Southern Minnesota SME Subsection

Seeking 2023 Program Year Sponsors

Corporate or Individual sponsorship is a $300 annual fee.

Learn more and become a sponsor here

What is the Southern Minnesota Subsection of SME All About?

The Subsection facilitates networking, supports career development, and encourages positive, objective communication regarding the significant role that mining plays in our society.

Technical Sessions

Provide opportunities for continued education and professional development.

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Networking

Create events that strengthen the connections between industry, regulators, and service companies.

Scholarships

Scholarships

Provide financial support for the next generation of mining industry professionals.

Southern Minnesota SME Luncheon Series
**NEW LOCATION (Across from the Metropolitan Ballroom)**
10 West End, St. Louis Park, MN

12:00 - 1:00pm (registration opens at 11:30am)

November 16, 2023

One Step Ahead of Fugitive Dust: A Proactive Approach to Reducing Weather-Related Dust Generation at Mine Sites

Allison Serakos, Environmental Scientist, BARR Engineering

Fugitive dust has increasingly been an area of agency attention. The mining area specifically is highly prone to fugitive dust generation due to the large number of dust generating activities, such as haul truck roads, tailings basins, stockpiles, and mine pits. Because most of the mining operations are subject to the natural elements, addressing fugitive dust generation from weather events can be difficult. 
 
Most of the methods for addressing fugitive dust are reactionary, such as water trucks and applying dust suppressants once dust is visible. These measures are good and appropriate, however, for weather events that our out of the facility’s control they can sometimes be too late.
 
In this talk, I will present two methods for developing site-specific fugitive dust prediction models based on dynamical and statistical relationships with local weather data. I will walk through a typical physical dust generation mechanism and also discuss different statistical methods used to develop site-specific prediction models. Additionally, I will discuss how these models are being used in alert tool systems to provide effective and proactive dust suppressant measures.


Thank you to our event sponsor:



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