Folding type polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy regulation and control device

Abstract

The invention provides a foldable polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy regulation and control device which comprises a hollowed-out main plate, hollowed-out side plates, a hollowed-out bottom plate and a chemical reaction air bag, the hollowed-out side plates are hinged to the left side edge and the right side edge of the hollowed-out main plate, the hollowed-out bottom plate is hinged to the bottom side edge of the hollowed-out main plate, construction elements are formed, and the two construction elements are symmetrically arranged. The adjacent ends of the corresponding side plates and bottom plates of the two construction elements are hinged to form a rectangular main body of the device, and the chemical reaction air bag is mounted on a connecting pin shaft of the hollow main plate and the hollow bottom plate. The device solves the problems that the current deep sea polymetallic nodule collection difficulty is large, the energy consumption is high, and the seabed environment disturbance is large.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of marine mineral mining equipment, and specifically to a foldable polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy control device. Background Art

[0002] As land-based mineral resources become increasingly scarce, deep-sea polymetallic nodules, as a resource reserve with great potential, have attracted global attention. Currently, international research on deep-sea polymetallic nodules mainly focuses on resource exploration, collection technology, and environmental impact assessment.

[0003] In the field of collection technology, the existing technologies mainly include hydraulic suction, mechanical excavation and robot collection. The hydraulic suction system uses high-pressure water jets to lift nodules from the seabed and then transport them to the sea surface through pipelines. This method is widely used in commercial mining, but it has the problems of high energy consumption and great disturbance to the seabed environment. In addition, polymetallic nodules need to be crushed and mixed with seawater to form a solid-liquid two-phase flow slurry, which is pumped to the water surface through pipelines. The concentration of solid particles needs to be precisely controlled: too low concentration leads to low efficiency, and too high concentration may cause pipeline blockage. If the slurry flow rate is insufficient, solid particles will be deposited at the bottom of the pipeline to form "sand dunes", increasing friction resistance and even blocking the pipeline; too high flow rate will aggravate pipeline wear; secondly, the length of deep-sea mining pipelines is usually more than 2,000 meters, and multi-stage booster pumps are required for relay transportation, but the start and stop of the pumps need to be coordinated with the surface platform and the mining vehicle. Delays or errors may cause system paralysis. If the pipeline ruptures, the leakage of high-concentration mineral slurry will directly cover the seabed biological habitat. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides a foldable polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy control device to solve the problems of the above-mentioned background technology, namely, the difficulty of current collection, high energy consumption and great disturbance to the seabed environment.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution of the present invention is a foldable polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy control device, comprising a hollow main board, a hollow side board, a hollow bottom board, a chemical reaction airbag, The left and right sides of the hollow main board are hinged to the hollow side panels, and the bottom side is hinged to the hollow bottom panel to form a construction element. The two construction elements are symmetrically arranged, and the adjacent ends of the side panels and bottom panels corresponding to the two construction elements are hinged to form a rectangular body of the device. The chemical reaction airbag is installed on the connecting pin shaft between the hollow main board and the hollow bottom board.

[0006] Preferably, in the folded state, the two hollow side panels hinged to each other are fitted or V-shaped and are located outside the hollow main board, and the movable angle of the hinge plate used to hinge the two hollow side panels is 0 to 180 degrees.

[0007] Preferably, in the folded state, the two hollow bottom plates that are hinged to each other are fitted or in a V shape, located inside the hollow main board. The movable angle of the hinge plate for hinging the hollow main board and the hollow bottom plate is 0 to 90°, and the movable angle of the hinge plate for hinging the two hollow bottom plates is 0 to 180°.

[0008] Preferably, the chemical reaction airbag is sleeved on the connecting pin shaft between the main board and the bottom board, and is located between the hinge plates of the hollow main board and the hollow bottom board.

[0009] Preferably, a plurality of hinge plates are arranged at intervals at the upper end of the hollow main board.

[0010] The hollow main board, the hollow side board, and the hollow bottom board are made of high-strength pressure-resistant composite materials, on which a plurality of hexagonal holes are distributed to form a honeycomb topological structure.

[0011] On the side edges of the hollow main board, the hollow side board, and the hollow bottom board that are hinged to other components, hinge plates are installed at equal intervals, and the corresponding hinge plates are connected by a pin shaft to form a hinge during hinging.

[0012] The chemical reaction airbag adopts a water-activated chemical foaming composite material. The outer layer is a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) hydrophobic protective layer, and the inner layer is a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) slow-release film. The inner layer contains solid reactants, and the solid reactants are NaH and AlCl 3 powder.

[0013] The solid reactants are pre-pressed into porous tablets at a molar ratio of 1:1.2, with a porosity of 35%, a single-piece size of 10×10×3 mm³, and a stacking density of 1.8 g / cm³.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this invention patent are as follows: (1) From the perspective of environmental impact, the device greatly reduces the potential threat to the marine ecosystem. It adopts an independent collection cabin, avoiding the leakage risk of long-distance pipeline transportation. It will not cause a large amount of sediment leakage due to joint failures like pipeline transportation, which will cause serious damage to the surrounding ecology. At the same time, due to its unique transportation method, it will not continuously stir the seabed sediment during continuous transportation, reducing the generation of suspended particle clouds (plumes), avoiding the "suffocation effect", protecting the living environment of filter-feeding organisms, and minimizing the negative impact on the deep-sea ecosystem; (2) In terms of the stability and reliability of the transportation system, the device performs excellently. It utilizes the buoyancy module of the water-activated chemical foaming composite material, through NaH - AlCl 3The redox reaction of the system generates gas, which can achieve controllable buoyancy at an average speed of 0.85m / s. It does not require complex and difficult multi-system coordinated control, and effectively avoids the risk of system paralysis caused by coordinated delays or errors. This autonomous and stable buoyancy mechanism greatly improves the reliability of transportation operations. (3) In terms of structural design and performance optimization, the device adopts a design that combines high-strength pressure-resistant composite materials with a folded honeycomb topology configuration, and uses a collaborative design strategy of material performance optimization and structural mechanics simulation, which reduces the weight of the device by 38.2% compared with traditional structures and increases it by 17% compared with metal structures of the same size, effectively reducing the weight of the equipment and improving its ease of operation. At the same time, the compressive strength reaches 63.5MPa (±2.1MPa), which is 17% higher than that of metal structures of the same size. The structural deformation is less than 3% under a water pressure environment of 1000m, which can better adapt to the high-pressure environment of the deep sea, ensure the integrity of the equipment during transportation, and significantly improve operational efficiency and safety. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the side structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the patent of this invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom-up structure of the patent of the present invention; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the patent of this invention.

[0016] In the figure: 1. hollow main board; 2. hollow left bottom plate; 3. hollow right bottom plate; 4. hollow left side plate; 5. hollow right side plate; 6. hollow bottom plate lower end hinge plate; 7. hollow main board lower end hinge plate; 8. pin; 9. hollow side panel hinge plate A; 10. hollow side panel hinge plate B; 11. hollow main board and hollow side panel hinge pin; 12. hollow side panel connecting pin. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The technical solution of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. 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. The contents described in detail in the present invention are all common knowledge.

[0018] See also Figures 1-4, this invention patent provides a technical solution: a foldable polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy control device, including two hollow main boards 1, two hollow left side boards 4, two hollow right side boards 5, two hollow left bottom boards 2, two hollow right bottom boards 3, and several chemical reaction air bags. The hollow main board, hollow side board, and hollow bottom board are made of high-strength pressure-resistant composite materials, on which several hexagonal holes are distributed to form a honeycomb topological structure.

[0019] The two hollow main boards 1 are symmetrically arranged. The two hollow main boards 1 are respectively hinged to the hollow left bottom board 2 and the hollow right bottom board 3 through the mutually cooperating hinge plates 6 at the lower end of the hollow bottom board, hinge plates 7 at the lower end of the hollow main board, and pin shafts 8. The hinge formed by the hinge plates 6 at the lower end of the hollow bottom board and the hinge plates 7 at the lower end of the hollow main board is a limited-angle hinge, with an active angle of 0 to 90°. The adjacent sides of the hollow left bottom board 2 and the hollow right bottom board 3 are connected by a hinge. The hinge plate for hinging the two hollow bottom boards is a limited-angle hinge, with an active angle of 0 to 180°. In the folded state, the two mutually hinged hollow bottom boards are in contact or in a V shape, located inside the hollow main board. In the non-folded state, the two hollow bottom boards are in a horizontal state under the restriction of the hinge. At the same time, the hollow left side board 4 is hinged to both sides of one hollow main board 1, and the hollow right side board 5 is hinged to both sides of the other hollow main board 1. In this embodiment, it is preferably to integrally preset hinge ears on the adjacent sides to cooperate with the hinge pin 11 connecting the hollow main board and the hollow side board. Compared with setting separate hinge components, it improves the circumferential stress intensity of the device. The correspondingly arranged hollow left side board 4 and hollow right side board 5 are hinged through the mutually cooperating hinge plates A of the hollow side board, hinge plates B of the hollow side board, and connecting pin 12 of the hollow side board. The hinge formed by the hinge plates A of the hollow side board and the hinge plates B of the hollow side board is a limited-angle hinge, with an active angle of 0 to 180°. In the folded state, the two mutually hinged hollow side boards are in contact or in a V shape, located outside the hollow main board. Preferably, a hinge plate can be preset at the upper end of the hollow main board 1 to facilitate possible requirements for covering plates.

[0020] The chemical reaction air bags are sleeved on the main board and bottom board connection pin shaft (8) through connectors. By setting the length, thickness of the hinge ear of the hinge and the interval of the hinge, sufficient installation space can be ensured, so that the chemical reaction air bags are located between the hollow main board and the hollow bottom board in the folded state, which plays a protective role for the chemical reaction air bags and does not affect the opening of the air bags. The chemical reaction air bags adopt water-activated chemical foaming composite materials, and the solid reactants (NaH and AlCl 3The powder) adopts a double-layer coating process. The inner layer is a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) slow-release film (thickness 50±5 μm), and the outer layer is a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) hydrophobic protective layer (porosity 12%). The reactants are pre-pressed into a porous tablet (porosity 35%) at a molar ratio of 1:1.2. The single-piece size is 10×10×3 mm³, the stacking density is 1.8 g / cm³, and the storage capacity per unit volume reaches 320 L / kg (STP). When the device is discharged outside the cabin, the external hydraulic pressure (≥10 MPa) causes plastic deformation of the PTFE protective layer, and the porosity increases to 28%. Seawater penetrates through a specific path to activate the reaction. NaH - AlCl 3 The reaction of the system follows a two-step mechanism. By adjusting the coating thickness (50 - 200 μm) of the AlCl 3 particles, the gas generation peak can be controlled within the range of 4.2 - 5.7 L / min. The reaction duration achieves a linear decay of 120 s through the gradient dissolution of AlCl 3 . A gas diversion channel (diameter 2 mm, wall contact angle 105°) is arranged in the honeycomb structure. The Marangoni effect is used to guide the bubbles to gather at the top of the structure. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is used to optimize the layout of the flow channel, so that the gas retention efficiency is more than 92%. When Vgas≥0.65 m³ (corresponding to a gas production volume of 252 L, standard condition), the system can obtain a net buoyancy of 1.2 kN and a floating acceleration of 0.85 m / s². The pressure compensation design makes the volume compression rate of the airbag < 7% (at a water depth of 1000 m), ensuring effective buoyancy output.

[0021] When in use, in the folded state, pull the hollow main board to the two sides or one side. Driven by the hollow main board, the hollow left board and the hollow right board unfold from the "V" shape to a flat angle. At the same time, the two hollow left bottom boards and the two hollow right bottom boards folded inside rotate along the pin shaft, so that the hollow left bottom board and the hollow right bottom board form a 90-degree angle with the hollow main board and the hollow side board and unfold to a flat angle, that is, the opening of the device is completed. It can be used to load metal minerals. The chemical reaction airbag is located between the hollow main board and the hollow bottom board and is protected by the hinge board. When it comes into contact with seawater, it quickly expands to form an airbag, making the box float.

Claims

1. A foldable polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy control device, characterized in that: Including hollow main board, hollow side panel, hollow bottom panel, chemical reaction airbag, The left and right sides of the hollow main board are hinged to the hollow side panels, and the bottom side is hinged to the hollow bottom panel to form a construction element. The two construction elements are symmetrically arranged, and the adjacent ends of the side panels and bottom panels corresponding to the two construction elements are hinged to form a rectangular body of the device. The chemical reaction airbag is installed on the connecting pin shaft between the hollow main board and the hollow bottom board.

2. The foldable polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the folded state, the two hollow side panels hinged to each other are fitted or V-shaped and are located outside the hollow main board. The movable angle of the hinge plate used to hinge the two hollow side panels is 0 to 180 degrees.

3. The foldable polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the folded state, the two hollow bottom plates hinged to each other fit together or form a V-shape and are located inside the hollow main board. The movable angle of the hinge plate used to hinge the hollow main board and the hollow bottom plate is 0 to 90 degrees, and the movable angle of the hinge plate used to hinge the two hollow bottom plates is 0 to 180 degrees.

4. The foldable polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chemical reaction airbag is sleeved on the connecting pin shaft between the main board and the bottom board, and is located between the hinge plates of the hollow main board and the hollow bottom board.

5. The foldable polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of hinge plates are arranged at intervals on the upper end of the hollow main board.

6. The foldable polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hollow main board, hollow side board and hollow bottom board are made of high-strength pressure-resistant composite materials, and are provided with a plurality of hexagonal holes to form a honeycomb topological structure.

7. The foldable polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hollow main board, hollow side board, hollow bottom board and other parts are hinged on the sides thereof and hinge plates are installed at equal intervals. When hinged, the corresponding hinge plates are connected by pins to form a hinge.

8. The foldable polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chemical reaction airbag adopts a water-activated chemical foaming composite material, the outer layer is a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) hydrophobic protective layer, the inner layer is a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sustained-release membrane, and the inner layer wraps a solid reactant, which is NaH and AlCl3 powder.

9. The foldable polymetallic nodule collection and buoyancy control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The solid reactant is pre-pressed into a porous pressed tablet at a molar ratio of 1:1.2, with a porosity of 35%, a single tablet size of 10×10×3 mm³, and a stacking density of 1.8 g / cm³.

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