to register
- If you are an employee of BHP or Rio Tinto and this is your 4th-12th Tailings Management micro, please click here to register and pay for this micro-credential