Marine ore pulp lifting riser system

Abstract

A marine ore pulp lifting riser system comprises a lifting riser connected with a pipe ship connecting device of a mother ship, a watertight box and a motor. The lifting stand pipe is formed by connecting pipe joints, flanges are arranged at the two ends of each pipe joint, and a hollow layer between the inner-layer pipe and the outer-layer pipe and the flanges at the two ends are welded to form an annular cabin. The outer-layer pipe is a closed cylindrical pipe and is defined as a buoyancy pipe joint, and an annular cabin of the outer-layer pipe is a buoyancy cabin; a watertight sensor is arranged at the bottom of each buoyancy compartment; the lower part of the lifting vertical pipe at least comprises a pipe joint which is provided with a water filling port and a water discharging port which are communicated with the annular cabin on an outer layer pipe, the pipe joint is defined as a ballast pipe joint, and the annular cabin is a ballast cabin; each ballast tank is provided with a liquid level sensor in the height direction; driving pieces for injecting and discharging ballast water are arranged on the water injection port and the water discharge port; a fixing anchor is further arranged at the lower part of the lifting stand pipe; therefore, the defects of large dead weight, drifting, resonance, high mounting difficulty and the like of the existing riser lifting device for deep-sea mining are overcome, and the working efficiency of deep-sea mining is improved.

Description

[0001] This invention is a divisional application of the patent application with application number 2024102803268, application date March 12, 2024, and invention name “A deep-sea mining lifting riser device”. Technical Field

[0002] The invention relates to a deep-sea mining lifting riser device, in particular to a deep-sea mining steel lifting riser, and belongs to the field of marine engineering. Background Art

[0003] Deep-sea mining typically uses a surface mothership as the system's support platform. A slurry riser is connected to the vessel's bottom pipe-to-ship connection, extending several hundred meters below the seabed. The top of the riser is connected to the pipe-to-ship connection, and the bottom of the riser is connected to a lift pump unit, hoses, and a subsea mining vehicle. The mining vehicle operates on the seabed, pumping the collected slurry through the hose to the lift pump unit's inlet. The lift pump unit then transports the slurry through the lift riser to the surface mothership.

[0004] The so-called pipe-ship connection device is a connecting pipe installed on the bottom of the mother ship, containing a cylindrical pair and a spherical pair. It is connected to the upper end flange of the lifting riser using the lower end flange of the connecting pipe. The cylindrical pair of the connecting pipe ensures that the connecting pipe can move up and down along the connecting pipe axis, thereby preventing the vertical vibration generated by the lifting riser from interfering with the mother ship after the connecting pipe is connected to the lifting riser. The spherical pair of the connecting pipe is located at the spherical support of the connecting pipe, which can rotate in three directions. This prevents the mother ship's pitch, roll, and rotation from being interfered with by the lifting riser after connection, thereby ensuring the mother ship's safe operation on the sea surface. Patent Publication No.: CN 112127892 B, Patent Name: A Pipe-Ship Connection Device for Deep-Sea Mining Vessel, is an example of such a pipe-ship connection device.

[0005] Because deep-sea mining risers are thousands of meters long, and each section of steel riser is only tens of meters, it takes a long time to deploy the risers, and conversely, it also takes a long time to recover the risers. When a storm hits, the forecast time is often short, so when the mother ship needs to evacuate, the risers are difficult to recover in a short time. The current common practice is to disconnect the pipe-to-ship connection device from the riser, allowing the mother ship to evacuate alone, and the riser sinks to the bottom of the sea under its own weight to avoid danger. When the sea conditions return to normal, the mother ship returns to the operating area, and then the riser is lifted from the water and reconnected to the pipe-to-ship connection device on the mother ship before mining operations can resume.

[0006] To prevent drift, large-angle twisting, or even capsizing of the bottom-sinking lifting riser after it leaves the mother ship, the patent application, publication number: CN 116220690 A, title: Deep-sea mining mineral delivery pump pipe system adapted to emergency evacuation needs in severe sea conditions, uses the buoyancy generated by the deployment of a high-pressure, retractable airbag to keep the submerged underwater delivery pump pipe system upright underwater. Due to the deployment of the airbag, the resistance surface of the underwater delivery pump pipe system to the underwater ocean current increases, and the underwater delivery pump pipe system is subject to greater force from the underwater ocean current. In other words, the system not only cannot prevent the underwater delivery pump pipe system from drifting, but on the contrary, the underwater delivery pump pipe system may drift further under the action of underwater ocean currents. In addition, the application has the following defects: First, when the underwater delivery pump pipe system is operating normally, the airbag is deflated, and the weight of the underwater delivery pump pipe system is borne entirely by the mother ship, which increases the weight of the mother ship. Second, after the underwater delivery pump and pipe system sinks to the bottom, it remains upright underwater, and its top is generally several hundred meters away from the sea surface. Therefore, it is difficult to connect the top of the sunken underwater delivery pump and pipe to the mother ship; third, the underwater delivery pump and pipe system is assembled during the launching process, and there is no measure to adjust its vibration frequency, which cannot effectively avoid the resonance generated by the underwater delivery pump and pipe during the assembly process, affecting the assembly of the underwater delivery pump and pipe system; the role of the "underwater delivery pump and pipe system" in this patent application corresponds to the role of the "lifting riser device" in this patent application.

[0007] In summary, the current deep-sea mining riser device has the following problems: first, after the riser is connected to the mother ship, the weight of the mother ship increases, and the draft of the mother ship when it is unloaded increases; second, after the riser is separated from the mother ship, it drifts uncontrollably under the action of the seabed current; third, the bottom-sinking riser device is difficult to reconnect with the mother ship due to its deep sinking depth; fourth, the resonance generated during the assembly of the riser cannot be effectively avoided. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the existing deep-sea mining lifting riser device, such as resonance generated during the assembly process, heavy weight, uncontrolled drift of the lifting riser after separation from the mother ship, and difficulty in reconnecting the lifting riser device that has sunk to the bottom with the mother ship. A deep-sea mining lifting riser device is invented to solve the above-mentioned defects and improve the efficiency of deep-sea mining.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solutions.

[0010] A deep-sea mining lifting riser device comprises a lifting riser connected to a pipe-ship connection device of a mother ship, a watertight box, a motor, and a signal buoy; the lifting riser comprises at least two fixedly connected pipe sections, characterized in that: the pipe section is a double-layer casing, flanges are provided at both ends of the pipe section, and the hollow layer between the inner and outer tubes and the flanges at both ends are welded to form an annular cabin; the outer tube is a closed cylindrical tube, the pipe section is defined as a buoyancy pipe section, and its annular cabin is defined as a buoyancy cabin; the lower part of the lifting riser comprises at least one pipe section provided with a water injection port and a water discharge port on the outer tube that are connected to the annular cabin, the pipe section is defined as a ballast pipe section, and its annular cabin is defined as a ballast cabin; the water injection port and the water discharge port are provided with driving parts for injecting and discharging ballast water; the lower part of the lifting riser is also provided with an anchor.

[0011] The purpose of the present invention can be further achieved by the following technical solutions.

[0012] The tube hole of the inner layer tube is coated with wear-resistant material.

[0013] The ballast pipe section has a water inlet located at the upper part of the ballast tank and a water outlet located at the lower part of the ballast tank.

[0014] The lifting riser device is in seawater, and the buoyancy of the ballast pipe section before ballasting is greater than its own weight.

[0015] The bottom pipe section of the lifting riser is provided with watertight sockets on the upper and lower flange surfaces of the annular cabin, and the upper and lower watertight sockets are connected to each other by cables; except for the bottom pipe section, the upper flange surface of the annular cabin of the remaining pipe sections of the lifting riser is provided with a watertight socket, and the lower flange surface is correspondingly provided with a watertight socket protection hole passing through the flange, one end of the cable is connected to the watertight socket, and the other end of the cable is provided with a watertight plug, which passes through the protection hole of the annular cabin; the watertight socket at the top of the lifting riser is connected to the watertight plugs correspondingly arranged on the power system and control system on the mother ship.

[0016] The driving component for injecting ballast water into the ballast tank is a water injection solenoid valve; the water inlet P of the water injection solenoid valve is provided with a filter and is connected to the sea; the water outlet A of the water injection solenoid valve is connected to the ballast tank water injection port; the driving component for discharging ballast water from the ballast tank is a hydraulic pump, the water inlet of the hydraulic pump is provided with a drainage solenoid valve and is connected to the water outlet A of the drainage solenoid valve, the water inlet P of the drainage solenoid valve is connected to the ballast tank drainage port, the water outlet of the hydraulic pump is provided with a one-way valve, and the water outlet of the one-way valve is provided with a drain port and is connected to the sea; the hydraulic pump is driven by a motor.

[0017] The water injection solenoid valve, hydraulic pump, motor, drainage solenoid valve and one-way valve are arranged in a watertight box; the watertight box is fixedly connected to the lower part of the lifting riser, and the water inlet P of the drainage solenoid valve and the water inlet of the hydraulic pump are not higher than the drainage port of the ballast pipe section.

[0018] The cables are power lines of the hydraulic pump and control lines of the solenoid valve.

[0019] The mother ship also features a set of backup cables for the hydraulic pump power lines and solenoid valve control lines. One end of the backup cable is sealed with a watertight socket on the signal buoy, connecting to corresponding watertight plugs on the mother ship's power and control systems. The other end of the backup cable connects to a watertight socket on the upper end of the riser. When the mother ship withdraws, the signal buoy's backup cable's watertight plug connects to the watertight socket on the upper end of the riser, allowing the signal buoy to float on the sea surface above the riser and transmit its position information in a timely manner.

[0020] Two positioning pins are provided on the upper flange of each pipe section, and corresponding positioning pin holes are provided on the lower flange; and sealing pads are provided between the pipe sections.

[0021] Advantages and beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0022] The present invention provides a deep-sea mining riser device. The riser is assembled using pipe sections. Because the buoyancy pipe sections are provided with buoyancy compartments, the riser device is affected by the buoyancy of the buoyancy compartments, and the buoyancy of the buoyancy compartments is greater than their own weight, ensuring that the riser does not sink underwater. Therefore, when the riser is connected to the pipe-to-ship connection device of the mother ship, the mother ship's pipe-to-ship connection device does not bear the weight of the riser. In other words, after the mother ship is connected to the riser, its draft remains substantially unchanged. When the riser is connected to the mother ship, because the lower portion of the riser is hinged to one end of the anchor chain, the anchor connected to the other end of the anchor chain is suspended in the water, without affecting the movement of the mother ship. After the riser is detached from the mother ship, the riser is ballasted by the ballast compartments and sinks to the bottom, simultaneously driving the anchor chain to sink the anchor to the seabed. The anchor constrains the bottom-sinking riser to drift on the seabed.

[0023] The ballast pipe section is set at the bottom of the lifting riser. The upper part of the ballast pipe section is equipped with a water injection port, and the lower part of the ballast pipe section is equipped with a drainage port. If there is more than one ballast pipe section, in order to lower the center of gravity of the lifting riser, when the lifting riser needs to sink, the pipe sections of the ballast tank are filled with water in sequence from bottom to top; when the lifting riser needs to float, the ballast pipe sections are drained in sequence from top to bottom. By filling or draining the ballast tank, not only can the floating height of the lifting riser be adjusted to facilitate connection with the mother ship's pipe-ship connection device, but it can also allow the lifting riser to sink to the bottom or float to the surface in a controlled manner after separation from the mother ship. In addition, the ballast pipe section is set at the bottom of the lifting riser, which makes the center of gravity of the lifting riser lower, so that the lifting riser can maintain an upright posture underwater.

[0024] Before launching the ballast pipe section of the present invention, the ballast tank is first filled with water, and the ballast pipe section and the buoyancy pipe section are connected in sequence to form a lifting riser, which is finally connected to the pipe-ship connection device on the mother ship. On the one hand, during the process of sequentially connecting the ballast pipe section and the buoyancy pipe section, by adjusting the ballast water in the ballast tank, the natural vibration frequency of the lifting riser during the pipe section assembly and launching can be timely changed, thereby effectively avoiding the resonant frequency range of the pipe section of the lifting riser during the assembly process, creating conditions for the pipe section of the lifting riser to be assembled and launched into the water. On the other hand, it avoids launching the ballast tank of the ballast pipe section empty, and prevents the air in the ballast tank from being effectively discharged outside the ballast tank during water filling on the seabed, thereby effectively improving the utilization rate of the ballast tank.

[0025] The present invention utilizes watertight sockets on the flanges of the ballast and buoyancy compartments to seal the cable through these flanges, thereby utilizing the ballast and buoyancy compartments to safely protect the cable. To improve the connection accuracy of the upper and lower pipe sections and to safely protect the watertight sockets, two locating pins are provided on the upper flange of the pipe section, and corresponding locating holes are provided on the lower flange.

[0026] The setting of the watertight box allows electromagnetic components to work in a dry space, improving the insulation performance of the product while also improving the safety of the product. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a deep-sea mining lifting riser device according to the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a front view of the buoyancy tube section 160 of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 is a top view of the buoyancy tube section 160 of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a front view of the ballast pipe section 260 of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a front view of the ballast pipe section 260 at the bottom of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of Example 3 of the present invention.

[0033] In the figure: 100, pipe joint, 101, watertight socket, 102, upper flange, 103, outer tube, 104, buoyancy chamber, 105, inner tube, 106, pipe hole, 107, positioning pin hole, 108, protection hole, 109, 110, lower flange, 111, gasket, 112, positioning pin, 114, cable, 115, watertight plug, 116, watertight sensor, 120, bolt hole, 160, buoyancy pipe joint, 161, flange gasket;

[0034] 201. Water filling port, 202. Drainage port, 203. Ballast tank, 204. Water filling solenoid valve, 205. Drainage solenoid valve; 211. First water filling port, 212. First drainage port, 213. First ballast tank, 214. First water filling solenoid valve, 215. First draining solenoid valve, 216. First filling and draining port, 221. Second water filling port, 222. Second drainage port, 223. Second ballast tank, 224. Second water filling solenoid valve, 225. Second draining solenoid valve, 226. Second filling and draining port, 230. Watertight box, 231. Filter screen, 232. Motor, 233. Hydraulic pump, 234. One-way valve, 235. Drainage port, 236. Liquid level sensor, 260. Ballast pipe joint, 270. Anchor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to make the purpose and technical solution of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0036] Those skilled in the art will understand that unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention belongs.

[0037] The meanings of "left, right, up, down, front, and back" in this invention refer to the direction in which the reader is facing the attached image. Figure 1 When referring to the present invention, the left side of the reader is left, the right side of the reader is right, the upper side of the reader is top, the lower side of the reader is bottom, the side in front of the reader is front, and the side facing the reader is back, and this is not a specific limitation of the present invention.

[0038] The term "connection" as used herein may refer to a direct connection between components or an indirect connection between components via other components. For ease of description, the term "pipe segment" as used herein is a general term for both "buoyancy segment" and "ballast segment."

[0039] Example 1:

[0040] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 、 Figure 4As shown, the present invention discloses a deep-sea mining riser device. The riser is composed of multiple pipe segments 100, which are fixedly connected. The pipe segments 100 are double-layered tubes, comprising an inner tube 105 and an outer tube 103. Upper flanges 102 and lower flanges 110 are provided at the ends of the pipe segments 100, respectively. The hollow space between the inner and outer tubes 105, 103, and the spaces between the upper and lower flanges 102, 110 are welded to form an annular chamber. The flange surfaces at the top and bottom ends of the annular cabin are provided with flange screw holes 109 that pass through the flanges. The flange screw holes 109 on the upper flange 102 are used to install two positioning pins 112 and a watertight socket 101 respectively. One end of the cable 114 is connected to the watertight socket 101, and the other end of the cable 114 is connected to the watertight plug 115. Except for the lower flange 110 of the bottom pipe section 100, the other lower flanges 110 correspond to the upper flange 102. Two positioning pin holes 107 and a protection hole 108 that can pass through the watertight socket 101 are respectively provided on the flange screw holes 109. The protection hole 108 is used to protect the watertight socket 101, and the watertight plug can pass through the protection hole 108; the lower flange 110 of the bottom pipe section 100 is arranged in the same manner as that on the upper flange 102, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 .

[0041] Before ballasting, the riser assembly's buoyancy in seawater is greater than its own weight. An anchor 270 is attached to the bottom of the riser assembly via a chain. When the riser assembly is connected to the mother vessel, anchor 270 hangs from the lower ballast pipe section 260 and is not in contact with the seabed. Therefore, when the mother vessel needs to move on the sea surface during operation, anchor 270 does not constrain the mother vessel. When the riser assembly separates from the mother vessel and sinks to the bottom, anchor 270 sinks to the seabed, restraining the riser assembly from drifting underwater.

[0042] The function of the locating pins 112 is to ensure the positioning accuracy of the connections between the pipe sections 100 and between the riser and external equipment. Two locating pins 112 are provided on the upper flange 102 of each pipe section 100, which cooperate with the locating pin holes 107 on the lower flange 110 of the previous pipe section 100. To avoid positioning errors, the two locating pins 112 have different diameters, and the inner diameters of the locating pin holes 107 they cooperate with are also different. To facilitate installation, the two locating pins 112 are also set at different heights, one taller and the other shorter. To prevent the lower flange 110 of the previous pipe section 100 from damaging the watertight socket 101 on the upper flange 102 of the next pipe section 100 during assembly, the shorter locating pin 112 is set higher than the height of the watertight socket 101.

[0043] The specifications and quantity of watertight sockets 101 are determined by cables 114. In this embodiment, two cables are used: one three-core power cable for the hydraulic pump and one six-core control cable for the solenoid valve. Therefore, two watertight sockets 101 are provided on the upper flange 102 of each pipe segment; more watertight sockets and cables can be provided as needed. The watertight sockets 101 not only allow the cables to pass through the pipe segment flange in a sealed manner, but also protect the cables 114 within the pipe segment's annular compartment, further ensuring their safety.

[0044] The pipe hole 106 in the pipe segment 100 is a channel for conveying slurry. To increase its service life, the pipe hole 106 is coated with a polymer wear-resistant material. To ensure the seal between the pipe segments 100, a flange gasket 161 is provided at the connection between the upper and lower pipe segments 100, and a gasket 111 is also provided between the positioning pin 112, the watertight socket 101 and the flange joint surface. The edges of the upper flange 102 and the lower flange 110 of the pipe segment 100 are provided with multiple groups of corresponding bolt holes 120 to facilitate the fixed connection of the pipe segment 100.

[0045] like Figure 2 、 Figure 4 As shown, if the outer layer tube 103 of the pipe segment 100 is a closed cylindrical tube, the pipe segment is called a buoyancy pipe segment 160, and its annular compartment is identified as a buoyancy compartment 104; if the pipe segment 100 is provided with a water injection port 201 and a water discharge port 202 on the outer layer tube 103 that are connected to the annular compartment, the pipe segment is called a ballast pipe segment 260, and its annular compartment is identified as a ballast compartment 203; the water injection port 201 of the ballast pipe segment 260 is located at the upper part of the ballast compartment 203, and the water discharge port 202 is located at the lower part of the ballast compartment 203.

[0046] like Figure 1 、 Figure 4 As shown, the ballast pipe section 260 of this embodiment has two sections, namely the upper ballast pipe section and the lower ballast pipe section. For the convenience of description, the upper and lower ballast pipe sections are distinguished. Figure 4 The water injection port 201, the water discharge port 202, and the ballast tank 203 of the middle ballast pipe section 260 are marked as codes; the water injection port corresponding to the upper ballast pipe section is marked as the first water injection port 211, and so on, the first discharge port 212, the first ballast tank 213, the first water injection solenoid valve 214, and the first discharge solenoid valve 215; the water injection port corresponding to the lower ballast pipe section is marked as the second water injection port 221, and so on, the second discharge port 222, the second ballast tank 223, the second water injection solenoid valve 224, and the second discharge solenoid valve 225.

[0047] like Figure 1As shown, the water outlet A of the first water injection solenoid valve 214 is connected to the first water injection port 211, the water outlet A of the second water injection solenoid valve 224 is connected to the second water injection port 221, and the water inlet P of the first water injection solenoid valve 214 is connected to the water inlet P of the second water injection solenoid valve 224, and then connected to the sea through the filter 231. The water inlet P of the first drain solenoid valve 215 is connected to the first drain port 212, and the water inlet P of the second drain solenoid valve 225 is connected to the second drain port 222. The water outlet A of the first drain solenoid valve 215 is connected to the water outlet A of the second drain solenoid valve 225, and then connected to the hydraulic pump 233, the one-way valve 234, and the drain port 235 to connect to the sea. The hydraulic pump 233 is driven by the motor 232. The first water injection solenoid valve 214, the first water discharge solenoid valve 215, the second water injection solenoid valve 224, the second water discharge solenoid valve 225, the hydraulic pump 233, the motor 232, and the one-way valve 234 are installed in a watertight box 230. The watertight box 230 is fixedly connected to the lower portion of the riser, and the water inlet P of the second water discharge solenoid valve 225 and the water inlet of the hydraulic pump 233 are not higher than the second water discharge port 222. The watertight box 230 provides a dry space for the electromagnetic components, improving the safety of the product.

[0048] Lifting riser sinking and floating:

[0049] 1. Lifting riser sinking: the second water injection solenoid valve 224 is energized and turned on. After the second ballast tank 223 is filled, if the lifting riser sinks to a depth that is not enough, the second water injection solenoid valve 224 is de-energized and closed, and the first water injection solenoid valve 214 is energized and turned on until the sinking requirement is met, at which point the first water injection solenoid valve 214 is de-energized and closed.

[0050] 2. Lifting the riser to float: the first drain solenoid valve 215 is energized, the motor 232 is energized, and the hydraulic pump 233 discharges the ballast water in the first ballast tank 213 into the sea through the first drain port 212 - the first drain solenoid valve 215 - the hydraulic pump 233 - the one-way valve 234 - the drain port 235 until the ballast water in the first ballast tank 213 is drained and the first drain solenoid valve 215 is de-energized and closed; if the lifter needs to continue to float, the second drain solenoid valve 225 is energized, and the hydraulic pump 233 discharges the ballast water in the second ballast tank 223 into the sea through the second drain port 222 - the second drain solenoid valve 225 - the hydraulic pump 233 - the one-way valve 234 - the drain port 235 until the ballast water in the second ballast tank 223 is drained and the second drain solenoid valve 225 is de-energized and closed; the motor 232 is de-energized, and the hydraulic pump 233 stops working.

[0051] Furthermore, to effectively avoid resonance during the assembly and launching of the riser, the ballast pipe section 260 fills the ballast tank 203 with water before launching. If resonance occurs during the assembly of the riser, the ballast water in the ballast tank 203 can be drained or refilled, thereby changing the mass of the riser and thereby altering its natural frequency. This effectively avoids the resonance frequency range generated during the assembly and launching of the riser, facilitating the assembly of the riser. Furthermore, by filling the ballast tank on land with water to allow for underwater drainage, the ballast tank 203 is vacuumed underwater, thereby increasing its ballast capacity.

[0052] In this embodiment, the mother ship is also equipped with a set of backup cables for the hydraulic pump power lines, the solenoid valve control lines, and a signal buoy. When the mother ship is separated from the riser assembly, the watertight plug of the backup cable is connected to the watertight socket 101 at the upper end of the riser assembly. The watertight socket of the backup cable is sealed and fixed to the signal buoy, which is then lowered into the sea. The beneficial effects are: 1. The signal buoy marks the bottom position of the riser assembly, making it easier to find the bottom position of the riser assembly when the mother ship returns. 2. The watertight socket of the backup cable can be floated on the water surface using the signal buoy. When the mother ship returns, the watertight socket of the backup cable can be connected to the mother ship to control the riser assembly to float upward and reconnect the riser assembly to the mother ship.

[0053] Example 2:

[0054] A marine slurry lifting riser system includes a buoyancy pipe section and a ballast pipe section; the characteristics are: the lifting riser includes at least one buoyancy pipe section; the bottom of the buoyancy compartment of each buoyancy pipe section is provided with a watertight sensor; the lifting riser includes at least one ballast pipe section; the ballast compartment of each ballast pipe section is provided with a liquid level sensor in the height direction.

[0055] The watertight sensor is a capacitive sensor.

[0056] The liquid level sensor is a liquid level reed switch sensor.

[0057] The signal cables of the watertight sensor and liquid level sensor are in the lifting riser, and are transitioned through the watertight socket 101 and the watertight plug 115, and are sealed through the flanges on each ballast tank 203 and each buoyancy tank 104. A signal line watertight socket is also set at the top of the lifting riser, and is connected to the mother ship through the watertight socket 101.

[0058] The rest is the same as Example 1.

[0059] A marine slurry lifting riser system is provided with a watertightness sensor 116 in each buoyancy compartment 104. When the mother ship is operating, the system can timely monitor the watertightness of each buoyancy compartment 104 in the lifting riser, ensuring the safe operation of the deep-sea mining lifting riser system. Because each buoyancy compartment 104 of each buoyancy compartment 160 is equipped with a watertightness sensor 116, the signal transmitted by the watertightness sensor 116 can be used to determine whether the buoyancy compartment 160 corresponding to the watertightness sensor 116 is leaking. The provision of the watertightness sensor 116 not only allows the sealing of the buoyancy compartment 160 to be determined, but also, with accumulated experience, allows for a more scientific determination of the lifting riser maintenance cycle.

[0060] A liquid level sensor 236 is installed in each ballast tank. On the mother ship, the water level of each ballast tank 203 in the lifting riser can be monitored, and the lifting riser can be accurately judged to be able to sink when it sinks to the bottom and float when it floats, thereby improving the management level of safe operation of the system.

[0061] In addition, a spare cable for the signal lines of the watertight sensor 116 and the liquid level sensor 236 is added to the mother ship and tied together with the above-mentioned signal buoy, so that when the lifting riser sinks to the bottom and floats up, the sealing of each buoyancy pipe section 160 and the water level of each ballast pipe section 260 can be observed on the mother ship through the spare cable to accurately judge the floating status of the lifting riser.

[0062] Example 3:

[0063] A marine sinking and floating lifting riser is characterized in that: the lower part of the lifting riser includes at least one pipe section with an injection and discharge port connected to an annular compartment on the outer pipe, the pipe section is defined as a ballast pipe section, and its annular compartment is defined as a ballast compartment; the injection and discharge port is provided with a driving member for injecting and discharging ballast water.

[0064] The water injection and discharge ports are arranged at the lower part of the ballast pipe section.

[0065] The driving component for injecting ballast water into the ballast tank is a water injection solenoid valve; the water inlet P of the water injection solenoid valve is provided with a filter and is connected to the sea; the water outlet A of the water injection solenoid valve is connected to the ballast tank injection and drainage port; the driving component for discharging ballast water from the ballast tank is a hydraulic pump, the water inlet of the hydraulic pump is provided with a drainage solenoid valve, the water inlet P of the drainage solenoid valve is also connected to the ballast tank injection and drainage port, the water outlet of the hydraulic pump is provided with a one-way valve, the water outlet of the one-way valve is provided with a drain port and is connected to the sea; the hydraulic pump is driven by a motor.

[0066] The rest is the same as Example 2.

[0067] like Figure 6As shown, in this embodiment, there are two ballast pipe sections 260. The outlet A of the first water injection solenoid valve 214 is connected to the water inlet P of the first water discharge solenoid valve 215, and then to the first water injection and drainage outlet 216. The outlet A of the second water injection solenoid valve 224 is connected to the water inlet P of the second water discharge solenoid valve 225, and then to the second water injection and drainage outlet 226. The water inlet P of the first water injection solenoid valve 214 and the water inlet P of the second water injection solenoid valve 224 are connected, and then to the sea through the filter 231. The outlet A of the first water discharge solenoid valve 215 and the water outlet A of the second water discharge solenoid valve 225 are connected, and then to the hydraulic pump 233, the one-way valve 234, and the drain port 235 to connect to the sea. The hydraulic pump 233 is driven by the motor 232. The water inlet P of the second water discharge solenoid valve 225 and the water inlet of the hydraulic pump 233 are no higher than the second water injection and drainage outlet 226.

[0068] In this embodiment, a water injection port 201 and a water discharge port 202 in the ballast pipe section 260 are combined into one injection and water discharge port, which is arranged at the lower part of the ballast pipe section 260 to facilitate drainage of the hydraulic pump. Since the lifting standpipe cannot be filled with water and drained at the same time, a single water pipe joint is used to complete the sinking and floating of the lifting standpipe, thereby simplifying the manufacture of the ballast pipe section 260 and reducing the number of connecting pipes between the ballast pipe section 260 and the watertight box.

Claims

1. A marine slurry lifting riser system, comprising a lifting riser connected to a pipe-to-ship connection device of a mother ship, a watertight box, a motor, and a signal buoy; the lifting riser comprises at least two fixedly connected pipe sections, characterized in that: The pipe section is a double-layer casing with flanges at both ends. The hollow layer between the inner and outer tubes and the flanges at both ends are welded to form an annular cabin; the outer tube is a closed cylindrical tube, and the pipe section is defined as a buoyancy pipe section, and its annular cabin is defined as a buoyancy cabin; the lower part of the lifting riser comprises at least one pipe section provided with a water injection port and a water discharge port on the outer tube connected to the annular cabin, the pipe section is defined as a ballast pipe section, and its annular cabin is defined as a ballast cabin; the water injection port and the water discharge port are provided with driving parts for injecting and discharging ballast water; the lifting riser comprises at least one buoyancy pipe section; the bottom of the buoyancy cabin of each buoyancy pipe section is provided with a watertight sensor; the lifting riser comprises at least one ballast pipe section; the ballast cabin of each ballast pipe section is provided with a liquid level sensor in the height direction; the lower part of the lifting riser is also provided with an anchor; The ballast pipe section has a water inlet located at the upper part of the ballast tank and a water outlet located at the lower part of the ballast tank; The bottom pipe section of the lifting riser has watertight sockets on both the upper and lower flange surfaces of its annular compartment, and the upper and lower watertight sockets are connected to each other by cables. Except for the bottom pipe section, the upper flange surface of the annular compartment of the remaining pipe sections of the lifting riser has a watertight socket, and the lower flange surface has a corresponding watertight socket protection hole that passes through the flange. One end of the cable is connected to the watertight socket, and the other end of the cable is provided with a watertight plug and passes through the protection hole of the annular compartment. The watertight socket on the top of the lifting riser is communicated with the watertight plugs correspondingly arranged on the power system and the control system on the mother ship.

2. The marine slurry lifting riser system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting riser device is in seawater, and the buoyancy of the ballast pipe section before ballasting is greater than its own weight.

3. The marine slurry lifting riser system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving component for injecting ballast water into the ballast tank is a water injection solenoid valve; the water inlet P of the water injection solenoid valve is provided with a filter and is connected to the sea; the water outlet A of the water injection solenoid valve is connected to the ballast tank water injection port; the driving component for discharging ballast water from the ballast tank is a hydraulic pump, the water inlet of the hydraulic pump is provided with a drainage solenoid valve and is connected to the water outlet A of the drainage solenoid valve, the water inlet P of the drainage solenoid valve is connected to the ballast tank drainage port, the water outlet of the hydraulic pump is provided with a one-way valve, and the water outlet of the one-way valve is provided with a drain port and is connected to the sea; the hydraulic pump is driven by a motor.

4. The marine slurry lifting riser system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The water injection solenoid valve, hydraulic pump, motor, drainage solenoid valve and one-way valve are arranged in a watertight box; the watertight box is fixedly connected to the lower part of the lifting riser, and the water inlet P of the drainage solenoid valve and the water inlet of the hydraulic pump are not higher than the drainage port of the ballast pipe section.

5. The marine slurry lifting riser system according to claim 1 or claim 3, characterized in that: The cables are power lines of the hydraulic pump and control lines of the solenoid valve.

6. The marine slurry lifting riser system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mother ship is also provided with a set of spare cables for hydraulic pump power lines and solenoid valve control lines; the watertight socket at one end of the spare cable is sealed and fixed on the signal buoy, and can be connected with the watertight plugs corresponding to the power system and control system on the mother ship; the watertight plug at the other end of the spare cable can be connected to the watertight socket at the upper end of the lifting riser; when the mother ship evacuates the signal buoy, its spare cable watertight plug is connected to the watertight socket at the upper end of the lifting riser, and the signal buoy floats on the sea surface of the lifting riser and can send location information to the outside in a timely manner.

7. The marine slurry lifting riser system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two positioning pins are provided on the upper flange of each pipe section, and corresponding positioning pin holes are provided on the lower flange; and sealing pads are provided between the pipe sections.

8. The marine slurry lifting riser system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The watertight sensor is a capacitive sensor.

9. The marine slurry lifting riser system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid level sensor is a liquid level reed switch sensor.

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