Deep-sea mining plume treatment device and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a deep-sea mining plume treatment device and method, and belongs to the technical field of deep-sea mining. The deep-sea mining plume treatment device comprises a plurality of treatment pipelines, and each treatment pipeline comprises a pipe body provided with a water inlet and a water outlet; the filtering assembly comprises a plurality of filtering devices, the multiple filtering devices are arranged in the pipe body, and the filtering precision of the filtering devices is gradually increased in the direction from the water inlet to the water outlet; the collecting assembly comprises a plurality of collecting sub-parts, the number of the collecting sub-parts is equal to that of the filtering devices, the collecting sub-parts are arranged on the sides, close to the water inlet, of the filtering devices respectively, and the collecting sub-parts communicate with the pipe body. The technical problem that an existing deep-sea mining plume processing device is high in energy consumption is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of deep sea mining, and in particular to a deep sea mining plume processing device and method. Background Art

[0002] Deep-sea mining refers to the mining of minerals and metals from the seabed at a depth of 400 meters to 6.5 kilometers, mainly involving commercially valuable minerals such as polymetallic nodules, polymetallic sulfides and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts. With the growing global demand for minerals and metals, the exploitation of terrestrial resources is gradually facing depletion and environmental pressure. As a new way to obtain resources, deep-sea mining has gradually attracted attention.

[0003] Plume is one of the key factors restricting deep-sea mining. Plume will cause long-term and irreversible adverse effects on the marine environment and seabed ecosystem, seriously threatening the species diversity of seabed organisms. In the prior art, there are bioflocculant sedimentation, liquid carbon dioxide sedimentation, electrochemical sedimentation and physical methods for treating plumes. In addition to physical methods, it is still unknown whether other sedimentation methods will have a negative impact on the seabed environment. However, the existing devices that use physical methods to treat plumes consume a lot of energy. For this reason, a low-energy deep-sea mining plume treatment device is proposed. Summary of the invention

[0004] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a deep-sea mining plume processing device and method, aiming to propose a low-energy consumption deep-sea mining plume processing device.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the deep-sea mining plume processing device proposed in the present invention comprises a plurality of processing pipelines, each of which comprises: A pipe body, which has a water inlet and a drain outlet; A filter assembly, comprising a plurality of filter devices, wherein the plurality of filter devices are arranged in the tube body, and the filter accuracy of the filter devices gradually increases along the direction from the water inlet to the drain outlet; The collecting component comprises a plurality of collecting sub-components, the number of the collecting sub-components is equal to the number of the filtering devices, the plurality of collecting sub-components are respectively arranged on one side of the plurality of filtering devices close to the water inlet, and the collecting sub-components are connected to the pipe body.

[0006] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, along the direction from the water inlet to the drain outlet, the pipe body is divided into: a first pipe section, wherein the filtering device in the first pipe section is a large particle filter; a second pipe section, wherein the filtering device in the second pipe section is a cyclone solid-liquid separator, and the cyclone solid-liquid separator is connected with one of the collecting sub-components and the pipe body; The third pipe section, the filtering device in the third pipe section is a small particle filter.

[0007] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes: A pipeline valve, the pipeline valve is located at the water inlet to open and close the water inlet; A flow meter group, wherein a flow meter is respectively arranged on both sides of the large particle filter and the small particle filter, and a flow meter is arranged at the drain outlet; The collecting sub-component includes a temporary storage bin and a conveying bin, the plurality of temporary storage bins are respectively connected to the first pipe section and the third pipe section through valves, the cyclone solid-liquid separator is connected to one of the temporary storage bins through the valve, and a pressure sensor is arranged in the temporary storage bin, each of the temporary storage bins is respectively connected to one of the conveying bins, and the valve is arranged between the temporary storage bins and the conveying bins; A first valve group, wherein the two valves are respectively located on both sides of the large particle filter; A second valve group, wherein the two valves are respectively located on both sides of the cyclone solid-liquid separator; The third valve group, the two valves are respectively located on both sides of the small particle filter.

[0008] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes: A first return pipe, which is connected in parallel with the first pipe section, the inlet and the outlet of the first return pipe are respectively located on both sides of the large particle filter, the first return pipe has a first return valve, and the two valves in the first valve group are respectively located on the inlet and the outlet of the first return pipe on one side close to the drain port; A second return pipe is connected in parallel with the third pipe section, the inlet and outlet of the second return pipe are respectively located on both sides of the small particle filter, the second return pipe has a second return valve, and the two valves in the third valve group are respectively located on the inlet and outlet of the second return pipe on one side close to the drain outlet.

[0009] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes: A turbidity meter group, wherein three turbidity meters are respectively located on the large particle filter screen, the cyclone solid-liquid separator and the small particle filter screen on one side close to the drain outlet.

[0010] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present invention, the conveying bin is detachably connected to the temporary storage bin, and a pressure sensor is provided in the conveying bin.

[0011] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present invention, the large particle filter and / or the small particle filter are detachably connected to the tube body, the tube body at the large particle filter and the small particle filter is square, and the other tube bodies are circular, and the projection along the axis direction of the tube body, the projection of the square tube body covers the projection of the circular tube body.

[0012] To achieve the above object, the present invention further proposes a deep-sea mining plume processing method, which is applied to the above-mentioned deep-sea mining plume processing device, and the method comprises: S1. Close the first return valve, the second return valve and the delivery valve of all processing pipelines of the deep-sea mining plume treatment device, open the remaining valves, and operate all processing pipelines; S2. Measure the turbidity ψ3 and flow rate φ5 of the tail flow by the turbidity meter behind the small particle filter and the flow meter at the outlet, and calculate the total discharge volume Q1 of the treatment device, Q1=φ5×S×n, where S is the cross-sectional area of ​​the tail of a single pipe and n is the number of pipes, to determine whether φ5, ψ3 and Q1 meet the standards; S3. Close the pipeline valves one by one and gradually reduce the number of pipelines in operation. During the process of closing the pipeline valves one by one, φ5 increases and Q1 decreases until φ5≈(φ5)max, Q1≈Q2, where Q2 is the flow rate required for sucking out tuberculosis. The closed pipeline is used as a backup pipeline and the treatment device is officially put into operation. S4. During the formal operation, the readings of each parameter detection device are monitored at all times, and different readings of different detection devices are processed.

[0013] Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, step S4 includes monitoring the indications φ5, ψ3 and Q1, (1) When φ5≤(φ5)max, ψ3≤(ψ3)max, Q1≥Q2, all parameters are normal and the device operates normally; (2) When φ5>(φ5)max, ψ3≤(ψ3)max, the tailwater turbidity meets the requirements, but the flow rate is large, which is easy to arouse secondary plume. Regardless of whether the tailwater flow rate Q1 meets the requirements, the number of operating pipelines should be increased to reduce the tailwater flow rate and avoid arousing secondary plume until φ5≤(φ5)max, ψ3≤(ψ3)max, and Q1≥Q2 are met; (3) When φ5<(φ5)max, ψ3>(ψ3)max, the tailwater flow rate meets the discharge requirements, but the turbidity is large and easily arouses secondary plumes, indicating that the mesh sizes of the large particle filter and the dense filter are too large. Regardless of whether the tailwater flow Q1 meets the requirements, a denser filter should be replaced to reduce the turbidity of the tailwater plume and meet the discharge standards. (4) When φ5>(φ5)max and ψ3>(ψ3)max, the tailwater velocity and turbidity do not meet the discharge requirements, indicating that the number of pipelines in operation is small and the filter mesh size is large. Regardless of whether the tailwater flow rate Q1 meets the requirements, the number of operating pipelines should be increased and a denser filter should be replaced to reduce the tailwater plume velocity and turbidity to meet the deep-sea mining tailwater plume discharge standards.

[0014] Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, step S4 includes monitoring parameters φ1, φ2, φ3, φ4, (1) When the readings of φ1 and φ2 increase significantly, and the difference △1 between the two is close to 0, it means that the temporary storage bin in the first pipe section is full. Open the spare pipeline and put it into use. Close the valve behind the large particle filter. Open the valve between the temporary storage bin and the conveying bin. Transfer the large particle size particles to the conveying bin. After the transfer is completed, close the valve between the temporary storage bin and the conveying bin, open the valve behind the large particle filter, and close the spare pipeline. (2) When the readings of φ1 and φ2 are close to 0, and the difference △1 between the two is close to 0, it means that the large particle filter is blocked. Open the spare pipeline and put it into use. Close the valves on both sides of the large particle filter, open the first return pipeline, open the valve between the temporary storage bin and the delivery bin, and reversely flush the large particle filter. Send the large particle size particles to the delivery bin. After the reverse flushing is completed, open the valves on both sides of the large particle filter, close the first return pipeline, close the valve between the temporary storage bin and the delivery bin, and close the spare pipeline. (3) When the readings of φ3 and φ4 increase significantly, and the difference △2 between the two is close to 0, it means that the temporary storage bin in the second pipe section is full. Open the spare pipeline and put it into use. Close the valve behind the small particle filter. Open the valve between the temporary storage bin and the conveying bin. Transfer the small particle size particles to the conveying bin. After the transfer is completed, close the valve between the temporary storage bin and the conveying bin, open the valve behind the small particle filter, and close the spare pipeline. (4) When the readings of φ3 and φ4 are close to 0, and the difference △2 between the two is close to 0, it means that the small particle filter is blocked. Open the spare pipeline and put it into use. Close the valves on both sides of the small particle filter, open the second return pipeline, open the valve between the temporary storage bin and the delivery bin, and backwash the small particle filter. Send the small particle size particles to the delivery bin. After the backwash is completed, open the valves on both sides of the small particle filter, close the second return pipeline, close the valve between the temporary storage bin and the delivery bin, and close the spare pipeline.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention can at least achieve the following beneficial effects. The deep-sea mining plume treatment device proposed in this scheme includes multiple treatment pipelines, and each pipeline can complete plume treatment independently. Seawater mixed with impurity particles enters the treatment pipeline from the water inlet, and contacts different filtering devices during the flow along the treatment pipeline. The filtering precision of multiple filtering devices is different, and the filtering precision gradually increases along the water flow direction. When the seawater passes through the first filtering device, large-sized impurity particles are filtered out and fall into the corresponding collecting sub-component under the action of gravity. When the seawater continues to flow through other filtering devices, impurity particles of other sizes are gradually filtered out, and the impurity particles enter the collecting sub-component. The seawater passes through the multi-stage filtration of the treatment pipeline. Due to the damping of the filtering device, the flow rate of the seawater decreases, and the solid particles in the seawater are reduced, the turbidity decreases, and the tail flow of the filtered seawater is discharged back to the ocean through the drain port. Since the tail flow velocity and turbidity are both low, no secondary plume will be generated. Moreover, this solution reduces the seawater flow rate and turbidity with a purely physical structure, which will neither affect the seawater nor require additional energy supply from the treatment device, thus solving the technical problem of high energy consumption of current seawater mining plume treatment devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the processing pipeline in the second embodiment of the deep-sea mining plume processing device of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first pipe section in the processing pipeline; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second pipe section in the processing pipeline; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the third pipe section in the processing pipeline; Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the deep-sea mining plume processing device of the present invention; Figure 6 It is a structural diagram of the pipeline at the filter; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a deep-sea mining vehicle; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a deep-sea mining vehicle; Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure after adding a filter to the first return pipe in the first pipe section.

[0018] Description of Figure Numbers: 100, pipe body; 110, water inlet; 120, drain outlet; 130, large particle filter; 140, cyclone solid-liquid separator; 150, small particle filter; 160, first return pipe; 170, second return pipe; 200, deep-sea mining vehicle; 210, suction port; 220, flushing device; 310, temporary storage bin; 320, conveying bin; 410, valve; 420, flow meter; 430, turbidity meter; 440, pressure sensor; The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0021] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connection", "fixation", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "fixation" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0022] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the meaning of "and / or" appearing in the full text includes three parallel schemes. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes scheme A, or scheme B, or a scheme that satisfies both A and B. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in the field to implement. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0023] When submersibles, deep-sea mining vehicles and other equipment are operating on the seabed, the turbidity of the water caused by contact with the sediments on the seabed is called deep-sea plume. The plume usually appears like smoke, which will seriously affect the observation effect during exploration and bring great challenges to scientific research and resource development. What's more serious is that deep-sea plumes may also interfere with the ecological environment and biological habitats of the seabed.

[0024] Reference Figure 1 to Figure 8 The present invention provides a deep-sea mining plume processing device, comprising a plurality of processing pipelines, each of which comprises: The pipe body 100 is provided with a water inlet 110 and a water outlet 120; The filter assembly includes a plurality of filter devices, which are arranged in the pipe body 100, and the filter accuracy of the filter devices gradually increases along the direction from the water inlet 110 to the water outlet 120; The collecting component includes a plurality of collecting sub-components, the number of which is equal to the number of filtering devices. The plurality of collecting sub-components are respectively arranged on one side of the plurality of filtering devices close to the water inlet 110 , and the collecting sub-components are connected to the pipe body 100 .

[0025] The deep-sea mining plume treatment device proposed in this scheme includes multiple treatment pipelines, each of which can complete plume treatment independently. Seawater mixed with impurity particles enters the treatment pipeline from the water inlet 110, and flows through different filtering devices during the flow along the treatment pipeline. The filtering precision of multiple filtering devices is different, and the filtering precision gradually increases along the water flow direction. When the seawater passes through the first filtering device, the large-sized impurity particles are filtered out and enter the corresponding collecting sub-component. When the seawater continues to flow through other filtering devices, the impurity particles of other sizes are gradually filtered out, and the impurity particles enter the collecting sub-component. The seawater passes through the multi-stage filtration of the treatment pipeline. Due to the damping of the filtering device, the flow rate of the seawater decreases, and the solid particles in the seawater are reduced, and the turbidity decreases. The tail flow of the filtered seawater is discharged back to the ocean through the drain 120. Since the tail flow velocity and turbidity are both low, no secondary plume will be generated. In addition, the scheme reduces the flow velocity and turbidity of seawater as a purely physical structure, which will not affect the seawater, and does not require the treatment device to supply it with additional energy, thereby solving the technical problem of high energy consumption of the current seawater mining plume treatment device.

[0026] Reference Figure 7~Figure 8 Specifically, the plume treatment device is installed on a deep-sea mining vehicle 200 for use. The deep-sea mining vehicle 200 has a suction port 210, which sucks metal nodules, impurity particles and seawater on the seabed into the mining vehicle. The seawater mixed with metal nodules and impurity particles is first washed by a washing device 220, and the metal nodules are collected during the washing process. The seawater mixed with impurity particles is sent to the plume treatment device, enters multiple processing pipelines for filtering and collecting impurity particles, reducing the flow rate of seawater, and other treatments. After multi-stage treatment, the seawater is discharged back to the ocean through a drain port 120.

[0027] Although the processing device has a plurality of processing pipelines, during actual operation, at least one processing pipeline can be closed to serve as a backup pipeline for other processing pipelines.

[0028] In the first embodiment, the multiple filter devices in the filter assembly are filters with different filtering accuracies to filter and collect foreign particles. For example, from the water inlet 110 to the outlet 120, the filtering accuracies are ≥30μm, ≥20μm, ≥10μm, and ≥3μm, respectively. It can be understood that the above-mentioned accuracy selection is only for illustration, and different numbers of filters with different filtering accuracies can be set for use according to the requirements of different working environments.

[0029] Reference Figure 1~Figure 4Embodiment 2 is an optimized design of embodiment 1. In embodiment 2, according to different filtering accuracies, the pipe body 100 is divided into a first pipe section, a second pipe section and a third pipe section, wherein the filtering device in the first pipe section is a large particle filter 130, the filtering device in the second pipe section is a cyclone solid-liquid separator 140, and the filtering device in the third pipe section is a small particle filter 150.

[0030] Compared with the filter, the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140 has a higher separation efficiency and a wider range of filtration accuracy, and can meet the separation of impurity particles of a wider size range from seawater. At the same time, the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140 can complete the separation of solids and liquids by relying on the flow rate and pressure of the seawater itself, without generating additional energy consumption, and will not increase the energy consumption of the plume treatment device while improving the screening effect.

[0031] Since the separation precision range of the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140 is limited, the size range of the impurity particles cannot be completely covered by the processing range of the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140, for this reason, a large particle filter 130 and a small particle filter 150 are respectively arranged on both sides of the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140. The large particle filter 130 filters large-size particles that exceed the processing range of the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140, and the small particle filter 150 filters small-size particles that exceed the processing range of the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140.

[0032] Each filter device corresponds to a collecting sub-component, which collects solid particles of different particle sizes. Each collecting sub-component includes a temporary storage bin 310 and a conveying bin 320. During the operation of the processing pipeline, foreign particles will gradually enter the temporary storage bin 310. When the amount of solid matter in the temporary storage bin 310 is large, the temporary storage bin 310 needs to be processed. In order to be able to process the temporary storage bin 310 in a timely manner, a pressure sensor 440 and a flow meter 420 are set for monitoring.

[0033] The storage status of the temporary storage bin 310 in the first pipe section and the second pipe section is determined according to the parameters of the flowmeter 420 on both sides of the filter screen. The detection and processing process of the first pipe section and the second pipe section is the same, and the first pipe section is used as an example for description.

[0034] When the temporary storage bin 310 at the first pipe section is gradually filled, the impurity particles will gradually accumulate in front of the large particle filter 130. Flow meters 420 are respectively provided on both sides of the large particle filter 130, and their readings are φ1φ2 respectively. When the values ​​of φ1φ2 increase significantly (the flow rate remains unchanged, the effective flow cross-sectional area at the first pipe section decreases, and the flow rate increases), and the difference △1 between the two readings is approximately 0, it can be determined that the temporary storage bin 310 of the pipe section is full, and the solid particles cannot enter the temporary storage bin 310 and have accumulated in front of the large particle filter 130.

[0035] At this time, first open the pipeline valve of the spare pipeline and put the spare pipeline into use, so that the treatment device as a whole has sufficient flow capacity to ensure the continuity of plume treatment.

[0036] For the problematic pipeline, first close the valve 410 on the side of the large particle filter 130 in the pipeline close to the drain outlet 120, open the valve 410 between the temporary storage bin 310 and the delivery bin 320, and the solid particles accumulated in the pipe body 100 flow into the delivery bin 320 under the push of the water flow. After the solid particles enter the delivery bin 320, close the valve 410 between the temporary storage bin 310 and the delivery bin 320, open the valve 410 on the side of the large particle filter 130 close to the drain outlet 120, and close the pipeline valve of the standby pipeline.

[0037] In the third pipe section, the storage state of the temporary storage bin 310 in the third pipe section is determined by the readings φ3φ4 of the flow meter 420 on both sides of the small particle filter 150, and the difference is △2.

[0038] Specifically, the delivery bin 320 is made of a flexible material with good water permeability and filterability. After the seawater and solid particles enter the delivery bin 320, the solid particles remain in the delivery bin 320 and the seawater is filtered out. In addition, a corresponding functional unit is provided to complete the automatic replacement of the delivery bin 320. The delivery bin 320 and the temporary storage bin 310 are detachably connected, and a pressure sensor 440 is provided in the delivery bin 320. When the pressure signal received by the pressure sensor 440 in the delivery bin 320 reaches the threshold, it means that the delivery bin 320 is full. At this time, the delivery bin 320 is automatically disassembled and replaced, and the disassembled delivery bin 320 is packaged and transported. Since the automatic disassembly and replacement of the delivery bin 320 is not the main design purpose of this solution, the specific structure of the functional unit will not be described in detail here.

[0039] The collecting sub-component is provided with a temporary storage bin 310 and a delivery bin 320 , and a valve 410 is provided between the two, which can ensure that the seawater in the treatment pipeline flows from the water inlet 110 to the drain outlet 120 under normal circumstances.

[0040] In addition, during normal operation, the filter screen is prone to clogging. This is not because there are too many solid particles in the temporary storage bin 310, which cause the solid particles to accumulate at the filter screen, but because the particles are stuck in the mesh of the filter screen. Therefore, the first return pipe 160 and the second return pipe 170 are provided to solve this problem. Since the detection and processing process of the filter screen clogging of the first pipe section and the third pipe section is the same, the first pipe section is taken as an example for description.

[0041] When the flow meter 420 in front of the large particle filter 130 in the first pipe section shows φ1≈0, the flow meter 420 in the rear side shows φ2≈0, and the difference between the two readings △1≈0, it can be determined that the large particle filter 130 is clogged.

[0042] First, open the pipeline valve of the spare pipeline and put the spare pipeline into use so that the treatment device as a whole has sufficient flow capacity to ensure the continuity of plume treatment.

[0043] The valves 410 on both sides of the large particle filter 130 in the blocked pipeline are closed, and the valve 410 between the temporary storage bin 310 and the delivery bin 320 is opened. At this time, the water will flow from the first return pipe 160 to the rear of the large particle filter 130. Since the valve 410 is closed, the water cannot flow to the second pipe section, so the water reversely flushes the large particle filter 130, and the particles attached to the large particle filter 130 are washed down and flow directly to the delivery bin 320 with the water flow, completing the dredging of the large particle filter 130. After the flushing is completed, the valves 410 on both sides of the large particle filter 130 are opened, the valve 410 between the delivery bin 320 and the temporary storage bin 310 is closed, and the pipeline valve of the standby pipeline is closed to complete the treatment of the filter blockage.

[0044] In the third pipe section, the flowmeter 420 readings φ3φ4 on both sides of the small particle filter 150 and the difference Δ2 between the two are used to determine whether the small particle filter 150 is blocked. When the small particle filter 150 is blocked, the valves 410 on both sides of the small particle filter 150 are controlled to close, and the small particle filter 150 is backwashed through the second return pipe 170. In addition, the first return pipe 160 and the second return pipe 170 are both provided with separate valves 410. When the plume treatment device is in normal operation, the first return pipe 160 and the second return pipe 170 are both in a closed state.

[0045] Reference Fig. 9 During the backwashing process in the first pipe section, seawater mixed with large-size particles will flow to the rear side of the large-particle filter 130 through the first return pipe 160 without being filtered, and as the treatment pipe is put back into use, these large-size particles will enter the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140. Large-size particles that exceed the processing range of the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140 may affect the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140. For this reason, a filter is set at the inlet of the first return pipe 160. Optionally, the filtering accuracy of the filter can be the same as that of the large-particle filter 130. It can be understood that the filtering accuracy of the filter at the first return pipe 160 only needs to be able to block the large-size particles on the front side of the large-particle filter 130.

[0046] Similarly, the backwashing process of the third pipe section also has this problem. During the backwashing, small-sized particles will reach the rear side of the small-sized particle filter 150 through the second return pipe 170 and be discharged when the treatment pipe is put back into use, affecting the turbidity of the tail water discharge. For this reason, a filter is also provided at the inlet of the second return pipe 170 to block the small-sized particles at the front side of the small-sized particle filter 150.

[0047] It should be noted that the filter in the return pipe will be flushed when the treatment pipe is operating normally, and the return pipe is used less frequently, so it is very difficult for the filter in the return pipe to be blocked. In addition, the filter in the return pipe can be installed or removed according to specific working conditions.

[0048] The filtering device in the second pipe section is a cyclone solid-liquid separator 140. Unlike the filter screen, the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140 is not prone to clogging, but the temporary storage bin 310 may be full of solid particles. The following describes how to deal with the temporary storage bin 310 being full of solid particles in the second pipe section.

[0049] A pressure sensor 440 is provided in the temporary storage bin 310 connected to the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140. When the pressure signal received by the pressure sensor 440 reaches a predetermined pressure, it indicates that the temporary storage bin 310 is full.

[0050] First, open the main valve 410 of the standby pipeline and put the standby pipeline into use. Close the valve 410 on the side of the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140 close to the drain outlet 120, open the valve 410 between the delivery bin 320 and the temporary storage bin 310, and the solid particles in the temporary storage bin 310 flow into the delivery bin 320. After the solid particles enter the delivery bin 320, open the valve 410 on the side of the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140 close to the drain outlet 120, close the valve 410 between the delivery bin 320 and the temporary storage bin 310, and close the pipeline valve of the standby pipeline to complete the collection of solid particles.

[0051] It should be noted that the inspection and replacement process of the delivery bin 320 at the second pipe section is the same as that of the delivery bin 320 in the third pipe section, so it will not be described in detail.

[0052] In this solution, by setting up a spare pipeline and promptly starting the spare pipeline when a problem occurs in the operating pipeline, the continuity and stability of the plume treatment device are improved, so that the plume treatment device can operate for a long time.

[0053] Furthermore, the treatment device is also provided with a turbidity meter 430. Specifically, three turbidity meters 430 are respectively arranged on one side of the three filtering devices close to the drain outlet 120. The three turbidity meters 430 respectively measure the turbidity ψ1 of the water flow behind the large particle filter 130, the turbidity ψ2 of the water flow behind the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140 and the turbidity ψ3 of the water flow behind the small particle filter 150, and the readings of the three turbidity meters 430 are monitored at all times during operation.

[0054] (1) When ψ1≤(ψ1)max, ψ2≤(ψ2)max, and ψ3≤(ψ3)max, it means that the parameters are reasonable, each filter device is operating normally, and the device as a whole is operating normally.

[0055] (2) When ψ1≥(ψ1)max, ψ2≤ψ2max, ψ3≤(ψ3)max, it means that the turbidity of the water flow behind the large particle filter 130 is too high. At this time, the pipeline needs to be closed and the spare pipeline needs to be opened for use. After the deep-sea mining vehicle 200 floats up, the large particle filter 130 in the problem pipeline is adjusted and replaced, and the pipeline after the replacement of the filter is used as a spare pipeline.

[0056] (3) When ψ1≤(ψ1)max, ψ2≥(ψ2)max, ψ3≤(ψ3)max, it means that the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140 fails and cannot work normally. At this time, the pipeline is closed and the spare pipeline is opened for use. After the deep-sea mining vehicle 200 floats up, the cyclone solid-liquid separator 140 in the problem pipeline is repaired.

[0057] (4) When ψ1≤(ψ1)max, ψ2≤(ψ2)max, and ψ3≥(ψ3)max, it indicates that the turbidity of the water flow behind the small particle filter 150 is too high. At this time, the pipeline valve of the problem pipeline is closed, and the small particle filter 150 in the problem pipeline is adjusted and replaced after the deep-sea mining vehicle 200 floats up, and the pipeline after the replacement of the filter is used as a spare pipeline.

[0058] In summary, when a processing pipeline is operating normally, the valve 410 between the delivery bin 320 and the temporary storage bin 310, and the valve 410 between the first return pipe 160 and the second return pipe 170 are first closed. The plume tail water enters the pipe body 100, and flows through the flow meter 420-large particle filter 130-flow meter 420-turbidity meter 430-cyclone solid-liquid separator 140-turbidity meter 430-flow meter 420-small particle filter 150-flow meter 420-flow meter 420-turbidity meter 430 in sequence. After three different filtering devices, the sediment particles in the plume tail water have been filtered and collected according to particle size. After the tail water passes through three layers of filtration, the tail water that meets the flow rate requirements and turbidity requirements will be slowly discharged.

[0059] Further, refer to Figure 6, an optional structure in which the filter screen and the tube body 100 are detachably connected is proposed. The tube body 100 at the filter screen is a square tube body 100, and the rest of the tube body 100 is a circular tube body 100, and the projection along the axis direction of the tube body 100, the projection of the square tube body 100 covers the projection of the circular tube body 100, so as to ensure that the filter screen can fully filter the seawater. A card slot is provided in the square tube body 100 at the large particle filter screen 130 and the small particle filter screen 150, and the filter screen is fixed at a certain position in the tube body 100 through the card slot. This structure is only one of the optional structures for installing the filter screen. In other embodiments, the filter screen and the tube body 100 can choose other connection methods that can achieve detachable connection.

[0060] It is understandable that according to the parameters of the flow meter 420, turbidity meter 430 and pressure sensor 440, it is achievable for those skilled in the art to automatically control the opening and closing of different valves 410 and the replacement of the delivery bin 320, so the corresponding control system will not be described in detail.

[0061] To achieve the above object, the present invention further proposes a deep-sea mining plume treatment method, which is applied to the deep-sea mining plume treatment device described above, and the method comprises: S1. Close the first return valve, the second return valve and the delivery valve of all processing pipelines of the deep-sea mining plume treatment device, open the remaining valves, and operate all processing pipelines; S2. Measure the turbidity ψ3 and flow rate φ5 of the tail flow using the turbidity meter at the rear side of the small particle filter and the velocity meter at the outlet, and calculate the total discharge volume Q1 of the treatment device, Q1=φ5×S×n, where S is the cross-sectional area of ​​the tail of a single pipe and n is the number of pipes, to determine whether φ5, ψ3 and Q1 meet the standards; S3. Close the pipeline valves one by one and gradually reduce the number of pipelines in operation. During the process of closing the pipeline valves one by one, φ5 increases and Q1 decreases until φ5≈φmax, Q1≈Q2, Q2 is the flow rate required for sucking nodules, and the closed pipeline is used as a backup pipeline, and the plume treatment device is officially put into operation; S4. During the formal operation, φ5, ψ3 and Q1 are monitored at all times, and different treatments are taken for different situations.

[0062] The above method mainly proposes a method for determining the number of spare pipelines. Q1 is the total drainage volume of the treatment device; Q2 is the flow rate required for suction of nodules, which is a theoretical value. To ensure the normal collection of metal nodules, Q1 ≥ Q2 should be ensured. When all treatment pipelines are open, Q1>Q2. As the number of treatment pipelines decreases, φ5 gradually increases to close to φmax, and the value of Q1 gradually approaches Q2. The closer Q1 is to Q2, the higher the plume treatment efficiency of the treatment device is, and the unnecessary loss of components such as filters caused by excessive treatment can be avoided. It can be understood that when adjusting Q1, it is carried out under the condition of φ5≤φmax.

[0063] In addition, since there are multiple processing pipelines in the mining vehicle, the processing pipelines will produce a certain reaction force on the mining vehicle when discharging tail flow. In order to ensure that the mining vehicle is evenly stressed, when selecting spare pipelines for closing, it is possible to consider forming a symmetrical structure between multiple spare pipelines.

[0064] Furthermore, during the operation of the treatment device, the drainage flow rate Q1, the tail water flow rate φ5 and the tail water turbidity ψ3 are monitored.

[0065] During the monitoring process, the following situations occur: (1) When φ5≤(φ5)max, ψ3≤(ψ3)max, Q1≥Q2, all parameters are normal and the device operates normally; (2) When φ5>(φ5)max, ψ3≤(ψ3)max, the tailwater turbidity meets the requirements, but the flow rate is large, which is easy to arouse secondary plume. Regardless of whether the tailwater flow rate Q1 meets the requirements, the number of operating pipelines should be increased to reduce the tailwater flow rate and avoid arousing secondary plume until φ5≤(φ5)max, ψ3≤(ψ3)max, and Q1≥Q2 are met; (3) When φ5<(φ5)max, ψ3>(ψ3)max, the tailwater flow rate meets the discharge requirements, but the turbidity is large and easily arouses secondary plumes, indicating that the mesh sizes of the large particle filter and the dense filter are too large. Regardless of whether the tailwater flow Q1 meets the requirements, a denser filter should be replaced to reduce the turbidity of the tailwater plume and meet the discharge standards. (4) When φ5>(φ5)max and ψ3>(ψ3)max, the tailwater velocity and turbidity do not meet the discharge requirements, indicating that the number of pipelines in operation is small and the filter mesh size is large. Regardless of whether the tailwater flow rate Q1 meets the requirements, the number of operating pipelines should be increased and a denser filter should be replaced to reduce the tailwater plume velocity and turbidity to meet the deep-sea mining tailwater plume discharge standards.

[0066] Based on the above description, the present invention can at least achieve the following beneficial effects: 1. By setting up spare pipelines, when there are different conditions in the processing pipelines, such as full delivery, cleaning blockage, and fault damage, the spare pipelines can be put into use first, and then the problematic pipelines can be processed accordingly, so as to achieve long-term continuous and efficient operation; 2. During the plume collection and discharge process, no additional energy supply is required, and the plume collection and discharge can be completed by relying on the kinetic energy provided by the tail water; 3. The collection and transportation of impurity particles in the processing pipeline is purely mechanical filtration and collection, which has no adverse impact on the seabed environment; 4. Collect sediments of different particle sizes in the plume according to their particle sizes for subsequent use or treatment; 5. When discharging tail water, the velocity, turbidity and flow rate of the tail water shall meet the discharge standards and meet the plume treatment problem of the deep-sea mining vehicle during normal operation.

[0067] The above descriptions are only optional embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A deep sea mining plume treatment device, characterized in that: Comprising a plurality of processing pipelines, each of the processing pipelines comprising: A pipe body, which has a water inlet and a drain outlet; A filter assembly, comprising a plurality of filter devices, wherein the plurality of filter devices are arranged in the tube body, and the filter accuracy of the filter devices gradually increases along the direction from the water inlet to the drain outlet; The collecting component comprises a plurality of collecting sub-components, the number of the collecting sub-components is equal to the number of the filtering devices, the plurality of collecting sub-components are respectively arranged on one side of the plurality of filtering devices close to the water inlet, and the collecting sub-components are connected to the pipe body.

2. The deep sea mining plume treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Along the direction from the water inlet to the drain outlet, the pipe body is divided into: a first pipe section, wherein the filtering device in the first pipe section is a large particle filter; a second pipe section, wherein the filtering device in the second pipe section is a cyclone solid-liquid separator, and the cyclone solid-liquid separator is connected with one of the collecting sub-components and the pipe body; The third pipe section, the filtering device in the third pipe section is a small particle filter.

3. The deep sea mining plume treatment device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Also includes: A pipeline valve, the pipeline valve is located at the water inlet to open and close the water inlet; A flow meter group, wherein a flow meter is respectively arranged on both sides of the large particle filter and the small particle filter, and a flow meter is arranged at the drain outlet; The collecting sub-component includes a temporary storage bin and a conveying bin, the plurality of temporary storage bins are respectively connected to the first pipe section and the third pipe section through valves, the cyclone solid-liquid separator is connected to one of the temporary storage bins through the valve, and a pressure sensor is arranged in the temporary storage bin, each of the temporary storage bins is respectively connected to one of the conveying bins, and the valve is arranged between the temporary storage bins and the conveying bins; A first valve group, wherein the two valves are respectively located on both sides of the large particle filter; A second valve group, wherein the two valves are respectively located on both sides of the cyclone solid-liquid separator; The third valve group, the two valves are respectively located on both sides of the small particle filter.

4. The deep sea mining plume treatment device according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: A first return pipe, which is connected in parallel with the first pipe section, the inlet and the outlet of the first return pipe are respectively located on both sides of the large particle filter, the first return pipe has a first return valve, and the two valves in the first valve group are respectively located on the inlet and the outlet of the first return pipe on one side close to the drain port; A second return pipe is connected in parallel with the third pipe section, the inlet and outlet of the second return pipe are respectively located on both sides of the small particle filter, the second return pipe has a second return valve, and the two valves in the third valve group are respectively located on the inlet and outlet of the second return pipe on one side close to the drain outlet.

5. The deep sea mining plume treatment device according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: A turbidity meter group, wherein three turbidity meters are respectively located on the large particle filter screen, the cyclone solid-liquid separator and the small particle filter screen on one side close to the drain outlet.

6. The deep sea mining plume treatment device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The conveying bin is detachably connected to the temporary storage bin, and a pressure sensor is arranged in the conveying bin.

7. The deep sea mining plume treatment device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The large particle filter and / or the small particle filter are detachably connected to the tube body. The tube body at the large particle filter and the small particle filter is square, and the other tube bodies are circular. The projection along the axis of the tube body, the projection of the square tube body covers the projection of the circular tube body.

8. A deep sea mining plume treatment method, applied to the deep sea mining plume treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: include: S1. Close the first return valve, the second return valve and the delivery valve of all processing pipelines of the deep-sea mining plume treatment device, open the remaining valves, and operate all processing pipelines; S2. Measure the turbidity ψ3 and flow rate φ5 of the tail flow by the turbidity meter behind the small particle filter and the flow meter at the outlet, and calculate the total discharge volume Q1 of the treatment device, Q1=φ5×S×n, where S is the cross-sectional area of ​​the tail of a single pipe and n is the number of pipes, to determine whether φ5, ψ3 and Q1 meet the standards; S3. Close the pipeline valves one by one and gradually reduce the number of pipelines in operation. During the process of closing the pipeline valves one by one, φ5 increases and Q1 decreases until φ5≈φmax, Q1≈Q2, where Q2 is the flow rate required for sucking out tuberculosis. The closed pipeline is used as a backup pipeline and the treatment device is officially put into operation. S4. During the formal operation, the readings of each parameter detection device are monitored at all times, and different readings of different detection devices are processed.

9. The deep sea mining plume treatment method according to claim 8, characterized in that: Step S4 includes monitoring the indications φ5, ψ3 and Q1, (1) When φ5≤(φ5)max, ψ3≤(ψ3)max, Q1≥Q2, all parameters are normal and the device operates normally; (2) When φ5>(φ5)max, ψ3≤(ψ3)max, the tailwater turbidity meets the requirements, but the flow rate is large, which is easy to arouse secondary plume. Regardless of whether the tailwater flow rate Q1 meets the requirements, the number of operating pipelines should be increased to reduce the tailwater flow rate and avoid arousing secondary plume until φ5≤(φ5)max, ψ3≤(ψ3)max, and Q1≥Q2 are met; (3) When φ5<(φ5)max, ψ3>(ψ3)max, the tailwater flow rate meets the discharge requirements, but the turbidity is large and easily arouses secondary plumes, indicating that the mesh sizes of the large particle filter and the dense filter are too large. Regardless of whether the tailwater flow Q1 meets the requirements, a denser filter should be replaced to reduce the turbidity of the tailwater plume and meet the discharge standards. (4) When φ5>(φ5)max and ψ3>(ψ3)max, the tailwater velocity and turbidity do not meet the discharge requirements, indicating that the number of pipelines in operation is small and the filter mesh size is large. Regardless of whether the tailwater flow rate Q1 meets the requirements, the number of operating pipelines should be increased and a denser filter should be replaced to reduce the tailwater plume velocity and turbidity to meet the deep-sea mining tailwater plume discharge standards.

10. The deep sea mining plume treatment method according to claim 8, characterized in that: Step S4 includes: monitoring parameters φ1, φ2, φ3, φ4, (1) When the readings of φ1 and φ2 increase significantly, and the difference △1 between the two is close to 0, it means that the temporary storage bin in the first pipe section is full. Open the spare pipeline and put it into use. Close the valve behind the large particle filter. Open the valve between the temporary storage bin and the conveying bin. Transfer the large particle size particles to the conveying bin. After the transfer is completed, close the valve between the temporary storage bin and the conveying bin, open the valve behind the large particle filter, and close the spare pipeline. (2) When the readings of φ1 and φ2 are close to 0, and the difference △1 between the two is close to 0, it means that the large particle filter is blocked. Open the spare pipeline and put it into use. Close the valves on both sides of the large particle filter, open the first return pipeline, open the valve between the temporary storage bin and the delivery bin, and reversely flush the large particle filter. Send the large particle size particles to the delivery bin. After the reverse flushing is completed, open the valves on both sides of the large particle filter, close the first return pipeline, close the valve between the temporary storage bin and the delivery bin, and close the spare pipeline. (3) When the readings of φ3 and φ4 increase significantly, and the difference △2 between the two is close to 0, it means that the temporary storage bin in the second pipe section is full. Open the spare pipeline and put it into use. Close the valve behind the small particle filter. Open the valve between the temporary storage bin and the conveying bin. Transfer the small particle size particles to the conveying bin. After the transfer is completed, close the valve between the temporary storage bin and the conveying bin, open the valve behind the small particle filter, and close the spare pipeline. (4) When the readings of φ3 and φ4 are close to 0, and the difference △2 between the two is close to 0, it means that the small particle filter is blocked. Open the spare pipeline and put it into use. Close the valves on both sides of the small particle filter, open the second return pipeline, open the valve between the temporary storage bin and the delivery bin, and backwash the small particle filter. Send the small particle size particles to the delivery bin. After the backwash is completed, open the valves on both sides of the small particle filter, close the second return pipeline, close the valve between the temporary storage bin and the delivery bin, and close the spare pipeline.

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