This is a teachers guide for a unit of work to cover aspects of the Engineering Mechanics section of the Queensland syllabus in Engineering Technology. The unit is constructed around a theme of mining and contains lesson plans, teaching ideas, assessment instruments and standards matrices.

Designed for physics and engineering technology teachers, the unit Giants that walk the Earth is based around the physics of draglines. The physics that govern the operation of these massive machines provides an ideal context in which to investigate a life application specifically of the principles of electromagnetism.Images, diagrams, specifications and technical drawings are provided in a series of PowerPoints to explain how electric motors in draglines work, how the walking feet operate and how the processes of supplying power and moving various components such as the bucket and beam are achieved.

This comprehensive Giants that Walk the Earth PowerPoint provides a study of the dragline; the largest piece of machinery in operation in Australia. All year levels will benefit from the introduction with the latter sections more suited to the senior years of Physics and Engineering Technology.

Discover what oil shale is and where oil shale resources can be found in Australia. Learn about oil shale’s potential as an alternative fuel for Australia, given our decreasing supply of crude oil resources. Discover how oil shale was formed and learn about the process of mining oil shale.

The mining industry offers a wide and exciting range of career opportunities for men and women who are interested in receiving world class training and earning competitive salaries within operations utilising cutting edge technology.In this worksheet, students investigate six career paths from the MCA Careers Website and complete a number of questions.

Read the blogs of a group of uni students aspiring to careers in the mining and energy sector. You can chat with them online, post comments, watch their videos on YouTube and stay in contact via Facebook.

Find out how hydrogen gas is produced and used. This is a fact sheet providing information on hydrogen production from fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. The uses of hydrogen are briefly discussed and information is provided about hydrogen fuel cells.

This fact sheet describes oxyfuel combustion, the technology that burns fuel in almost pure oxygen. Because this makes it easier to capture carbon dioxide from flue gas, it may be possible to achieve near zero carbon dioxide emissions from the production of coal fired electricity. A diagram illustrating this process is included as well as a brief description of a new project aiming to integrate oxyfuel combustion with carbon capture and sequestration.

Find out how power stations can reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases. This fact sheet describes the process of post combustion capture (PCC) in power stations. It identifies the benefits associated with capturing most of the carbon dioxide contained in flue gases. A flow diagram illustrates the process of post combustion capture.

Students build a flowchart to summarise electricity production in coal-fired power stations.