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The Activities
The Society's activities range from 5 day national conferences, one day seminars and specialist symposia, technical meetings, field trips, live-in coal preparation courses at the introductory (3 day) and advanced (5 day) level, to publication of high quality texts and proceedings. Each branch holds regular technical meetings with the locations rotating between capital cities, regional centres and towns adjacent to the main coal production areas. These meetings allow for full and lively debate of the issues raised and are well supported, with attendance usually between 30 and 100. Field days, one day seminars and specialised symposia supplement the technical meetings. Guest speakers are distinguished members of the profession from within Australia or from overseas, and government and senior industry representatives are frequently given an opportunity to put their views to the Society.
National conferences and associated exhibitions are held every two or three years with the Seventh Australian Coal Preparation Conference held in September 1995 in Mudgee. The Society also hosted the VII International Coal Preparation Congress and associated exhibition in October 1976 in Sydney and the XIII Congress and Exhibition in Brisbane in October 1998.
Society publications include high quality conference proceedings, plus a Preliminary Textbook - An Introduction to Coal Preparation, and a seven volume Advanced Coal Preparation Monograph Series, written by senior members of the Society who are expert in their field.
The Society contributes significantly to the education of members and non-members in the technology of coal preparation. The NSW branch conducts 3 day Introductory courses in Sydney, Newcastle, Singleton, Lithgow, Mudgee and Wollongong, while the Queensland branch holds similar courses in Rockhampton and Brisbane, both using the Preliminary Textbook as the course text. Very popular advanced courses in coal preparation are also conducted by both branches every year. They are one week residential courses consisting of lectures, tutorials and team projects with the Advanced Coal Preparation Monograph Series being the course text. Lecturers in both courses are senior members of the Society who are expert in their field.
Standards Australia and the International Standard Organisation operate several committees and sub-committees engaged in drawing up and publishing standards for various aspects of coal preparation science and engineering. Society members are active on these committees, attending meetings in Australia and various parts of the world.
Appreciable funding for research and development projects in the coal preparation area comes from the ACARP scheme (previously NERDDC). Three seminars have been organised in 1983, 1989 and 1993, for the presentation and critical review of projects that had received government and industry funding.
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