A clog-free lifting slurry pump and its pump unit operation process and conveying system

Abstract

This invention discloses a non-clogging lifting slurry pump and its pump unit operation process and conveying system. The slurry pump includes an inlet flange, an outlet flange, a lower tee pipe, an upper tee pipe, a lower lifting gravel pump, an upper lifting gravel pump, and a dual-shaft submersible motor. The inlet end of the lower tee pipe is connected to the inlet flange, and the two outlet ends of the lower tee pipe are respectively connected to the lower lifting gravel pump and the upper tee pipe. The other inlet end of the upper tee pipe is connected to the upper lifting gravel pump, and the outlet end is connected to the outlet flange. The lower and upper lifting gravel pumps are driven by the dual-shaft submersible motor. The pump outlet of the lower lifting gravel pump is connected to the suction inlet of the upper lifting gravel pump. Valves are provided at both inlet ends of the upper tee pipe. The slurry pump of this invention solves the technical difficulties of handling small particle sizes, easy clogging, and huge axial thrust.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a non-clogging slurry pump suitable for lifting coarse-grained ore particles from the deep seabed, as well as its pump unit operation process and conveying system, belonging to the field of deep-sea mining hydraulic lifting equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Both domestic and international researchers are developing electric pumps for lifting coarse-grained solid-liquid two-phase slurries in deep-sea mining. KSB in Germany developed a six-stage submersible lifting pump with axial flow and significant axial thrust. The pump's flow channel has an equivalent inner diameter of 75mm, while the maximum particle size passing through nodules is only 25mm. Therefore, clogging occurs when passing through or returning coarse particles larger than 25mm. Furthermore, the six impellers and guide vanes of the six-stage pump are mounted on the same shaft, leading to excessive load on the pump shaft and causing vibration and wear. Hunan University researched, designed, and developed my country's first marine mining lifting pump, conducted tests on clear water and nodule slurries, and obtained an invention patent CN103016362B. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the technical challenges of existing electric pumps for lifting coarse-grained ore in marine mining, such as handling small-sized particles, susceptibility to clogging, and the presence of significant axial thrust, this invention aims to provide a clog-free lifting slurry pump, its operating process, and conveying system. This lifting slurry pump features a rational structure and stress distribution, safe and reliable operation, and unobstructed passage and return of coarse-grained seabed ore, solving problems such as clogging and significant axial force caused by multi-stage series connection of electric pumps. Furthermore, the proposed pump operating process addresses the challenge of ensuring continued operation of the pipeline lifting system even if individual lifting slurry pumps fail.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0005] A non-clogging lifting slurry pump includes an inlet flange, an outlet flange, a lower tee pipe, an upper tee pipe, a lower lifting gravel pump, an upper lifting gravel pump, and a dual-output submersible motor.

[0006] The inlet end of the lower tee pipe is connected to the inlet flange, one of the two outlet ends of the lower tee pipe is connected to the suction port of the lower lifting gravel pump, the other of the two outlet ends of the lower tee pipe is connected to one of the two inlet ends of the upper tee pipe, the other of the two inlet ends of the upper tee pipe is connected to the pump outlet of the upper lifting gravel pump, and the outlet end of the upper tee pipe is connected to the outlet flange.

[0007] The lower lifting gravel pump is driven by one output shaft of a dual-output-shaft submersible motor, and the upper lifting gravel pump is driven by the other output shaft of a dual-output-shaft submersible motor.

[0008] The outlet of the lower lifting gravel pump is connected to the inlet of the upper lifting gravel pump via a pipe.

[0009] A normally closed valve is provided between the outlet end of the lower tee pipe and the inlet end of the upper tee pipe, and a normally open valve is provided between the pump outlet of the upper lifting gravel pump and the inlet end of the upper tee pipe.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention provides a dual-output submersible motor, an upper gravel pump, and a lower gravel pump within the overall structure of the lifting slurry pump. The upper and lower gravel pumps are respectively located at the upper and lower output shafts of the submersible motor. Through the ingenious combination of the upper and lower gravel pumps, valves, and pipelines, a lifting slurry pump structure is formed. This solves the problems of excessive flow of coarse-particle seabed ore slurry in the lifting slurry pump and the backflow of coarse-particle seabed ore slurry into the lifting slurry pump when the pipeline lifting system stops operating in abnormal situations. It also provides a pump group operation process for a distributed layout of lifting slurry pumps in the pipeline lifting system, adopting a two-in-one-outstanding operation mode to ensure the safe operation of the pipeline lifting system.

[0011] This invention solves the problems of blockage caused by coarse particles in the slurry pump during overflow or backflow, and the problem of safe and reliable operation of the pipeline lifting system. The slurry pump has the characteristics of reasonable structure, simple operation, safety and reliability, and the ability to pass and back coarse particles.

[0012] According to embodiments of the present invention, the present invention can be further optimized, and the optimized technical solution is as follows:

[0013] In one preferred embodiment, the lower lifting gravel pump and the upper lifting gravel pump are respectively installed on the two output shafts of the dual-output shaft submersible motor with a thrust bearing system.

[0014] In one preferred embodiment, the thrust bearing system of the dual-output submersible motor connected to the lower-lift gravel pump includes, from bottom to top, cylindrical roller bearings, radial ball bearings, and arc-contact ball bearings mounted on the motor shaft.

[0015] The thrust bearing system is a key component of the dual-output shaft submersible motor. This invention's thrust bearing system is ingeniously composed of three different types of bearings, effectively solving the problem of the dual-output shaft submersible motor of the slurry pump bearing enormous axial loads. It features high load-bearing capacity, long service life, safety and reliability, and a simple and reasonable structure. The lower shoulder of the motor shaft is supported by cylindrical roller bearings, which have high load-bearing capacity and are responsible for bearing all downward axial forces. Radial ball bearings mainly bear radial forces, and arc-contact ball bearings are responsible for bearing upward axial forces. This prevents the axial upward movement of the dual-output shaft submersible motor when the slurry pump is used in inclined or even horizontal extreme positions. Therefore, the slurry pump can be used in inclined or horizontal positions.

[0016] In one preferred embodiment, both the normally closed valve and the normally open valve are electrically operated valves. That is, the normally closed valve is a first electrically operated valve, and the normally open valve is a second electrically operated valve.

[0017] In one preferred embodiment, the inlet flange and the outlet flange are fixed together by multiple tie rods. Thus, the inlet flange and the outlet flange, fixed together by multiple high-strength steel tie rods, form the entire slurry pump assembly, capable of withstanding the weight and dynamic loads of the pipelines and underwater equipment below the slurry pump.

[0018] Based on the same inventive concept, the present invention also provides a pump unit operation process for the aforementioned non-clogging lifting slurry pump:

[0019] When the slurry pump is in normal operation, the normally closed valve is normally closed and the normally open valve is normally open. The seabed ore slurry flows from the inlet flange into the lower lifting gravel pump, is pressurized, and then flows through the pipeline into the upper lifting gravel pump. After being pressurized by the upper lifting gravel pump, the seabed ore slurry flows from the upper outlet of the upper tee pipe into the outlet flange and enters the upper lifting pipeline.

[0020] When the lifting pipeline system experiences an abnormal shutdown with slurry, the normally closed valves will be normally open and the normally open valves will be normally closed. The seabed ore slurry from the upper lifting pipeline will flow from the outlet flange into the upper tee pipe, then through the lower outlet of the lower tee pipe into the inlet flange, and finally back into the lower lifting pipeline.

[0021] The abnormal shutdown of the lifting pipeline system with slurry, as described in this invention, refers to the entire system stopping, such as a sudden power outage, in which case the entire slurry flows back.

[0022] Based on the same inventive concept, this invention also provides another pump unit operation process for the aforementioned non-clogging lifting slurry pump:

[0023] When the slurry pump is in normal operation, the normally closed valve is normally closed and the normally open valve is normally open. The seabed ore slurry flows from the inlet flange into the lower lifting gravel pump, is pressurized, and then flows through the pipeline into the upper lifting gravel pump. After being pressurized by the upper lifting gravel pump, the seabed ore slurry flows from the upper outlet of the upper tee pipe into the outlet flange and enters the upper lifting pipeline.

[0024] When a malfunction occurs in the lower or upper lifting gravel pump or the dual-output submersible motor of a lifting slurry pump, causing the lifting slurry pump to stop working, a standby pump should be started immediately. The normally closed valve of the standby pump should be opened and the normally open valve closed. The seabed ore slurry flows from the inlet flange into the lower tee pipe, then through the upper outlet of the upper tee pipe into the outlet flange, and finally into the upper lifting pipe. This isolates the lifting slurry pump from the lifting system, achieving redundancy for the lifting slurry pump.

[0025] In this way, when a slurry pump fails, it cannot operate, a backup pump is immediately started, and the failed pump is isolated, thus ensuring that the hoisting system continues to operate normally.

[0026] Based on the same inventive concept, the present invention also provides a slurry pump delivery system, which includes multiple non-clogging slurry pumps connected in series; in two adjacent non-clogging slurry pumps, the inlet flange of the previous non-clogging slurry pump is connected to the outlet flange of the next adjacent non-clogging slurry pump.

[0027] In one preferred embodiment, the multiple non-clogging lifting slurry pumps connected in series are divided into multiple lifting pump groups, each lifting pump group including three non-clogging lifting slurry pumps; in each lifting pump group, one non-clogging lifting slurry pump is used as a backup valve, with its normally open valve normally closed and its normally closed valve normally open, i.e., a two-in-one-out-of-service mode is adopted.

[0028] The lower lifting gravel pump and the upper lifting gravel pump are respectively installed on the lower and upper output shafts of the double-output shaft submersible motor with thrust bearings.

[0029] In this invention, preferably, both the lower and upper lifting gravel pumps are made of technologically mature centrifugal gravel pumps capable of handling particles with a maximum diameter of 120 mm. The suction inlets of both the lower and upper lifting gravel pumps are in the vertical axis direction, where there is no hydraulic axial force. The thrust bearing of the dual-output submersible motor only needs to bear the weight of the impellers of the lower and upper lifting gravel pumps and the motor rotor.

[0030] Under normal operating conditions, the first electric valve between the upper and lower tee pipes is normally closed, while the second electric valve between the upper tee pipe and the outlet of the upper lifting gravel pump is normally open. Coarse-grained seabed ore slurry flows from the inlet flange into the lower lifting gravel pump, where it is pressurized and then flows through pipes to the upper lifting gravel pump. After being pressurized by the upper lifting gravel pump, the coarse-grained seabed ore slurry flows from the upper outlet of the upper tee pipe into the outlet flange and into the upper lifting pipe. This two-stage pressurization by the gravel pumps creates a normal upward flow of coarse-grained seabed ore slurry. If an abnormality occurs in the lifting pipeline system... When the pump stops with slurry, the control system opens the first electric valve and closes the second electric valve. The seabed ore particles in the lifting pipeline above the slurry pump flow back through the valve to the lifting pipeline below the slurry pump. Therefore, the slurry pump only needs to handle coarse seabed ore slurry particles and does not need to flow back, thus avoiding the problem of slurry backflow clogging the slurry pump. If the lower lifting gravel pump, the upper lifting gravel pump, or the dual-output shaft submersible motor fails and causes the slurry pump to stop working, the slurry pump can also be isolated from the lifting system by opening the first electric valve and closing the second electric valve, thus achieving redundancy of the slurry pump.

[0031] Both the lower and upper lifting gravel pumps can be centrifugal pumps with a head of 100 meters of water column and a coarse particle capacity of 120mm. Therefore, a single lifting slurry pump can reach a head of 200 meters of water column. The total head required for a commercial pipeline lifting system for 6,000-meter deep-sea mining is approximately 1,200 meters of water column, which requires six lifting slurry pumps connected in series to achieve the required head. By using a two-in-one-outline technical solution with nine lifting slurry pumps connected in series, the high head requirements of the pipeline lifting system can be fully met. Even if three lifting slurry pumps fail, the pipeline lifting system can still operate normally.

[0032] The pipeline system for lifting coarse-grained seabed ore slurry in commercial deep-sea mining at depths of 6,000 meters carries a high risk of failure and blockage. Even slight changes in flow parameters within the pipeline can cause rapid stagnation or even sedimentation of particles, leading to immediate blockage. This invention addresses this issue by employing a distributed layout of lifting slurry pumps—a "motorized train" approach—to avoid the centralized, single-unit "steam locomotive" approach. This dispersed approach reduces the risk of system downtime and blockage. To achieve this distributed layout, the number of lifting pumps should not be too small, and the head of each pump should not be too high, ideally around 200 meters of water column. The high reliability of the "motorized train" approach lies in its distributed power. In contrast, the centralized, single-unit "steam locomotive" approach, with its high-head pumps and limited number of pumps, means that a single pump failure can reduce system capacity or even cause blockage and paralysis. The operating process of the lifting pump units proposed in this invention solves the problem of reduced system capacity and even blockage caused by pump failures. Three lifting slurry pumps proposed in this invention are combined into one lifting pump group, and nine lifting slurry pumps are combined into three lifting pump groups. They are distributed and installed at three appropriate water depths along the lifting pipeline. Each lifting pump group operates two lifting slurry pumps, and the other is isolated from the lifting pipeline through a valve. In this way, the lifting slurry pumps adopt a two-in-one standby operation mode to ensure the safe operation of the pipeline lifting system. Even if three lifting slurry pumps fail and stop operating, the remaining six pumps can still ensure the normal operation of the lifting pipeline system.

[0033] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0034] This invention provides a clever combination of two identical gravel centrifugal pumps and valves to form a lifting slurry pump, solving the problem of backflow of coarse seabed ore slurry when the lifting pipeline system stops operating abnormally; and provides a lifting pump group operation process with a distributed layout of lifting slurry pumps in the lifting pipeline system, adopting a two-in-use and one-in-standby operation mode to ensure the safe operation of the lifting pipeline system.

[0035] The slurry pump of this invention has a wide range of applications. It is mainly used in deep-sea mining systems to lift ore from the seabed to mining vessels on the ocean surface through pipelines. It can also be used in deep-land mining systems to lift ore from the bottom of the well to the Earth's surface. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the normal operation of an embodiment of the slurry pump of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A partial enlarged view of the thrust bearing system of the dual-output-shaft submersible motor;

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the slurry pump conveying system of the present invention when it stops due to abnormality and slurry.

[0039] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the principle when a single lifting slurry pump of the present invention malfunctions;

[0040] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the present invention, which uses nine lifting slurry pumps to form three lifting pump groups.

[0041] In the figure

[0042] 1-Inlet flange; 2-Lower tee pipe; 3-Lower lifting gravel pump; 4-Double output shaft submersible motor; 5-Pipeline; 6-Pipeline; 7-Upper lifting gravel pump; 8-First electric valve; 9-Second electric valve; 10-Upper tee pipe; 11-Outlet flange; 12-High-strength steel tie rod; 13-Motor shaft; 14-Cylindrical roller bearing; 15-Radial ball bearing; 16-Arc contact ball bearing. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described herein can be combined with each other. For ease of description, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" used below only indicate that they correspond to the upper, lower, left, and right directions in the accompanying drawings and do not limit the structure.

[0044] The core of this invention is a non-clogging lifting slurry pump and its operation process for lifting coarse-grained ore particles from the deep seabed into a deep-sea mining pipeline lifting system. This pump can lift coarse-grained ore slurry from the seabed to a surface mining vessel, possessing the ability to smoothly pass through and return coarse particles. Furthermore, by employing a distributed lifting slurry pump group layout, it can meet the high head and high reliability requirements of a deep-sea mining pipeline lifting system. Specific implementation methods are as follows:

[0045] like Figure 1 As shown, the non-clogging lifting slurry pump for lifting coarse-grained ore in deep-sea mining in this embodiment includes an overall structure of the lifting slurry pump composed of 8 high-strength steel tie rods 12, an inlet flange 1, and an outlet flange 11. This structure is convenient for bearing the static load and dynamic load below the lifting slurry pump and is convenient for connecting in series in the lifting pipeline and moving together with the mining vessel.

[0046] The lower lifting gravel pump 3 and the upper lifting gravel pump 7 are mounted on the two end shafts of the double-output shaft submersible motor 4 with thrust bearings. The lower end shaft of the double-output shaft submersible motor 4 is directly connected to the lower lifting gravel pump 3, and the upper end shaft is directly connected to the upper lifting gravel pump 7. The suction port of the lower lifting gravel pump 3 is connected to the inlet flange 1 through the lower tee pipe 2. The discharge port of the lower lifting gravel pump 3 is connected to the suction port of the upper lifting gravel pump 7 through pipe 5, pipe 6, and pipe 6. The discharge port of the upper lifting gravel pump 7 is connected to the lower tee pipe 2 and the outlet flange 11 through the upper tee pipe 10. A first electric valve 8 is installed between the upper tee pipe 10 and the lower tee pipe 2, and a second electric valve 8 is installed between the upper tee pipe 10 and the discharge port of the upper lifting gravel pump 7. Switching between the first electric valve 8 and the second electric valve 9 can isolate the lower lifting gravel pump 3 and the upper lifting gravel pump 7 from the lifting pipeline. Both the lower lifting gravel pump 3 and the upper lifting gravel pump 7 can be selected from mature gravel centrifugal pumps that can handle a maximum particle size of 120 mm, making full use of the huge flow capacity of the gravel centrifugal pump. Both the lower lifting gravel pump 3 and the upper lifting gravel pump 7 suck in seabed ore slurry from the vertical axis direction. There is no hydraulic axial force in the vertical axis direction. The thrust bearing system of the dual-output shaft submersible motor 4 only needs to bear the weight of the impellers of the lower lifting gravel pump 3 and the upper lifting gravel pump 7 and the motor rotor.

[0047] The lower lifting gravel pump 3 and the upper lifting gravel pump 7, the lower tee pipe 2 and the upper tee pipe 10, and the first electric valve 8 and the second electric valve 9 are cleverly and reasonably connected. The reasonable switching between the first electric valve 8 and the second electric valve 9 allows coarse-grained seabed ore slurry to be pressurized sequentially through the lower lifting gravel pump 3 and the upper lifting gravel pump 7, fully utilizing the enormous coarse-grained flow capacity of the lifting gravel pumps. It also allows the coarse-grained seabed ore slurry to flow back through the upper tee pipe 10 and the lower tee pipe 2, avoiding blockages caused by the upper lifting gravel pump 7 and the lower lifting gravel pump 3.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, under normal operating conditions, the first electric valve 8 between the upper tee pipe 10 and the lower tee pipe 2 is normally closed, and the second electric valve 9 between the upper tee pipe 10 and the outlet of the upper lifting gravel pump 7 is normally open. The coarse-particle seabed ore slurry flows from the inlet flange 1 into the lower lifting gravel pump 3, is pressurized, and then flows into the upper lifting gravel pump 7 through pipes 5 and 6. After being pressurized by the upper lifting gravel pump 7, the coarse-particle seabed ore slurry flows from the upper outlet of the upper tee pipe 10 into the outlet flange 11 and enters the upper lifting pipe. In this way, the normal upward flow of coarse-particle seabed ore slurry is formed by pressurizing through two stages of gravel pumps.

[0049] like Figure 3As shown, if the lifting pipeline system experiences an abnormal shutdown with slurry, the control system opens the first electric valve 8 and closes the second electric valve 9. The seabed ore particles in the lifting pipeline above the lifting slurry pump flow back to the lifting pipeline below the lifting slurry pump through valve 8. Therefore, the return flow of coarse seabed ore slurry does not need to pass through the upper lifting gravel pump 7 and the lower lifting gravel pump 3, and there is no problem of slurry return blocking the lifting slurry pump.

[0050] like Figure 4 As shown, when the lower lifting gravel pump 3, the upper lifting gravel pump 7, or the dual-output submersible motor 4 fails and the lifting slurry pump cannot work, the slurry lifting pump can also be isolated from the lifting pipeline system by opening the first electric valve 8 and closing the second electric valve 9, thus enabling the configuration of redundant lifting slurry pumps in the pipeline lifting system.

[0051] In this embodiment, the lower end of the inlet flange 1 and the upper end of the outlet flange 11 have the same connection method as the lifting pipeline, which can realize the rapid connection between the lifting slurry pump and the lifting pipeline.

[0052] The thrust bearing system of the dual-output shaft submersible motor 4 consists of cylindrical roller bearings, radial ball bearings, and arc-contact ball bearings. The cylindrical roller bearings bear the downward axial thrust, the radial ball bearings bear the radial force, and the arc-contact ball bearings bear the upward axial force.

[0053] In this embodiment, the normal start-up of the slurry pump adopts a soft start method, and the control of the slurry pump is implemented by the monitoring and control system on the mining vessel.

[0054] The lifting slurry pumps in the pipeline lifting system adopt a distributed layout pump group operation process, consisting of three lifting slurry pumps forming a lifting pump group, with two in use and one on standby, to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the pipeline lifting system.

[0055] The working principle and process of the non-clogging lifting slurry pump unit for lifting large particles of ore from the deep seabed in this embodiment:

[0056] like Figure 5As shown, for a commercial deep-sea mining pipeline lifting system at a depth of 6,000 meters, nine lifting slurry pumps form three lifting pump groups. Each pump group operates with two pumps in use and one as a backup. These pumps are connected in series at appropriate locations within the lifting pipeline and deployed along with the mining system. The lifting pump groups are submerged at a certain water depth. The lifting slurry pumps are started via a soft-start device. The dual output shafts of the motors drive the lower and upper gravel pumps to rotate to their rated speeds, creating an upward flow within the pipeline at a certain velocity. When the seabed ore collector operates, the collected seabed minerals are crushed and fed into the suction inlet of the seabed lifting pipeline via a feeder. A solid-liquid two-phase slurry rises within the lifting pipeline, lifting the seabed mineral particles to the surface mining vessel. During normal shutdown of the mining system, after the ore collector stops operating, the lifting pumps continue to operate for a period of time until the solid-liquid two-phase slurry in the entire lifting pipeline has been lifted to the surface mining vessel, at which point the pumps are stopped. In case of an emergency shutdown of the slurry pump, the control system opens the first electric valve 8 and closes the second electric valve 9. The seabed mineral particles in the lifting pipe above the slurry pump flow back through the lower tee pipe 2 and the upper tee pipe 10 and flow out of the slurry pump from the inlet flange 1. In this way, the seabed mineral particles do not pass through the lower lifting gravel pump 3 and the upper lifting gravel pump 7. Even if the slurry pump stops in an emergency, there will be no blockage in the lifting slurry.

[0057] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions falling within the scope of the present invention's concept are within the scope of protection of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art or related fields, any improvements and modifications made without departing from the principles of the present invention should be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for operating a non-clogging lifting slurry pump unit, characterized in that, The non-clogging lifting slurry pump includes an inlet flange (1), an outlet flange (11), a lower tee pipe (2), an upper tee pipe (10), a lower lifting gravel pump (3), an upper lifting gravel pump (7), and a dual-shaft submersible motor (4). The inlet end of the lower tee pipe (2) is connected to the inlet flange (1), one of the two outlet ends of the lower tee pipe (2) is connected to the suction port of the lower lifting gravel pump (3), the other of the two outlet ends of the lower tee pipe (2) is connected to one of the two inlet ends of the upper tee pipe (10), the other of the two inlet ends of the upper tee pipe (10) is connected to the pump outlet of the upper lifting gravel pump (7), and the outlet end of the upper tee pipe (10) is connected to the outlet flange (11). The lower lifting gravel pump (3) is driven by one output shaft of the dual-output submersible motor (4), and the upper lifting gravel pump (7) is driven by the other output shaft of the dual-output submersible motor (4); The pump outlet of the lower lifting gravel pump (3) is connected to the suction port of the upper lifting gravel pump (7) through a pipeline; A normally closed valve is provided between the outlet end of the lower tee pipe (2) and the inlet end of the upper tee pipe (10), and a normally open valve is provided between the pump outlet of the upper lifting gravel pump (7) and the inlet end of the upper tee pipe (10). When the lifting slurry pump is in normal operation, the normally closed valve is normally closed and the normally open valve is normally open. The seabed ore slurry flows from the inlet flange (1) into the lower lifting gravel pump (3) for pressurization and then flows through the pipeline into the upper lifting gravel pump (7). After being pressurized by the upper lifting gravel pump (7), the seabed ore slurry flows from the upper outlet of the upper tee pipe (10) into the outlet flange (11) and enters the upper lifting pipeline. When the upper lifting pipeline stops due to abnormality and slurry, the normally closed valve is normally open and the normally open valve is normally closed. The seabed ore slurry in the upper lifting pipeline flows from the outlet flange (11) into the upper tee pipe (10), and then flows into the inlet flange (1) through the lower outlet of the lower tee pipe (2), and flows back into the lower lifting pipeline.

2. A method for operating a non-clogging lifting slurry pump unit, characterized in that, The non-clogging lifting slurry pump includes an inlet flange (1), an outlet flange (11), a lower tee pipe (2), an upper tee pipe (10), a lower lifting gravel pump (3), an upper lifting gravel pump (7), and a dual-shaft submersible motor (4). The inlet end of the lower tee pipe (2) is connected to the inlet flange (1), one of the two outlet ends of the lower tee pipe (2) is connected to the suction port of the lower lifting gravel pump (3), the other of the two outlet ends of the lower tee pipe (2) is connected to one of the two inlet ends of the upper tee pipe (10), the other of the two inlet ends of the upper tee pipe (10) is connected to the pump outlet of the upper lifting gravel pump (7), and the outlet end of the upper tee pipe (10) is connected to the outlet flange (11). The lower lifting gravel pump (3) is driven by one output shaft of the dual-output submersible motor (4), and the upper lifting gravel pump (7) is driven by the other output shaft of the dual-output submersible motor (4); The pump outlet of the lower lifting gravel pump (3) is connected to the suction port of the upper lifting gravel pump (7) through a pipeline; A normally closed valve is provided between the outlet end of the lower tee pipe (2) and the inlet end of the upper tee pipe (10), and a normally open valve is provided between the pump outlet of the upper lifting gravel pump (7) and the inlet end of the upper tee pipe (10). When the lifting slurry pump is in normal operation, the normally closed valve is normally closed and the normally open valve is normally open. The seabed ore slurry flows from the inlet flange (1) into the lower lifting gravel pump (3) for pressurization and then flows through the pipeline into the upper lifting gravel pump (7). After being pressurized by the upper lifting gravel pump (7), the seabed ore slurry flows from the upper outlet of the upper tee pipe (10) into the outlet flange (11) and enters the upper lifting pipeline. When a certain lifting slurry pump fails to operate due to a fault in the lower lifting gravel pump (3), upper lifting gravel pump (7), or double-shaft submersible motor (4), a standby pump is immediately started, and the normally closed valve of the lifting slurry pump is opened and the normally open valve is closed. The seabed ore slurry flows from the inlet flange (1) into the lower tee pipe (2), and then flows into the outlet flange (11) through the upper outlet of the upper tee pipe (10), and enters the upper lifting pipe, thus isolating the lifting slurry pump from the lifting system and achieving redundancy of the lifting slurry pump.

3. The pump set operation method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The lower lifting gravel pump (3) and the upper lifting gravel pump (7) are respectively installed on the output shafts at both ends of the double-output submersible motor (4) with a thrust bearing system.

4. The pump set operation method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The thrust bearing system of the dual-output submersible motor (4) connected to the lower lifting gravel pump (3) includes cylindrical roller bearings (14), radial ball bearings (15) and arc-contact ball bearings (16) mounted on the motor shaft (13) from bottom to top.

5. The pump set operation method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Both the normally closed valve and the normally open valve are electric valves.

6. The pump set operation method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The inlet flange (1) and the outlet flange (11) are fixed together by multiple tie rods.

Images