A pump-pipe system and a mining conveying system and a conveying method having the pump-pipe system

Abstract

The present invention discloses a pump pipe system and a mining conveying system and a conveying method having the pump pipe system. The pump pipe system includes at least two stages of pump pipe subsystems that are sequentially connected from bottom to top; the first stage of the pump pipe subsystem located at the bottom includes at least two bottom relay bins, and a bottom lifting hard pipe connected to the bottom relay bin is provided above the first stage; the remaining pump pipe subsystems each include at least one middle relay bin, and at least two middle lifting hard pipes connected to the bottom relay bin are provided above the second stage, and a mixing feeder is provided in each middle relay bin for distributing the amount of ore pulp inside the middle relay bin to the amount of ore pulp entering each middle lifting hard pipe. The present invention sets at least two stages of pump pipe subsystems, so that the ore pulp starts to mix after being lifted from the bottom relay bin at the lower end to the middle relay bin, and the mixing feeder in the middle relay bin distributes the ore pulp to each middle lifting hard pipe, and at the same time, the amount of local seawater entering can be controlled, thereby realizing effective control of ore pulp flow parameters and the degree of mixing of two-phase flow.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of deep-sea mining, and in particular relates to a pump-pipe system and a mining conveying system and a conveying method having the pump-pipe system. Background Art

[0002] Commercial deep-sea mining is a diverse and complex production process, and the dynamic parameters of mining will change with the seabed topography, water depth and mineral abundance. The pump-pipe conveying system that provides channels and power for slurry lifting should also have flexible adaptability to working conditions. However, in the existing single-pipe vertical lifting system, the parameters of the pump pipe cannot be adjusted, and the flow parameters of the slurry and the degree of mixing of the two-phase flow are difficult to control in the middle and upper ends of the pipeline, resulting in a single local conveying parameter and the risk of blockage due to excessive local particle concentration. Moreover, the composition of seawater at different depths varies greatly. Even if the decontaminated seawater is separated from the mine water, it cannot be directly discharged into the local seawater. Deep discharge will consume additional energy. Summary of the invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies and defects mentioned in the above background technology and provide a pump pipe system and a mining conveying system and a conveying method having the pump pipe system.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, a pump pipe system is provided, comprising at least two levels of pump pipe subsystems connected in sequence from bottom to top; the first level of pump pipe subsystem located at the bottom comprises at least one bottom relay bin, each of which is provided with a bottom lifting hard pipe connected thereto; each of the remaining levels of pump pipe subsystems comprises at least one middle relay bin, each of which is provided with at least two middle lifting hard pipes connected thereto; each of the bottom lifting hard pipes and the middle lifting hard pipes is provided with at least one lifting pump.

[0005] Preferably, each of the middle relay bins is provided with a mixing feeder for distributing the amount of slurry conveyed in each of the middle lifting hard pipes.

[0006] Preferably, the mixing feeder includes a silo, a drain pipe, a rotor, at least one rotary valve plate and at least two discharge pipes; the top of the silo is a slurry inlet, the bottom of the slurry inlet is the drain pipe, and the bottom of the drain pipe is the rotor; the bottom of the silo is a slurry outlet and is connected to each discharge pipe through a rotary valve plate, and the rotary valve plate can be rotatably installed at the slurry outlet to distribute the amount of slurry in the silo to enter each discharge pipe.

[0007] Preferably, the discharge pipe is a three-way structure, one end of which is connected to the slurry outlet, the second end of which is connected to one of the middle lifting rigid pipes, and the third end is provided with a valve that can control the amount of local seawater entering the discharge pipe.

[0008] Preferably, the at least two-stage pump-pipe subsystem is a one-stage pump-pipe subsystem, the first-stage pump-pipe subsystem located at the bottom includes only two bottom relay bins, the second-stage pump-pipe subsystem includes only one middle relay bin, the mixing feeder in the middle relay bin is provided with a rotary valve plate and two discharge pipes, and only two middle lifting hard pipes are provided above the middle relay bin, and each of the bottom lifting hard pipes and the middle lifting hard pipe is equipped with a lifting pump.

[0009] Preferably, the rotary valve plate comprises a rotating shaft and a valve plate, the rotating shaft is fixedly mounted at the slurry outlet, and the valve plate is rotatably mounted on the rotating shaft.

[0010] Preferably, a filter screen is provided on the drain pipe to prevent slurry particles from being discharged from the drain pipe.

[0011] Preferably, in each stage of the pump-pipe subsystem located above the first stage of the pump-pipe subsystem, one of the middle lifting rigid pipes is configured as a main middle lifting rigid pipe, the diameter of which is larger than that of the other middle lifting rigid pipes.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present invention, a mining conveying system is provided, comprising the pump pipe system of the present invention described above, and also comprising a mining ship and a ore collector; the ore collector is connected to one of the bottom relay bins via a hose; the uppermost end of each of the middle lifting rigid pipes in the last-stage pump pipe subsystem located at the top is connected to the mining ship.

[0013] Preferably, the ore collecting machines are provided in plurality, the bottom relay bins are configured in plurality corresponding to the ore collecting machines, the plurality of bottom relay bins are designed to be an integrated compartment-type structure, and the mining ship is a compartment-type structure.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a conveying method of the above-mentioned mining conveying system, comprising the following steps:

[0015] 1) First, use a ore collector to transport the collected slurry to the bottom relay bin through a hose;

[0016] 2) The slurry in the bottom relay bin is lifted to the middle relay bin through the bottom lifting hard pipe by the lifting pump;

[0017] 3) The slurry is mixed in the middle relay bin by the action of the mixing feeder arranged in the middle relay bin, and the slurry is flexibly distributed to different middle lifting hard pipes according to actual needs by the rotation of the rotary valve plate;

[0018] 4) The slurry distributed to each middle lifting hard pipe is then lifted to the mining ship through the lifting pump.

[0019] The above-mentioned conveying method is preferably such that when the ore collecting capacity at the lower end of a certain middle relay bin decreases or the concentration changes causing the flow at its upper end to need to be reduced, the valves corresponding to some of the middle lifting rigid pipes in the middle relay bin are closed to close the conveying channel of the corresponding middle lifting rigid pipe, so as to adjust the conveying capacity of the pump-pipe system.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: a pump pipe system and a mining conveying system and a conveying method having the pump pipe system of the present invention, through at least two stages of pump pipe subsystems connected in sequence from bottom to top, the slurry is lifted from the bottom relay bin at the lower end to the middle relay bin and then begins to mix, the rotary valve plate of the mixing feeder in the middle relay bin can flexibly distribute the slurry to each middle lifting hard pipe, the valve of the mixing feeder in the middle relay bin can control the amount of local seawater entering the discharge pipe, and the slurry flow parameters and the degree of mixing of the two-phase flow are effectively controlled, and the smoothness of the conveying is improved. When the ore collecting capacity at the lower end decreases or the concentration changes, resulting in a need to reduce the flow rate, by closing some valves of the mixing feeder in the middle relay bin at the upper end, the corresponding middle lifting hard pipe can be closed, which meets the conveying capacity under different conditions and realizes flexible and economical conveying characteristics. At the same time, through at least two stages of pump-pipe systems connected in sequence from bottom to top, the slurry is lifted from the seabed to the water surface in sequence. Seawater replacement is achieved in each section, and the replaced seawater near the water surface can be discharged directly, which meets the green and environmentally friendly operation requirements and saves the extra energy consumed by deep discharge.

[0021] In addition to the above-described objects, features and advantages, the present invention has other objects, features and advantages. The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a pump-tube system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a mixing feeder in a pump pipe system in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a pump-tube system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a mixing feeder in a pump pipe system in Example 2 of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of a mining conveying system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the mining conveying system of Example 4 of the present invention.

[0029] Illustrations: 11, first bottom relay bin; 12, second bottom relay bin; 13, third bottom relay bin; 14, fourth bottom relay bin; 21, first bottom lifting hard pipe; 22, second bottom lifting hard pipe; 23, third bottom lifting hard pipe; 24, fourth bottom lifting hard pipe; 3, middle relay bin; 41, first middle lifting hard pipe; 42, second middle lifting hard pipe; 43, third middle lifting hard pipe; 51, first lifting pump; 52, second lifting pump; 53, third lifting pump; 54, fourth lifting pump; 55, fifth lifting pump; 56, sixth lifting pump; 57. The seventh lifting pump; 6. The mixing feeder; 61. The silo; 62. The drain pipe; 621. The filter screen; 63. The rotor; 641. The first rotary valve plate; 642. The second rotary valve plate; 651. The first discharge pipe; 652. The second discharge pipe; 653. The third discharge pipe; 661. The first valve; 662. The second valve; 663. The third valve; 7. The mining ship; 81. The first ore collecting machine; 82. The second ore collecting machine; 83. The third ore collecting machine; 84. The fourth ore collecting machine; 91. The first hose; 92. The second hose; 93. The third hose; 94. The fourth hose. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more comprehensively and meticulously below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the following specific embodiments.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all professional terms used below have the same meanings as those generally understood by those skilled in the art. The professional terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] Embodiment 1:

[0033] like Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown, a first embodiment of a pump-pipe system includes a first-stage pump-pipe subsystem and a second-stage pump-pipe subsystem. The first-stage pump-pipe subsystem includes a first bottom relay bin 11 and a second bottom relay bin 12; a first bottom lifting hard pipe 21 connected to the first bottom relay bin 11 is provided above the first bottom lifting hard pipe 21, a first lifting pump 51 is arranged on the first bottom lifting hard pipe 21, and the upper end thereof is connected to the slurry inlet in the second-stage pump-pipe subsystem; a second bottom lifting hard pipe 22 connected to the second bottom relay bin 12 is provided above the second bottom lifting hard pipe 22, a second lifting pump 52 is arranged on the second bottom lifting hard pipe 22, and the upper end thereof is connected to the slurry inlet in the second-stage pump-pipe subsystem. The second-stage pump-pipe subsystem includes a middle relay bin 3, on top of which are provided a first middle lifting hard pipe 41 and a second middle lifting hard pipe 42 connected thereto, the first middle lifting hard pipe 41 is provided with a third lifting pump 53, and the second middle lifting hard pipe 42 is provided with a fourth lifting pump 54; a mixing feeder 6 is provided in the middle relay bin 3 for distributing the amount of ore slurry therein into the first middle lifting hard pipe 41 and the second middle lifting hard pipe 42. The mixing feeder 6 includes a silo 61, a drain pipe 62, a rotor 63, a first rotary valve plate 641, a first discharge pipe 651, and a second discharge pipe 652; the top of the silo 61 is a slurry inlet, and the bottom of the slurry inlet is a drain pipe 62 for discharging seawater contained in the slurry; the bottom of the drain pipe 62 is a rotor 63, and the slurry falling from the slurry inlet accumulates here, and the seawater in the slurry is above, which is convenient for the seawater to be discharged from the drain pipe 62. When the accumulated slurry reaches a certain amount, the rotor 63 starts to rotate, and the slurry falls to the slurry outlet as the rotor 63 rotates; the bottom of the silo 61 is a slurry outlet and is connected to the first discharge pipe 651 and the second discharge pipe 652 respectively through the first rotary valve plate 641. The first rotary valve plate 641 can be rotatably installed at the slurry outlet to distribute the slurry in the silo 61 to the first discharge pipe 651 and the second discharge pipe 652. The first discharge pipe 651 is a three-way structure, one end of which is connected to the slurry outlet, the second end of which is connected to the first middle lifting hard pipe 41, the third end of which is connected to the local seawater and is equipped with a first valve 661; the second discharge pipe 652 is a three-way structure, one end of which is connected to the slurry outlet, the second end of which is connected to the second middle lifting hard pipe 42, the third end of which is connected to the local seawater and is equipped with a second valve 662. In this structure, through the two-stage pump pipe system connected in sequence from bottom to top, the slurry is lifted from the bottom relay bin at the lower end to the middle relay bin and then mixed, the rotary valve plate of the mixing feeder in the middle relay bin can flexibly distribute the slurry to each middle lifting hard pipe, and the valve of the mixing feeder in the middle relay bin can control the amount of local seawater entering the discharge pipe, so as to achieve effective control of the slurry flow parameters and the mixing degree of the two-phase flow, and improve the smoothness of transportation.When the ore collection capacity at the lower end decreases or the concentration changes, causing the flow rate to need to be reduced, by closing some valves of the mixing feeder in the middle relay bin at the upper end, the slurry accumulates in the corresponding discharge pipe. Since there is no seawater flowing into the slurry, it cannot be lifted in the pipe, and the corresponding middle lifting hard pipe can be closed, meeting the conveying capacity under different conditions and realizing flexible and economical conveying characteristics. At the same time, through the two-stage pump and pipe system connected from bottom to top, the slurry is lifted from the seabed to the water surface in turn, and each section realizes the replacement of seawater. The replaced seawater near the water surface can be discharged directly, which meets the green and environmentally friendly operation requirements and saves the extra energy consumed by deep discharge.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first rotary valve plate 641 includes a rotating shaft and a valve plate, wherein the rotating shaft is fixedly mounted at the slurry outlet, and the valve plate is rotatably mounted on the rotating shaft. The structure is simple, practical, safe and reliable.

[0035] In this embodiment, a filter screen 621 is provided on the drain pipe 62. In this structure, the filter screen 621 can prevent the slurry particles from being discharged from the drain pipe 62, thereby avoiding the loss of the slurry particles.

[0036] In this embodiment, the first middle lifting hard pipe 41 is set as the main middle lifting hard pipe, and its specification (pipe diameter) is larger than that of the second middle lifting hard pipe 42. In this structure, when the ore collecting capacity at the lower end decreases or the concentration changes and the flow rate needs to be reduced, the second middle lifting hard pipe 42 can be closed by closing the second valve 662 of the mixing feeder 6 in the middle relay bin 3, and only the first middle lifting hard pipe 41 works at this time; when the flow rate needs to be greatly reduced, the first middle lifting hard pipe 41 can be closed by closing the first valve 661 of the mixing feeder 6 in the middle relay bin 3, and only the second middle lifting hard pipe 42 works at this time, which meets the conveying capacity under different conditions and realizes flexible and economical conveying characteristics.

[0037] Embodiment 2:

[0038] like Figure 3 , Figure 4As shown, a second embodiment of a pump-pipe system is basically the same as the embodiment 1, except that: in this embodiment, it also includes a third bottom relay bin 13 and a fourth bottom relay bin 14; a third bottom lifting hard pipe 23 connected to the third bottom relay bin 13 is provided above the third bottom relay bin 13, a fifth lifting pump 55 is arranged on the third bottom lifting hard pipe 23, and its upper end is connected to the slurry inlet in the second-stage pump-pipe subsystem; a fourth bottom lifting hard pipe 24 connected to the fourth bottom relay bin 14 is provided above the fourth bottom relay bin 14, a sixth lifting pump 56 is arranged on the fourth bottom lifting hard pipe 24, and its upper end is connected to the slurry inlet in the second-stage pump-pipe subsystem. It also includes a third middle lifting hard pipe 43 arranged above the middle relay bin 3 and connected to the third middle lifting hard pipe 43, and a seventh lifting pump 57 is arranged on the third middle lifting hard pipe 43. It also includes a second rotary valve plate 642 and a third discharge pipe 653. The second rotary valve plate 642 can be rotatably installed at the slurry outlet. The second rotary valve plate 642 and the first rotary valve plate 641 are used together to distribute the slurry in the silo 61 to the first discharge pipe 651, the second discharge pipe 652 and the third discharge pipe 653. The third discharge pipe 653 is a three-way structure, one end of which is connected to the slurry outlet, the second end is connected to the third middle lifting hard pipe 43, and the third end is connected to the local seawater and is equipped with a third valve 663. The specifications of the third middle lifting hard pipe 43 are smaller than those of the first middle lifting hard pipe 41. In this structure, by setting more lifting hard pipes in the two-stage pump pipe system, the transportation capacity under different conditions is further met, and the flexible and economical transportation characteristics are better realized.

[0039] Embodiment 3:

[0040] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, a first embodiment of a mining conveying system includes the pump pipe system described in Embodiment 1, and also includes a mining ship 7 and a first ore collector 81, a second ore collector 82, a first hose 91, and a second hose 92; the lower end of the first hose 91 is connected to the first ore collector 81, and the upper end is connected to the first bottom relay bin 11, the lower end of the second hose 92 is connected to the second ore collector 82, and the upper end is connected to the second bottom relay bin 12, and the upper ends of the first middle lifting hard pipe 41 and the second middle lifting hard pipe 42 are both connected to the mining ship 7. In this structure, the ore collector transports the collected slurry to the bottom relay bin through the hose, and then lifts the slurry to the middle relay bin through the bottom lifting hard pipe, and then lifts the slurry to the mining ship through the middle lifting hard pipe. The structure is simple, safe and practical.

[0041] In this embodiment, the first bottom relay bin 11 and the second bottom relay bin 12 are designed as an integrated compartment structure, and the mining ship 7 is designed as a compartment structure. In this structure, since the mining ship is a compartment structure, it can effectively avoid the transportation interference caused by each middle lifting hard pipe when transporting the slurry to the mining ship; the bottom relay bin is designed as an integrated compartment structure, which can not only achieve the transportation interference that can be avoided by the split design, but also save manufacturing costs.

[0042] The working process of this embodiment is as follows: the first ore collector 81 transports the collected ore pulp to the first bottom relay bin 11 through the first hose 91, and the second ore collector 82 transports the collected ore pulp to the second bottom relay bin 12 through the second hose 92; the first lifting pump 51 lifts the ore pulp in the first bottom relay bin 11 to the middle relay bin 3 through the first bottom lifting hard pipe 21, and the second lifting pump 52 lifts the ore pulp in the second bottom relay bin 12 to the middle relay bin 3 through the second bottom lifting hard pipe 22; through the action of the mixing feeder 6, the ore pulp is mixed in the middle relay bin 3, and according to actual needs, the ore pulp is flexibly distributed to the first middle lifting hard pipe 41 and the second middle lifting hard pipe 42 through the rotation of the first rotary valve plate 641; the third lifting pump 53 lifts the ore pulp distributed to the first middle lifting hard pipe 41 to the mining ship 7, and the fourth lifting pump 54 lifts the ore pulp distributed to the second middle lifting hard pipe 42 to the mining ship 7.

[0043] Embodiment 4:

[0044] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 6 As shown, a second embodiment of a mining conveying system is basically the same as the embodiment 3, except that: in this embodiment, the pump pipe system described in the embodiment 1 is not included, the pump pipe system described in the embodiment 2 is included, and the third ore collector 83, the fourth ore collector 84, the third hose 93, and the fourth hose 94 are also included; the lower end of the third hose 93 is connected to the third ore collector 83, and the upper end is connected to the third bottom relay bin 13, the lower end of the fourth hose 94 is connected to the fourth ore collector 84, and the upper end is connected to the fourth bottom relay bin 14, and the upper end of the third middle lifting hard pipe 43 is connected to the mining ship 7. In this structure, by setting more ore collectors, hoses and lifting hard pipes, the conveying capacity under different conditions is further met, and the flexible and economical conveying characteristics are better realized.

[0045] The above are only preferred specific implementation modes of the present invention and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pump-tube system, characterized in that: It comprises at least two levels of pump-pipe subsystems which are connected in sequence from bottom to top; the first level of pump-pipe subsystem located at the bottom comprises at least one bottom relay bin, and each bottom relay bin is provided with a bottom lifting hard pipe connected thereto; each of the remaining levels of pump-pipe subsystems comprises at least one middle relay bin, and each middle relay bin is provided with at least two middle lifting hard pipes connected thereto; each of the bottom lifting hard pipes and the middle lifting hard pipes is provided with at least one lifting pump; Each of the middle relay bins is provided with a mixing feeder for distributing the amount of slurry conveyed in each of the middle lifting hard pipes; The mixing feeder comprises a silo, a drainage pipe, a rotor, at least one rotary valve plate and at least two discharge pipes; the top of the silo is a slurry inlet, the bottom of the slurry inlet is the drainage pipe, and the bottom of the drainage pipe is the rotor; the bottom of the silo is a slurry outlet and is connected to each discharge pipe through a rotary valve plate, and the rotary valve plate can be rotatably installed at the slurry outlet to distribute the amount of slurry in the silo to enter each discharge pipe.

2. The pump tube system according to claim 1, characterized in that The discharge pipe is a three-way structure, one end of which is connected to the slurry outlet, the second end of which is connected to one of the middle lifting hard pipes, and the third end is equipped with a valve that can control the amount of local seawater entering the discharge pipe.

3. The pump tube system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The at least two-stage pump-pipe subsystem is a two-stage pump-pipe subsystem. The first-stage pump-pipe subsystem located at the bottom only includes two bottom relay bins, and the second-stage pump-pipe subsystem only includes one middle relay bin. The mixing feeder in the middle relay bin is provided with a rotary valve plate and two discharge pipes. Only two middle lifting hard pipes are provided above the middle relay bin, and each of the bottom lifting hard pipes and the middle lifting hard pipe is equipped with a lifting pump.

4. The pump tube system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drain pipe is provided with a filter screen to prevent slurry particles from being discharged from the drain pipe.

5. The pump tube system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that In each stage of the pump-pipe subsystem located above the first stage of the pump-pipe subsystem, one of the middle lifting rigid pipes is set as a main middle lifting rigid pipe, and its diameter is larger than that of other middle lifting rigid pipes.

6. A mining conveying system, characterized in that: The pump-pipe system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 further comprises a mining ship and a ore collector; the ore collector is connected to one of the bottom relay bins via a hose; the uppermost end of each of the middle lifting rigid pipes in the last-stage pump-pipe subsystem at the top is connected to the mining ship.

7. The mining conveying system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The ore collecting machines are provided in plurality, and the bottom relay bins are configured in plurality corresponding to the ore collecting machines. The plurality of bottom relay bins are designed to be an integrated compartment-type structure, and the mining ship is a compartment-type structure.

8. A conveying method of a mining conveying system according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: 1) First, use a ore collector to transport the collected slurry to the bottom relay bin through a hose; 2) The slurry in the bottom relay bin is lifted to the middle relay bin through the bottom lifting hard pipe by the lifting pump; 3) The slurry is mixed in the middle relay bin by the mixing feeder arranged in the middle relay bin, and the slurry is flexibly distributed to different middle lifting hard pipes by the rotation of the rotary valve plate according to actual needs; 4) The slurry distributed to each middle lifting pipe is then lifted to the mining ship through the lifting pump.

9. The conveying method according to claim 8, characterized in that: When the ore collecting capacity at the lower end of a certain middle relay bin decreases or the concentration changes, causing the flow at its upper end to need to be reduced, the valves corresponding to some of the middle lifting hard pipes in the middle relay bin are closed to close the conveying channel of the corresponding middle lifting hard pipe, so as to adjust the conveying capacity of the pump-pipe system.

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