Rare earth collection system based on adjustable flexible pipe technology of shaftless spiral transport

Abstract

The present invention discloses a rare earth collection system based on an adjustable flexible pipe technology for shaftless spiral transport, comprising a flexible conveying pipe, one end of which is connected to mining equipment, and the other end of which is connected to a relay cabin; a plurality of buoyancy units are provided on the flexible conveying pipe, each of which includes a position adjustment component and a buoyancy adjustment component. By adjusting the position distribution of the buoyancy units on the flexible conveying pipe and the net buoyancy of each buoyancy unit, the shape of the flexible conveying pipe is corrected and the target hose reaches a target shape. The present invention intervenes in and controls the shape of the flexible conveying pipe through the position distribution and buoyancy distribution of the buoyancy units, so that it reaches the desired target shape, can effectively adapt to the complex and rugged terrain conditions of the seabed, and avoid the risk of the flexible conveying pipe being dragged on the seabed and coming into contact with rocks, coral reefs or other hard objects, thereby increasing the risk of wear or even tearing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of rare earth collection systems, in particular to a rare earth collection system based on shaftless spiral transport and adjustable flexible pipe technology. Background Art

[0002] Rare earth elements are often called "industrial gold" because they can be combined with other materials to create a variety of new materials with unique properties. As a result, these materials are widely used in cutting-edge fields. As the importance of rare earth elements grows and land-based rare earth deposits are gradually being discovered, the vast reserves of deep-sea rare earths have attracted widespread attention worldwide. Efficient collection and transportation of rare earths has become a primary engineering challenge.

[0003] The current deep-sea rare earth mining method uses seabed rare earth mining vehicles to collect rare earth minerals. The collected rare earth minerals are transported to a relay station for processing via high-strength, wear-resistant hoses. After processing at the relay station, they are transported to a surface operation vessel via a lift pump. However, to maintain continuous mining system operation, the flexible hose configuration must be adjusted during the hose transport phase between seabed mining and the relay station, taking into account the vehicle's movement and operating depth. However, the shape of the existing flexible conveying pipe cannot be intervened and adjusted during operation, so the shape of the flexible conveying pipe cannot be effectively controlled, which will lead to the following adverse consequences: 1. Hose damage: Due to the rugged seabed terrain, the uncontrolled shape of the flexible conveying pipe is easily dragged on the seabed and comes into contact with rocks, coral reefs or other hard objects, increasing the risk of wear and even tearing; 2. During operation, the flexible conveying pipe may be locally excessively bent or deformed under pressure, and the internal channel may become narrow, affecting the smooth flow of materials, reducing the transportation efficiency of minerals, and even causing blockage of the flexible conveying pipe; 3. The uncontrollable shape of the flexible conveying pipe can easily cause an abnormal increase in the tension on the flexible conveying pipe, which can easily increase the risk of detachment at the connection of the flexible conveying pipe. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the deficiencies in the prior art and to provide a rare earth collection system based on an adjustable flexible pipe technology of shaftless spiral transport.

[0005] The objective of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions: a rare earth collection system based on adjustable flexible pipe technology of shaftless spiral transport includes a flexible conveying pipe, one end of the flexible conveying pipe is connected to mining operation equipment, and the other end of the flexible conveying pipe is connected to a relay cabin; a plurality of buoyancy units are provided on the flexible conveying pipe, and the buoyancy units include a position adjustment component and a buoyancy adjustment component, the position of the buoyancy unit on the flexible conveying pipe is adjusted by the position adjustment component, and the net buoyancy of the buoyancy unit is adjusted by the buoyancy adjustment component; by adjusting the position distribution of the buoyancy units on the flexible conveying pipe and the net buoyancy of each buoyancy unit, the shape of the flexible conveying pipe is corrected and the target hose reaches the target shape.

[0006] Preferably, when the mining equipment is located in the rare earth surface zone, the target shape of the flexible conveying pipe is a wavy curve; when the mining equipment is located in the rare earth middle zone, the target shape of the flexible conveying pipe is a catenary.

[0007] Preferably, when the mining equipment is located in the rare earth surface zone, the buoyancy distribution of the buoyancy unit on the flexible conveying pipe is calculated by the following formula:

[0008] ;

[0009] When the mining equipment is located in the middle rare earth layer, the buoyancy distribution of the buoyancy unit on the flexible conveying pipe is calculated by the following formula:

[0010] ;

[0011] When the mining equipment is located in the deep rare earth zone, the buoyancy distribution of the buoyancy unit on the flexible conveying pipe is calculated by the following formula:

[0012] ;

[0013] In the above formula, is the buoyancy of the i-th buoyancy unit on the flexible transmission pipe, is the linear density of the flexible conveying pipe, is the tension at the position of the i-th buoyancy unit on the flexible transport pipe, n is the total number of buoyancy units on the flexible transport pipe, a is the shape adjustment factor of the flexible transport pipe under the combined effect of horizontal tension and unit length weight, b is the linear stretch coefficient of the flexible transport pipe, L is the projected length of the flexible transport pipe in the horizontal direction, is the curvature of the i-th buoyancy unit on the flexible transport pipe, is the weight coefficient, k is the stretch compensation coefficient of the flexible conveying pipe; is the horizontal distance between the i-th buoyancy unit and the next buoyancy unit; It represents the maximum tension of the flexible conveying pipe in the fully stretched state; is the horizontal offset.

[0014] Preferably, the buoyancy unit also includes a hard spherical shell, a through hole is provided in the center of the hard spherical shell, the flexible conveying tube passes through the through hole of the hard spherical shell, and the position adjustment component and the buoyancy adjustment component are both located inside the hard spherical shell; the position adjustment component includes a fixed clamping mechanism and a propulsion channel provided on the hard spherical shell, a propulsion mechanism is provided in the propulsion channel, and the propulsion mechanism provides the buoyancy unit with a propulsion force along the axial direction of the flexible conveying tube; when the buoyancy unit is position adjusted, the fixed clamping mechanism loosens the flexible conveying tube so that the buoyancy unit can move along the flexible conveying tube; when the buoyancy unit moves to the target position on the flexible conveying tube, the fixed clamping mechanism clamps the flexible conveying tube so that the buoyancy unit is fixed on the flexible conveying tube.

[0015] Preferably, the propulsion mechanism includes a propulsion motor arranged in the propulsion channel and a propulsion propeller arranged on the propulsion motor.

[0016] Preferably, a sliding sleeve is slidingly provided in the propulsion channel, and the propulsion motor is fixedly provided in the sliding sleeve; the fixed clamping mechanism includes a clamping ring and a follower block provided on the outside of the sliding sleeve, a notch is provided on the clamping ring, movable ends are provided on both sides of the notch, a protrusion is provided on the inner side of the movable end, an annular groove is provided on the wall of the through hole, a boss is provided on the outer side of the clamping ring, the boss is stuck in the annular groove, and the flexible conveying pipe passes through the clamping ring; a depression corresponding to the protrusion is provided on the follower block area; a reset spring is provided between the sliding sleeve and the hard spherical shell; when the propulsion motor is turned off, the sliding sleeve is in the initial position, the protrusion on the movable end is embedded in the recessed area on the follower block, the gap width of the clamping ring is at the minimum state, and the clamping ring holds the flexible conveying tube tightly by its own elasticity; when the propulsion motor is turned on, the sliding sleeve deviates from the initial position, the protrusion on the movable end is staggered with the recessed area on the follower block, and the follower block spreads the two movable ends of the clamping ring, thereby loosening the clamping ring and the flexible conveying tube.

[0017] Preferably, the buoyancy adjustment component includes an adjustment chamber and a connecting pipe arranged in a hard spherical shell, one end of the connecting pipe is connected to the adjustment chamber, and the other end of the connecting pipe is provided with a water pump and a control valve.

[0018] Preferably, a plurality of shaftless spiral blades are provided in the flexible conveying tube, a shaftless motor for driving the shaftless spiral blades to rotate is provided in the flexible conveying tube, and adjacent shaftless spiral blades are connected via a universal coupling.

[0019] Preferably, a single-axis crushing mechanism is provided at the upper part of the relay bin, a mixing device is provided at the lower part of the relay bin, and a flexible conveying pipe is connected to the upper end of the relay bin; a water diversion solenoid valve is provided at the lower part of the relay bin, and the flow rate of external seawater flowing into the relay bin is controlled by the water diversion solenoid valve; the upper end of the relay bin is connected to the operating vessel through a lifting straight pipe; a return pipe is provided between the lifting pipe and the lower part of the relay bin.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0021] 1. The present invention intervenes in and controls the shape of the flexible conveying pipe through the position distribution and buoyancy distribution of the buoyancy units, so that it achieves the desired target shape. It can effectively adapt to the complex and rugged terrain conditions of the seabed and avoid the flexible conveying pipe being dragged on the seabed and contacting rocks, coral reefs or other hard objects, thereby increasing the risk of wear or even tearing.

[0022] 2. The present invention solves the problem of the flexible conveying pipe being affected by the smooth flow of materials due to the narrowing of the internal channel caused by local excessive bending or compression deformation during operation by optimizing the shape of the flexible conveying pipe, thereby improving the transportation efficiency of the minerals and effectively avoiding blockage during the operation of the flexible conveying pipe.

[0023] 3. The present invention solves the problem of abnormal increase in tension of the flexible conveying pipe due to poor shape by controlling the shape of the flexible conveying pipe, and reduces the risk of detachment at the connection of the flexible conveying pipe.

[0024] 4. In the present invention, because the occurrence form of deep-sea rare earths is that the water content varies greatly vertically, the surface layer is sparse, and the lower part is hard soil blocks. In particular, it is difficult to achieve good conveying effect by transporting the soil blocks in the lower layer through traditional pumps in the pipeline; the present invention adopts a shaftless spiral blade and cooperates with a shaftless motor drive to achieve a good conveying effect, ensure the smoothness of material transportation, and effectively avoid the blockage of materials in the flexible conveying pipe. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 It is a working schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the relay warehouse structure.

[0027] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the buoyancy unit.

[0028] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the external structure of the buoyancy unit.

[0029] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the fixed clamping mechanism in the buoyancy unit.

[0030] Figure 6It is a structural diagram of the clamping ring.

[0031] Figure 7 It is a structural diagram of the sliding sleeve and propulsion mechanism.

[0032] In the figure: 1. conveying hose, 1-1. shaftless spiral blade, 1-2. shaftless motor, 2. mining operation equipment, 3. buoyancy unit, 3-1. hard spherical shell, 3-2. regulating chamber, 3-3. connecting pipe, 3-4. water pump, 3-5. communication module, 3-6. control module, 3-8. propulsion channel, 3-9. sliding sleeve, 3-10. propulsion motor, 3-11. propulsion propeller, 3-12. return spring, 3-13. spring fixed end, 3-14. clamping ring, 3-15. boss, 3-16. guide boss, 3-17. movable end, 3-18. raised part, 3-19. follower block, 3-20. recessed area, 3-21. guide groove, 4. relay chamber, 4-1. single-shaft crushing mechanism, 4-2. mixing device, 4-3. water diversion solenoid valve, 4-4. return pipe, 5. lifting pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that, in the disclosure of the present invention, the terms "longitudinal", "transverse", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above terms should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0035] It is to be understood that the term "one" should be understood as "at least one" or "one or more", that is, in one embodiment, the number of an element may be one, while in another embodiment, the number of the elements may be multiple, and the term "one" should not be understood as a limitation on the quantity.

[0036] like Figures 1 to 7As shown, a rare earth collection system based on an adjustable flexible pipe technology for shaftless spiral transport includes a flexible conveying pipe, one end of which is connected to a mining operation device 2, and the other end of which is connected to a relay cabin; a plurality of buoyancy units 3 are provided on the flexible conveying pipe, and the buoyancy units 3 include a position adjustment component and a buoyancy adjustment component, the position of the buoyancy unit 3 on the flexible conveying pipe is adjusted by the position adjustment component, and the net buoyancy of the buoyancy unit 3 is adjusted by the buoyancy adjustment component; by adjusting the position distribution of the buoyancy units 3 on the flexible conveying pipe and the net buoyancy of each buoyancy unit 3, the shape of the flexible conveying pipe is corrected and the target hose reaches the target shape.

[0037] In the present invention, the operating depth of the mining equipment is divided into three operating areas, namely the rare earth surface area, the rare earth middle area, and the rare earth deep area. It is used to set the depth value according to the actual operating environment. and , > . Depth value and The user can determine it according to the actual situation. When the operating depth D of the mining equipment is less than When the mining equipment is located in the rare earth surface area; when the operating depth D of the mining equipment is located in When the operating depth D of the mining equipment is greater than At that time, the mining equipment was located in the deep rare earth zone.

[0038] In the present invention, the length of the flexible conveying pipe is 500 meters.

[0039] When the mining equipment is located in the rare earth surface area, the target shape of the flexible conveying pipe is a wavy curve. The wavy curve is described by the following formula:

[0040] ;

[0041] in, is the theoretical horizontal projection length of the flexible conveying pipe. Taking the flexible conveying pipe length of 500 meters as an example, ; A is the wave amplitude, which is determined by the ocean current speed Decide, ; is the wavelength, Usually take the length of the flexible conveying pipe .

[0042] When the mining equipment is located in the middle rare earth layer, the target shape of the flexible conveying pipe is a catenary. The shape of the catenary is described by the following formula:

[0043] ;

[0044] In the above formula, is the horizontal offset, b is the linear stretch coefficient, .

[0045] Among them, parameters a, b, Need to solve simultaneously:

[0046] ;

[0047] When the mining equipment is located in the deep rare earth zone, the flexible conveying pipe is stretched almost to a straight line or a nearly straight line. At this time, the shape of the flexible conveying pipe satisfies the straight line equation of the Pythagorean theorem:

[0048] ;

[0049] in, , .

[0050] When mining equipment 2 is operating in the rare earth surface zone, the distribution strategy for buoyancy units 3 takes into account the peaks and troughs of the target curve, as these require greater buoyancy support. Furthermore, the densely packed curvature variation zones should be considered, increasing the density of buoyancy units 3 near the peaks and troughs and reducing it in flat areas. When the flexible conveyor pipe is 500 meters long, the distances from the ten buoyancy units on the flexible conveyor pipe to the end near the relay bin are 0, 37.5, 75, 112.5, 150, 225, 300, 375, 412.5, and 450 meters, respectively.

[0051] When the operating position of the mining operation equipment 2 is in the rare earth middle layer area, when the length of the flexible conveying pipe is 500 meters, the distances from the 10 buoyancy units on the flexible conveying pipe to the end of the flexible conveying pipe close to the relay bin are 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, and 450 respectively.

[0052] When the operating position of the mining operation equipment 2 is in the deep rare earth area, the distribution strategy of the buoyancy unit 3 is to be based on non-uniform spacing, focusing on covering the tension change area. The buoyancy units are densely distributed near the relay bin end (high tension) and sparsely distributed far from the relay bin end (low tension).

[0053] When the length of the flexible transport pipe is 500 meters, the distances from the 10 buoyancy units on the flexible transport pipe to the end of the flexible transport pipe close to the relay tank are 0, 15, , , , ,110,120,130,140.

[0054] The process of building the buoyancy distribution model is to construct the mechanical equilibrium equation, calculate the curvature of the target curve, and modify the buoyancy formula.

[0055] Among them, the mechanical equilibrium equation is:

[0056] .

[0057] When the mining equipment is located in the shallow rare earth zone, the buoyancy distribution of the buoyancy unit on the flexible conveying pipe is calculated by the following formula;

[0058] ;

[0059] When the mining equipment is located in the middle rare earth layer, the buoyancy distribution of the buoyancy unit on the flexible conveying pipe is calculated by the following formula:

[0060] ;

[0061] When the mining equipment is located in the deep rare earth zone, the buoyancy distribution of the buoyancy unit on the flexible conveying pipe is calculated by the following formula:

[0062] ;

[0063] in, , .

[0064] In the above formula, n is the number of buoyancy units, is the buoyancy of the i-th buoyancy unit on the flexible conveying pipe, where i=1,2,3,4........n; is the linear density of the flexible conveying pipe, is the tension at the position of the i-th buoyancy unit on the flexible conveying pipe, n is the total number of buoyancy units on the flexible conveying pipe, a is the shape adjustment factor of the hose under the combined effect of horizontal tension and unit length weight; b is the linear stretch coefficient of the flexible conveying pipe, L is the theoretical horizontal projection length of the flexible conveying pipe, is the curvature of the flexible transport pipe at the position of the i-th buoyancy unit; is the weight coefficient, the weight coefficient Adjust according to the curvature amplitude of the flexible conveying pipe; k is the stretch compensation coefficient of the flexible conveying pipe; g is the acceleration of gravity g is 9.81 ; is the horizontal distance between the i-th buoyancy unit and the next buoyancy unit; It is the maximum tension of the flexible conveying pipe in the fully stretched state (close to the limit length), is the horizontal offset; the variable x represents the projection length of the flexible conveying pipe in the horizontal direction, which is used to describe the morphological target curve of the flexible conveying pipe.

[0065] Furthermore, the buoyancy unit 3 also includes a hard spherical shell 3-1, the center of which is provided with a through hole, through which the flexible conveying tube passes, and the position adjustment component and the buoyancy adjustment component are both located inside the hard spherical shell 3-1; the position adjustment component includes a fixed clamping mechanism and a propulsion channel 3-8 provided on the hard spherical shell 3-1, the propulsion channel 3-8 being provided with a propulsion mechanism, which provides the buoyancy unit 3 with propulsion force along the axial direction of the flexible conveying tube; when the buoyancy unit 3 is position-adjusted, the fixed clamping mechanism loosens the flexible conveying tube to enable the buoyancy unit 3 to move along the flexible conveying tube; when the buoyancy unit 3 moves to the target position on the flexible conveying tube, the fixed clamping mechanism clamps the flexible conveying tube to fix the buoyancy unit 3 on the flexible conveying tube. The hard spherical shell 3-1 is also provided with a communication module 3-5 and a control module 3-6.

[0066] The propulsion mechanism includes a propulsion motor 3-10 disposed in the propulsion channel 3-8 and a propulsion propeller 3-11 disposed on the propulsion motor 3-10. The propulsion propeller 3-11 is driven to rotate by the propulsion motor 3-10, and when the propulsion propeller 3-11 rotates, thrust is generated and the buoyancy unit 3 is driven to move along the flexible conveying pipe.

[0067] Furthermore, a sleeve 3-9 is slidably disposed within the propulsion channel 3-8, and the propulsion motor 3-10 is fixedly disposed within the sleeve 3-9. The fixed clamping mechanism includes a clamping ring 3-14 and a follower block 3-19 disposed outside the sleeve 3-9. The clamping ring 3-14 has a notch, with movable ends 3-17 disposed on either side of the notch. Protrusions 3-18 are disposed within the movable ends 3-17. An annular groove is disposed on the wall of the through hole. A boss 3-15 is disposed outside the clamping ring 3-14, which engages within the annular groove. The flexible conveying tube passes through the clamping ring 3-14. The follower block 3-19 has a recessed area 3-20 corresponding to the boss 3-18. A return spring 3-12 is disposed between the sleeve 3-9 and the hard spherical housing 3-1. The sleeve 3-9 is movable along the axial direction of the propulsion channel 3-8. Guide bosses 3-16 are provided on either side of the sliding sleeve 3-9. Guide grooves 3-21 corresponding to the guide bosses 3-16 are provided on the inner wall of the propulsion channel 3-8. The guide bosses 3-16 slide in the guide grooves 3-21. A spring fixing end 3-13 is provided on the inner wall of the propulsion channel 3-8. One end of a return spring 3-12 is connected to the spring fixing end 3-13, and the other end of the return spring 3-12 is connected to the sliding sleeve 3-9.

[0068] When the propulsion motor 3-10 is turned off, the sleeve 3-9 is in the initial position, the protrusion 3-18 on the movable end 3-17 is embedded in the recessed area 3-20 on the follower block 3-19, the gap width of the clamping ring 3-14 is at the minimum state, and the clamping ring 3-14 clamps the flexible conveying tube by its own elasticity; when the propulsion motor 3-10 is turned on, the sleeve 3-9 deviates from the initial position, the protrusion 3-18 on the movable end 3-17 is staggered with the recessed area 3-20 on the follower block 3-19, and the follower block 3-19 stretches the two movable ends 3-17 on the clamping ring 3-14, thereby loosening the clamping ring 3-14 and the flexible conveying tube.

[0069] In this embodiment, the clamping ring 3-14 is made of spring steel and has a certain degree of elasticity. When the ends of the clamping ring 3-14 are not stretched, the clamping ring 3-14 clamps the flexible conveying tube through its own elasticity. When the movable end 3-17 of the clamping ring 3-14 is stretched, the diameter of the clamping ring 3-14 increases, and the clamping ring 3-14 releases the flexible conveying tube. The clamping ring 3-14 engages the annular groove via its outer boss 3-15. The engagement between the boss 3-15 and the annular groove limits the axial position of the clamping ring 3-14.

[0070] In the present invention, when the propulsion mechanism is started, the fixed clamping mechanism can automatically loosen the flexible conveying tube; when the buoyancy unit 3 moves to the target position and the propulsion mechanism stops, the fixed clamping mechanism automatically clamps the flexible clamping tube to fix the buoyancy unit 3.

[0071] The buoyancy adjustment component includes a regulating chamber 3-2 and a connecting pipe 3-3, one end of which is connected to the regulating chamber 3-2. A water pump 3-4 and a control valve are provided at the other end of the connecting pipe 3-3. The water pump 3-4 pumps or drains seawater from the regulating chamber 3-2, thereby adjusting the net buoyancy of the buoyancy unit 3.

[0072] A flexible conveying tube is provided with a plurality of shaftless spiral blades 1-1. A shaftless motor 1-2 is provided within the flexible conveying tube for driving the shaftless spiral blades 1-1 in rotation. Adjacent shaftless spiral blades 1-1 are connected by universal couplings. The structure and feeding method of the shaftless spiral blades 1-1 can be found in the utility model patent publication number CN212402480U, entitled "A Shaftless Screw Conveyor with Anti-Blade Free End Lifting Shaft." The shaftless motor 1-2 employed in the present invention is annular and includes an annular stator and an annular permanent magnet rotor. The outer edges of the shaftless spiral blades 1-1 are secured to the permanent magnet rotor, and the stator of the shaftless motor 1-2 is secured to the inner wall of the flexible conveying tube. The rotation of the permanent magnet rotor drives the shaftless spiral blades 1-1 in rotation, thereby enabling material to be conveyed within the flexible conveying tube. Adjacent shaftless spiral blades 1-1 are connected by universal couplings to ensure synchronous rotation of each shaftless spiral blade 1-1.

[0073] In the present invention, because deep-sea rare earths are deposited in a form with large vertical variations in water content, with a sparse surface layer and hard clods below, it is difficult to achieve good conveying efficiency when transporting the clods in the lower layer through a traditional pump within a pipeline. The present invention uses a shaftless spiral blade 1-1 and a shaftless motor 1-2 to achieve good conveying efficiency, ensure smooth material transportation, and effectively avoid material clogging in the flexible conveying pipe.

[0074] The upper portion of the intermediate chamber 4 is equipped with a single-shaft crushing mechanism 4-1, while the lower portion is equipped with a mixing device 4-2. A flexible conveying pipe is connected to the upper end of the intermediate chamber 4. A water diversion solenoid valve 4-3 is installed at the lower portion of the intermediate chamber 4 to control the flow of external seawater into the intermediate chamber 4. The upper end of the intermediate chamber 4 is connected to the work vessel via a straight lifting pipe. A return pipe 4-4 is installed between the lifting pipe 5 and the lower portion of the intermediate chamber 4. The overall concentration of the rare earth particle and seawater mixture is maintained between 15% and 20% by the water diversion solenoid valve 4-3.

[0075] For the rare earths in the middle and bottom layers, large pieces of material are difficult to enter the subsequent pipelines for transportation. Therefore, the materials are graded and crushed in the relay bin, and then water is added to make the slurry meet the appropriate particle concentration. The optimal range of rare earth particle volume concentration is 15%-20%, so that it can be better transported.

[0076] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned optimal implementation mode. Anyone can derive other forms of products under the inspiration of the present invention. However, no matter what changes are made in the shape or structure, any technical solution that is the same or similar to that of the present application falls within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rare earth collection system based on shaftless spiral transport with adjustable flexible pipe technology, characterized in that: The flexible conveying pipe comprises a plurality of buoyancy units provided on the flexible conveying pipe, wherein one end of the flexible conveying pipe is connected to the mining operation equipment and the other end of the flexible conveying pipe is connected to the relay chamber. The buoyancy units include a position adjustment component and a buoyancy adjustment component. The position of the buoyancy units on the flexible conveying pipe is adjusted by the position adjustment component, and the net buoyancy of the buoyancy units is adjusted by the buoyancy adjustment component. The shape of the flexible conveying pipe is corrected by adjusting the position distribution of the buoyancy units on the flexible conveying pipe and the net buoyancy of each buoyancy unit so that the target hose reaches the target shape. When the mining equipment is located in the rare earth surface layer, the target shape of the flexible conveying pipe is a wavy curve; when the mining equipment is located in the rare earth middle layer, the target shape of the flexible conveying pipe is a catenary. When the mining equipment is located in the rare earth surface zone, the buoyancy distribution of the buoyancy unit on the flexible conveying pipe is calculated by the following formula: ； When the mining equipment is located in the middle rare earth layer, the buoyancy distribution of the buoyancy unit on the flexible conveying pipe is calculated by the following formula: ； When the mining equipment is located in the deep rare earth zone, the buoyancy distribution of the buoyancy unit on the flexible conveying pipe is calculated by the following formula: ； In the above formula, is the buoyancy of the i-th buoyancy unit on the flexible transmission pipe, is the linear density of the flexible conveying pipe, is the tension at the position of the i-th buoyancy unit on the flexible transport pipe, n is the total number of buoyancy units on the flexible transport pipe, a is the shape adjustment factor of the flexible transport pipe under the combined effect of horizontal tension and unit length weight, b is the linear stretch coefficient of the flexible transport pipe, L is the projected length of the flexible transport pipe in the horizontal direction, is the curvature of the i-th buoyancy unit on the flexible transport pipe, is the weight coefficient, k is the stretch compensation coefficient of the flexible conveying pipe; is the horizontal distance between the i-th buoyancy unit and the next buoyancy unit; It represents the maximum tension of the flexible conveying pipe in the fully stretched state; is the horizontal offset.

2. The rare earth collection system based on the adjustable flexible pipe technology of shaftless spiral transportation according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The buoyancy unit also includes a hard spherical shell, a through hole is provided in the center of the hard spherical shell, the flexible conveying tube passes through the through hole of the hard spherical shell, and the position adjustment component and the buoyancy adjustment component are both located inside the hard spherical shell; the position adjustment component includes a fixed clamping mechanism and a propulsion channel provided on the hard spherical shell, a propulsion mechanism is provided in the propulsion channel, and the propulsion mechanism provides the buoyancy unit with a propulsion force along the axial direction of the flexible conveying tube; when the buoyancy unit is position adjusted, the fixed clamping mechanism loosens the flexible conveying tube so that the buoyancy unit can move along the flexible conveying tube; when the buoyancy unit moves to the target position on the flexible conveying tube, the fixed clamping mechanism clamps the flexible conveying tube so that the buoyancy unit is fixed on the flexible conveying tube.

3. The rare earth collection system based on the adjustable flexible pipe technology of shaftless spiral transportation according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The propulsion mechanism includes a propulsion motor arranged in the propulsion channel and a propulsion propeller arranged on the propulsion motor.

4. The rare earth collection system based on the adjustable flexible pipe technology of shaftless spiral transportation according to claim 3 is characterized in that: A sliding sleeve is slidably arranged in the propulsion channel, and the propulsion motor is fixedly arranged in the sliding sleeve; the fixed clamping mechanism includes a clamping ring and a follower block arranged on the outer side of the sliding sleeve, the clamping ring is provided with a notch, and movable ends are respectively provided on both sides of the notch, a protrusion is provided on the inner side of the movable end, an annular groove is provided on the hole wall of the through hole, a boss is provided on the outer side of the clamping ring, the boss is engaged in the annular groove, and the flexible conveying tube passes through the clamping ring; a recessed area corresponding to the protrusion is provided on the follower block; a return spring is provided between the sliding sleeve and the hard spherical shell; when the propulsion motor is turned off, the sliding sleeve is in an initial position, the protrusion on the movable end is embedded in the recessed area on the follower block, the notch width of the clamping ring is in a minimum state, and the clamping ring clamps the flexible conveying tube by its own elasticity; when the propulsion motor is turned on, the sliding sleeve deviates from the initial position, the protrusion on the movable end is staggered with the recessed area on the follower block, and the follower block spreads the two movable ends on the clamping ring, thereby loosening the clamping ring and the flexible conveying tube.

5. The rare earth collection system based on the adjustable flexible pipe technology of shaftless spiral transportation according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The buoyancy adjustment component includes an adjustment cavity and a connecting pipe arranged in a hard spherical shell. One end of the connecting pipe is communicated with the adjustment cavity, and the other end of the connecting pipe is provided with a water pump and a control valve.

6. The rare earth collection system based on the adjustable flexible pipe technology of shaftless spiral transportation according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A plurality of shaftless spiral blades are arranged in the flexible conveying pipe. A shaftless motor for driving the shaftless spiral blades to rotate is arranged in the flexible conveying pipe. Adjacent shaftless spiral blades are connected via a universal coupling.

7. The rare earth collection system based on the adjustable flexible pipe technology of shaftless spiral transportation according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The upper part of the relay bin is provided with a single-shaft crushing mechanism, the lower part of the relay bin is provided with a mixing device, and the flexible conveying pipe is connected to the upper end of the relay bin; A water diversion solenoid valve is provided at the lower part of the relay tank, which controls the flow of external seawater into the relay tank; the upper end of the relay tank is connected to the workboat through a lifting pipe; a return pipe is provided between the lifting pipe and the lower part of the relay tank.

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