Cluster transfer system based on floating deep-sea mining platform and transfer method thereof

CN122687946BActive Publication Date: 2026-10-23CHINA MERCHANTS DEEPSEA RES INST SANYA CO LTD +1
View PDF 2 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
CN202611189042.3
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2026-08-06
Publication Date
2026-10-23
Estimated Expiration
2046-08-06

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

现有技术中,即便采用波浪补偿器抵消部分升沉运动,纵摇和横摇引起的管路末端水平偏移仍无法有效补偿,且补偿器仅能被动响应、无法主动预判运动趋势

Benefits of technology

1、本发明通过浮托式深海采矿平台的内部泊位空间与坞底墩木结构,矿物运输船驶入泊位空间后坐墩于坞底墩木上,与平台形成刚性连接,从根本上消除了传统舷侧并靠转运中两船六自由度相对运动导致的管路摆动和矿石散落问题,配合牵引导向系统实现运输船进出泊位空间的精准引导,显著提高了转运安全性。

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure CN122687946B_ABST
    Figure CN122687946B_ABST
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

The application discloses a cluster transfer system based on a floating type deep sea mining platform, which comprises an automatic transfer system, a mineral transport ship, the floating type deep sea mining platform, an underwater mineral lifting system and a deep sea mining vehicle; the floating type deep sea mining platform comprises a platform body, a ballast water tank, a side dock wall and a dock bottom pile; the ballast water tank is arranged in the platform body and is used for adjusting the draught of the floating type deep sea mining platform by injecting and discharging water; the side dock wall and the dock bottom pile jointly form a berth space for the mineral transport ship to enter; a traction guide system is further arranged on the floating type deep sea mining platform and is used for guiding the mineral transport ship to enter and leave the berth space; the underwater mineral lifting system is used for transporting the ore pulp collected by the deep sea mining vehicle to the platform body and transferring the mineral to the mineral transport ship through the automatic transfer system.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of deep-sea mining technology, specifically to a cluster transfer system and transfer method based on a floating deep-sea mining platform. Background Technology

[0002] As deep-sea mining progresses from experimental verification to large-scale operations, the efficient and safe transfer of ore from the seabed to the surface platform has become a key bottleneck restricting its commercial feasibility.

[0003] Current deep-sea mining transshipment mainly employs a method of side-by-side berthing between mining vessels and transport vessels. This method has the following specific technical problems: First, the six-degree-of-freedom relative motion during side-by-side transport cannot be eliminated. When mining vessels and transport vessels are alongside each other, the two ships experience coupled motions such as pitching, rolling, heave, longitudinal displacement, and transverse displacement under wave excitation. The end of the ore transport pipeline oscillates significantly with the relative motion of the two ships, leading to ore spillage and pipeline fatigue damage. In existing technologies, even if wave compensators are used to offset some of the heave motion, the horizontal displacement of the pipeline end caused by pitching and rolling cannot be effectively compensated, and the compensators can only respond passively and cannot actively predict the motion trend. Therefore, the continuity and sealing of the ore transport pipeline are difficult to guarantee, and transport operations are often forced to be interrupted in severe sea conditions.

[0004] Secondly, the deep coupling between mining operations and mineral transport results in high start-up and shutdown costs for the hoisting system. Existing mining vessels simultaneously perform mineral hoisting, storage, and transport scheduling functions. Once the mineral storage bins reach their capacity, mining operations must be interrupted to await unloading by transport vessels. Deep-sea mineral hoisting systems consist of hundreds to thousands of meters of rigid main pipes, relay pump stations, and flexible main pipes connected in series. During start-up and shutdown, the risk of slurry sedimentation and blockage within the pipelines is extremely high. Restarting requires lengthy flushing and emptying, with single start-up and shutdown times reaching several hours, severely reducing overall mining efficiency. Therefore, the coupling of mining and transport forces the hoisting system to operate intermittently, becoming a major source of operational inefficiency.

[0005] Third, single-ship, single-sided loading causes the floating body to tilt, affecting the verticality of the lift riser. Current transfer methods typically involve a single transport vessel berthing on one side to load minerals. As the load increases, the mining vessel generates a continuous tilting moment. For mining platforms equipped with deep-water lift risers, the lateral offset of the riser top is directly proportional to the platform's tilt angle. An increased tilt angle will lead to a deterioration of the slurry flow within the riser, a sharp increase in transport resistance, and even pipeline vibration. The traditional approach is to adjust ballast tanks to counteract the tilt, but the response time of ballast tanks is on the order of minutes, unable to keep up with real-time changes in the loading rate. During loading, the platform repeatedly experiences tilt-rebound oscillations, and the riser continuously bears alternating lateral loads.

[0006] Fourth, the fixed transshipment capacity cannot adapt to the dynamic changes in mineral production and sea conditions. Deep-sea mining output fluctuates continuously with changes in ore grade, the number of mining vehicles, and equipment status, while sea conditions also change periodically. The existing transshipment system has a fixed capacity configuration, resulting in high idle rates for transport vessels during periods of low mineral production and long queues during periods of high production. This makes it impossible to achieve a dynamic match between transshipment capacity and mining output, thus hindering overall economic efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention aims to overcome at least one of the defects of the prior art and provide a cluster transfer system and transfer method based on a floating deep-sea mining platform to achieve flexible and rapid transfer of ore, reduce ore transportation costs, improve operational stability and deployment flexibility, and reduce its impact on the marine environment.

[0008] This invention provides a cluster transfer system based on a floating deep-sea mining platform, comprising an automated transfer system, a mineral transport vessel, a floating deep-sea mining platform, an underwater mineral lifting system, and a deep-sea mining vehicle. The floating deep-sea mining platform includes a platform body, ballast tanks, side dock walls, dock bottom piers, and a control unit mounted on the platform body. The control unit generates and sends control commands to the deep-sea mining vehicle. The ballast tanks are located within the platform body and are used to adjust the draft of the floating deep-sea mining platform by adding or removing water. The side dock walls and dock bottom piers together form a berth space for the mineral transport vessel to enter. The floating deep-sea mining platform is also equipped with a traction guidance system to guide the mineral transport vessel into and out of the berth space. The underwater mineral lifting system transports the slurry collected by the deep-sea mining vehicle to the platform body and then transfers the mineral to the mineral transport vessel via the automated transfer system. The automated transfer system consists of existing structural components such as lifting chambers, conveyor slides, and ship loaders, which will not be described in detail in this application. Its function is to automatically lift the processed minerals to a certain height and then transfer them to the mineral transport ship through computer terminal control.

[0009] Preferably, the floating deep-sea mining platform further includes a wave compensation system, which is used to adjust the water distribution of the ballast tank according to real-time sea state data to compensate for the roll and pitch movements of the floating deep-sea mining platform caused by the shift of the center of gravity and wave load during mineral transfer.

[0010] Preferably, the number of berth spaces is 2 to 8, and the berth spaces are symmetrically distributed with respect to the longitudinal midsection of the platform body.

[0011] Preferably, the underwater mineral hoisting system includes a rigid main pipe, a repeater, and a flexible main pipe connected sequentially from top to bottom; the top of the rigid main pipe is connected to the platform body; the bottom of the flexible main pipe is connected to the deep-sea mining vehicle; the underwater mineral hoisting system also includes an umbilical cable, the top of which is connected to the platform body, and the other end of which is connected to the deep-sea mining vehicle, so that the deep-sea mining vehicle receives control commands from the floating deep-sea mining platform through the umbilical cable.

[0012] Preferably, the system also includes an intelligent docking system, which is responsible for regulating the working status of the ballast water tanks and enabling the floating deep-sea mining platform to dock with the mineral transport vessel. The intelligent docking system is the "smart brain" of the ballast water tanks. It collects real-time data on the liquid level and ship attitude of each ballast tank through sensors, automatically generates precise injection and drainage commands, and directly controls the ballast water pumps and electrically controlled valve groups to adjust the water volume within the tanks. This replaces traditional manual operation and solves the problems of slow response and insufficient accuracy in the traditional method. The complete logic for regulating ballast water tanks is as follows: First, distributed level sensors and ship attitude sensing modules deployed in each ballast tank collect core operational data such as the overall tank level, ship draft, and heel and roll angles in real time, completing the synchronous collection of multi-source information. Then, the central controller integrates these real-time sensing data, compares them with preset target stability and buoyancy safety parameters, and automatically calculates and generates precise injection and drainage commands for each ballast tank through a built-in optimization allocation algorithm. Then, it links and controls the ballast water pumps and electrically controlled valve groups to complete the injection, discharge, or inter-tank adjustment of ballast water. During the process, the sensors continuously transmit the regulated tank level and ship attitude data. The system automatically verifies the deviation and makes dynamic fine adjustments, ultimately achieving closed-loop control of the entire process. This completely solves the pain points of slow response and insufficient accuracy of traditional manual regulation, and significantly improves the navigation safety and hull stability of ships under various working conditions such as loading and unloading, and navigation in different sea states.

[0013] This invention also provides a cluster transfer method based on a floating deep-sea mining platform, including the aforementioned cluster transfer system, comprising the following steps: S1: Adjusting the floating deep-sea mining platform to a predetermined draft, wherein the predetermined draft is greater than the draft of the mineral transport vessels above the dock piers of the floating deep-sea mining platform; S2: Guiding at least two mineral transport vessels into the berth space of the floating deep-sea mining platform in a symmetrical formation using a traction guidance system, wherein the symmetrical formation is a symmetrical distribution of the mineral transport vessels relative to the longitudinal centerline of the floating deep-sea mining platform; S3: Controlling the ballast of the floating deep-sea mining platform. S4: The ballast tanks are drained and the vessel rises to the surface, allowing the mineral transport ship to settle on the dock piers and remain relatively stationary with respect to the floating deep-sea mining platform; S5: The pre-processed minerals from the floating deep-sea mining platform are loaded onto the mineral transport ship via an automated transfer system; During the loading process, the working state of the floating deep-sea mining platform is adjusted by a wave compensation system to compensate for small oscillations caused by changes in the center of gravity; S6: When the mineral transport ship is fully loaded, the ballast tanks are flooded and the vessel sinks, separating it from the dock piers; The traction and guidance system guides the mineral transport ship to depart from the floating deep-sea mining platform in a symmetrical formation.

[0014] Preferably, in step S4, the underwater mineral lifting system continuously transports the slurry to a mineral buffer storage device located on the platform body for pretreatment and temporary storage, and the automated transfer system loads the minerals from the mineral buffer storage device to the mineral transport vessel; the operation of the underwater mineral lifting system is independent of the docking status of the mineral transport vessel, so that mining operations are not interrupted when no mineral transport vessel is docked.

[0015] Preferably, in step S4, the wave compensation system performs high-frequency motion compensation to offset the small platform oscillations caused by waves, while the ballast tank performs low-frequency motion compensation to offset the large tilting caused by mineral loading. The two systems work together in the frequency domain to significantly improve the navigation and operational safety of the floating deep-sea mining platform under complex sea conditions during mineral transfer.

[0016] The definition of minor ship oscillation is as follows: Minor ship oscillation, also known as small-angle ship rolling, refers to the small-amplitude, periodic six-degree-of-freedom reciprocating motion of a ship around its equilibrium position under the action of external forces such as wind and waves. The corresponding rolling and other motion angles are usually within 10°, which is within the normal seakeeping performance range of a ship. It generally does not endanger navigation safety and may only cause slight discomfort to personnel or a small loss of speed.

[0017] Definition of a ship's significant tilt: A significant tilt corresponds to the category of large-angle stability of a ship. It refers to a situation where, under the action of external forces, the ship tilts laterally at an angle exceeding 10° to 15°, or the edge of the upper deck begins to enter the water. At this time, the position of the ship's center of gravity changes with the tilt angle and cannot be directly measured by the initial metacentricity. In severe cases, the ship will lose its restoring force and may even face the risk of capsizing.

[0018] In this invention, small-amplitude oscillation refers to the fact that when the floating deep-sea mining platform is operated, the heel angle generated by slight external forces such as water flow and wind is usually no more than 1°. The floating fluctuation amplitude is small, which will not affect the stability of the ship sitting on the dock, nor will it interfere with the normal injection and drainage operation process.

[0019] Significant tilting refers to the tilt angle of a floating deep-sea mining platform exceeding the safety threshold specified in the regulations. Typically, the tilt angle is greater than 5°, which exceeds the allowable floating state deviation range for normal operations. This can threaten the stability of the dock, the safety of vessels inside the dock, and even lead to the risk of exceeding the structural stress limit.

[0020] Preferably, step S4 further includes a step of dynamically adjusting the gain distribution of high-frequency motion compensation and low-frequency motion compensation according to the loading progress of the mineral transport vessel: in the early stage of loading, the high-frequency motion compensation of the wave compensation system is the main component; as the loading volume increases, the weight of the low-frequency motion compensation of the ballast water tank is gradually increased; when the loading volume exceeds a preset threshold, the system switches to using the low-frequency motion compensation of the ballast water tank as the main component and the high-frequency motion compensation of the wave compensation system as the auxiliary component.

[0021] Preferably, the method further includes selecting a cluster operation mode based on real-time sea conditions, mineral supply rate, and the number of available mineral transport vessels. The cluster operation modes include a low-efficiency transfer mode, a medium-efficiency transfer mode, and a high-efficiency transfer mode. In the low-efficiency transfer mode, at least two mineral transport vessels symmetrically enter and exit; in the medium-efficiency transfer mode, at least four mineral transport vessels symmetrically enter and exit; and in the high-efficiency transfer mode, at least six mineral transport vessels simultaneously enter and exit. The method also includes a standby mode, i.e., mining operations are not interrupted when no vessels dock, and a mineral buffer storage device is used for temporary storage of slurry. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this invention are: 1. This invention utilizes the internal berth space of a floating deep-sea mining platform and the dock bottom timber structure. After the mineral transport vessel enters the berth space, it sits on the dock bottom timber, forming a rigid connection with the platform. This fundamentally eliminates the problems of pipeline swaying and ore scattering caused by the six-degree-of-freedom relative motion of the two ships during traditional side-to-side berthing and transfer. Combined with the traction guidance system, it achieves precise guidance for the transport vessel to enter and exit the berth space, significantly improving the safety of transfer.

[0022] 2. This invention, by setting up a mineral buffer storage device on the platform itself, allows the underwater mineral hoisting system to continuously transport slurry to the buffer storage device for temporary storage. Its operation is independent of the docking status of the transport vessel, ensuring uninterrupted mining operations even when no vessel is docked. Compared to the shortcomings of existing technologies, such as forced shutdowns after the storage tank is full and the high cost of starting and stopping the hoisting pipeline, this invention enables continuous operation of the hoisting system, avoiding slurry sedimentation and blockage in the pipelines, and significantly improving overall operational efficiency.

[0023] 3. In this invention, mineral transport vessels enter and exit the berth space in a grouping manner that is symmetrically distributed relative to the longitudinal center section of the platform. The synchronous loading on the symmetrical sides enables the lateral moment to self-balance, fundamentally eliminating the platform tilt caused by unilateral loading and avoiding the alternating lateral load and deterioration of the slurry flow state of the lifting riser due to tilt offset.

[0024] 4. In this invention, the wave compensation system responds to the high-frequency motion caused by waves, and the ballast water tank responds to the low-frequency motion caused by the shift of the center of gravity. The two compensate in the frequency domain and dynamically adjust the gain distribution of high-frequency and low-frequency motion compensation according to the loading progress: high-frequency motion compensation is the main focus in the early stage of loading, and low-frequency motion compensation is the main focus in the later stage of loading. This achieves a precise match between the compensation strategy and the loading conditions, ensuring that the overall motion amplitude of the platform is below the safety threshold throughout the entire transfer process.

[0025] 5. This invention dynamically switches between low-efficiency, medium-efficiency, high-efficiency, and standby modes based on real-time sea conditions, mineral supply rate, and the number of available mineral transport vessels. This avoids idle or queuing transport vessels caused by fixed transport capacity, and achieves an economic match between transfer capacity and mining output. In standby mode, mining operations and slurry temporary storage buffer devices are not interrupted, further ensuring the continuity of mining. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a simplified side view of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a simplified cross-sectional view of the floating deep-sea mining platform of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3 This is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating the process of an empty mineral transport vessel entering a floating deep-sea mining platform as described in this invention.

[0029] in: Figure 3-1 A schematic diagram showing the status of multiple mineral transport vessels preparing to enter a floating deep-sea mining platform. Figure 3-2 A schematic diagram illustrating the status of a traction and guidance system guiding a mineral transport vessel into a floating deep-sea mining platform. Figure 3-3 This is a schematic diagram showing the state of a mineral transport ship being guided to a predetermined location. Figure 3-4 This is a schematic diagram showing a mineral transport ship sitting on wooden blocks at the bottom of a dock, maintaining a relatively stationary state.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating the process of a mineral transport vessel fully loaded leaving a floating deep-sea mining platform, as described in this invention.

[0031] in: Figure 4-1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the state of transporting minerals to a mineral transport ship via an automated transfer system. Figure 4-2 This diagram illustrates the gradual increase in draft of a mineral transport ship and a floating deep-sea mining platform until the mineral transport ship is fully loaded with minerals. Figure 4-3 A schematic diagram showing the separation of the dock piers of the mineral transport ship and the floating deep-sea mining platform as the ballast tanks are filled with water and sunk. Figure 4-4 This is a schematic diagram of a mineral transport vessel leaving a floating deep-sea mining platform.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating the workflow of the present invention, in which six mineral transport vessels, in a cluster and unloaded, enter the floating deep-sea mining platform.

[0033] Figure 6 This is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating the workflow of four mineral transport vessels entering a floating deep-sea mining platform in a cluster without cargo, as described in this invention.

[0034] Figure 7 This is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating the workflow of two mineral transport vessels entering a floating deep-sea mining platform in a cluster without cargo, as described in this invention.

[0035] The attached figures are labeled as follows: 1: Mineral transport vessel; 1-1: Cargo hold of mineral transport vessel; 2: Floating deep-sea mining platform; 2-1: Side dock wall; 2-2: Ballast water tank; 2-3: Dock bottom pier; 2-4: Traction and guidance system; 2-5: Wave compensation system; 2-6: Ship loader; 2-7: Platform body; 3: Rigid main pipe; 4: Repeater; 5: Soft main pipe; 6: Umbilical cable; 7: Deep-sea mining vehicle. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The accompanying drawings illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention in more detail. Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The described embodiments are some, but not all, embodiments of the present invention. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] It should be noted that if the embodiments of this application involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0038] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this application involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the technical solutions of various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. If the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0039] Example

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, the cluster transfer method based on the floating deep-sea mining platform 2 in this embodiment involves a mining and transfer system including a mineral transport vessel 1 and a floating deep-sea mining platform 2; the floating deep-sea mining platform 2 includes a platform body 2-7, ballast water tanks 2-2, side dock walls 2-1 and dock bottom piers 2-3, and a control unit installed on the platform body 2-7, which is used to generate and send control commands to the deep-sea mining vehicle; the mining and transfer system also includes a deep-sea mining vehicle 7 and an umbilical cable 6 for controlling the movement of the mining vehicle on the platform.

[0041] In this embodiment, the floating deep-sea mining platform 2 is deployed by being towed to the target sea area by a tugboat and its anchoring system is deployed to fix its position. The draft of the buoy is adjusted to the design depth, and the wave compensation system 2-5 is activated to adapt to sea surface fluctuations. The deep-sea mining vehicle 7 is then deployed to the target mining area to begin mineral extraction.

[0042] In this embodiment, after the deep-sea mining vehicles 7 collect minerals, they are transported in the form of slurry to the repeater 4 via the soft main pipe 5. The slurry undergoes preliminary sorting and filtration in the repeater 4, and then is transported to the mineral buffer storage device of the floating deep-sea mining platform 2 via the hard main pipe 3.

[0043] Taking the high-efficiency transshipment mode of six mineral transport ships simultaneously entering empty and departing fully loaded as an example, such as... Figure 5 Top view and Figure 3As shown in the side view, in this embodiment, the floating deep-sea mining platform 2 is submerged to a predetermined draft. The predetermined draft refers to the water depth above the dock piers 2-3 of the floating deep-sea mining platform 2 being slightly greater than the draft of the mineral transport vessel 1. Figure 3-1 This is a schematic diagram showing multiple mineral transport vessels approaching and preparing to enter a floating deep-sea mining platform. Figure 3-2 A schematic diagram illustrating the status of a traction and guidance system guiding a mineral transport vessel into a floating deep-sea mining platform. Figure 3-3 This is a schematic diagram showing the state of a mineral transport ship being guided to a predetermined location. Figure 3-4 This is a schematic diagram showing a mineral transport ship sitting on wooden blocks at the bottom of a dock, maintaining a relatively stationary state.

[0044] like Figure 3-3 As shown, the traction guidance system 2-4 guides the mineral transport vessel 1 into the platform. After the mineral transport vessel 1 reaches the predetermined position, the ballast water tank 2-2 of the floating deep-sea mining platform 2 is depleted and the vessel rises to the surface. The draft of the mineral transport vessel 1 decreases, making its own weight greater than its buoyancy, and causing the mineral transport vessel 1 to sit on the dock bottom pier 2-3 structure. That is, the mineral transport vessel 1 and the floating deep-sea mining platform 2 remain relatively stationary. At this time, the state is as follows: Figure 3-4 As shown.

[0045] Figure 4-1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the state of transporting minerals to a mineral transport ship via an automated transfer system. Figure 4-2 This diagram illustrates the gradual increase in draft of a mineral transport ship and a floating deep-sea mining platform until the mineral transport ship is fully loaded with minerals. Figure 4-3 A schematic diagram showing the separation of the dock piers of the mineral transport ship and the floating deep-sea mining platform as the ballast tanks are filled with water and sunk. Figure 4-4 This is a schematic diagram of a mineral transport vessel departing from a floating deep-sea mining platform.

[0046] like Figure 4-1 As shown, the floating deep-sea mining platform 2 transports pre-treated minerals from the mineral buffer storage device to the cargo hold 1-1 of the mineral transport ship via the ship loader 2-6. During the mineral transfer process, the draft of the mineral transport ship 1 and the floating deep-sea mining platform 2 gradually increases until the mineral transport ship 1 is full of minerals, as shown. Figure 4-2 As shown. The mineral transport vessel 1 is fully loaded, and the ballast tank 2-2 of the floating deep-sea mining platform 2 begins to be filled with water and sink. The dock piers 2-3 of the mineral transport vessel 1 and the floating deep-sea mining platform 2 separate, as... Figure 4-3 As shown. Guided by the traction guidance system 2-4, the mineral transport vessel 1 departs from the floating deep-sea mining platform 2, as... Figure 4-4 As shown.

[0047] The ballast water tank 2-2 of the floating deep-sea mining platform 2 is drained and the platform rises to the predetermined draft, such as... Figure 3-1 As shown. The next batch of empty mineral transport vessel 1 enters the floating deep-sea mining platform 2 to begin the next work cycle.

[0048] like Figure 6 The diagram illustrates a medium-efficiency transshipment pattern for four mineral transport ships, characterized by symmetrical empty-load entry and fully loaded departure. Figure 7 The diagram illustrates an example of an inefficient transshipment pattern involving two mineral transport ships, one arriving empty and the other departing fully loaded. Figure 5 The entry and exit processes are similar, which can meet the different transportation needs of the mining site.

[0049] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments above, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions to the technical solutions of the present invention should not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can also make other changes within the spirit of the present invention and use them in the design of the present invention, as long as they do not deviate from the technical effects of the present invention. These changes made according to the spirit of the present invention should all be included within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A cluster transfer system based on a floating deep-sea mining platform, characterized in that, It includes an automated transfer system, a mineral transport vessel (1), a floating deep-sea mining platform (2), an underwater mineral lifting system, and a deep-sea mining vehicle (7). The floating deep-sea mining platform (2) includes a platform body (2-7), ballast water tanks (2-2), side dock walls (2-1), and dock bottom piers (2-3), as well as a control unit located on the platform body (2-7). The control unit is used to generate and send control commands to the deep-sea mining vehicle (7). The ballast water tanks (2-2) are located in the platform body (2-7) and are used to adjust the draft of the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) by filling and draining water. The side dock wall (2-1) and the dock bottom pier (2-3) together form a berth space for the mineral transport vessel (1) to enter; the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) is also equipped with a traction guidance system (2-4) to guide the mineral transport vessel (1) to enter and leave the berth space. The underwater mineral lifting system is used to transport the slurry collected by the deep-sea mining vehicle (7) to the platform body (2-7), and to transfer the minerals to the mineral transport vessel (1) through the automated transfer system. The floating deep-sea mining platform (2) also includes a wave compensation system (2-5), which is used to adjust the water distribution of the ballast tank (2-2) according to real-time sea state data to compensate for the roll and pitch movements of the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) caused by the shift of the center of gravity and wave load during mineral transfer. The number of berth spaces is 2 to 8, and the berth spaces are symmetrically distributed with respect to the longitudinal midsection of the platform body (2-7); The underwater mineral hoisting system includes a rigid main pipe (3), a repeater (4), and a flexible main pipe (5) connected sequentially from top to bottom; the top of the rigid main pipe (3) is connected to the platform body (2-7); the bottom of the flexible main pipe (5) is connected to the deep-sea mining vehicle (7). The underwater mineral lifting system also includes an umbilical cable (6), the top of which is connected to the platform body (2-7), and the other end is connected to the deep-sea mining vehicle (7), so that the deep-sea mining vehicle (7) can receive control commands from the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) through the umbilical cable (6); It also includes an intelligent docking system and a mineral buffer storage device. The intelligent docking system is responsible for regulating the working status of the ballast water tank (2-2) and realizing the docking of the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) with the mineral transport vessel (1). The mineral buffer storage device is located on the platform body (2-7).

2. A cluster transfer method based on a floating deep-sea mining platform, employing the cluster transfer system based on a floating deep-sea mining platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1: Adjust the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) to a predetermined draft, wherein the predetermined draft is greater than the draft of the mineral transport vessel (1) above the dock bottom piers (2-3) of the floating deep-sea mining platform (2). S2: Guide at least two mineral transport vessels (1) into the berth space of the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) in a symmetrical formation by means of a traction guidance system (2-4). The symmetrical formation is the distribution of the mineral transport vessels (1) in a longitudinal mid-section relative to the floating deep-sea mining platform (2). S3: Control the ballast water tank (2-2) of the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) to drain and float up, so that the mineral transport ship (1) sits on the dock bottom pier (2-3) and remains relatively stationary with respect to the floating deep-sea mining platform (2); S4: The pre-processed minerals on the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) are loaded onto the mineral transport vessel (1) through an automated transfer system; during the mineral loading process, the working state of the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) is adjusted through a wave compensation system (2-5) to compensate for the oscillation of the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) with a heel angle ≤1° caused by the change in center of gravity. S5: When the mineral transport vessel (1) is fully loaded, control the ballast water tank (2-2) to fill with water and sink, so that the mineral transport vessel (1) is separated from the dock bottom pier (2-3); guide the mineral transport vessel (1) to leave the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) in a symmetrical formation through the traction guidance system (2-4).

3. The cluster transfer method based on a floating deep-sea mining platform according to claim 2, characterized in that, In step S4, the underwater mineral lifting system continuously transports the slurry to the mineral buffer storage device located on the platform body (2-7) for pretreatment and temporary storage. The automated transfer system loads the minerals from the mineral buffer storage device to the mineral transport vessel (1). The operation of the underwater mineral lifting system is independent of the docking status of the mineral transport vessel (1), so that the mining operation is not interrupted when there is no mineral transport vessel (1) docking.

4. The cluster transfer method based on a floating deep-sea mining platform according to claim 2, characterized in that, In step S4, the wave compensation system (2-5) performs high-frequency motion compensation to offset the oscillation of the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) with a heel angle ≤1° caused by waves, while the ballast tank (2-2) performs low-frequency motion compensation to offset the tilt of the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) with a heel angle ≥5° caused by mineral loading. The two work together in the frequency domain to improve the navigation and operation safety of the floating deep-sea mining platform (2) in complex sea conditions during mineral transfer.

5. The cluster transfer method based on a floating deep-sea mining platform according to claim 4, characterized in that, Step S4 also includes a step of dynamically adjusting the gain distribution of high-frequency motion compensation and low-frequency motion compensation according to the loading progress of the mineral transport ship (1): in the early stage of loading, the high-frequency motion compensation of the wave compensation system (2-5) is the main component; as the loading volume increases, the weight of the low-frequency motion compensation of the ballast water tank (2-2) is gradually increased; when the loading volume exceeds a preset threshold, the system switches to using the low-frequency motion compensation of the ballast water tank (2-2) as the main component and the high-frequency motion compensation of the wave compensation system (2-5) as the auxiliary component.

6. The cluster transfer method based on a floating deep-sea mining platform according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes selecting a cluster operation mode based on real-time sea conditions, mineral supply rate and the number of available mineral transport vessels, the cluster operation mode including low-efficiency transfer mode, medium-efficiency transfer mode and high-efficiency transfer mode. In the aforementioned low-efficiency transfer mode, at least two mineral transport vessels (1) enter and leave symmetrically; In the medium-efficiency transshipment mode, at least four mineral transport vessels (1) enter and leave symmetrically; In the high-efficiency transfer mode, at least six mineral transport vessels (1) enter and leave simultaneously; It also includes a standby mode, which means that mining operations are not interrupted when no ship docks, and a mineral buffer storage device for temporary storage of slurry.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Transportation method for multiple parallel deep-sea mining transport ships

    CN122148323A

  • Mining ship, multiple separation type cargo hold loading system thereof, and multiple separation type cargo hold loading method thereof

    KR1020140056837A