Seafloor Auxiliary Mining Tool for Deep Water Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current seafloor mining technologies are limited to shallow waters and complex topographies, as most dredging equipment can only operate to depths of tens of meters and struggle with complex seafloor formations, restricting the ability to efficiently mine valuable deposits in deeper waters and complex terrains.
Innovation Solution
A seafloor auxiliary mining tool equipped with counter-rotating cutting heads and a slurry pump system, capable of traversing uneven terrain and operating at significant depths, which can prepare the seafloor for bulk mining by cutting and sizing cuttings, and features a hydraulically operated articulated boom and movable anchoring spuds for stability, allowing it to work alone or in conjunction with other tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional dredging equipment is used, then seafloor mining can be performed in shallow waters, but the equipment cannot operate in deep waters greater than 1500 meters
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the mining function into separate components: a surface-based pump system and a subsea cutting tool, connected by a flexible hose. This segmentation allows the cutting tool to operate at great depths while the pump system remains on the surface, resolving the depth limitation of traditional integrated dredges.
Solution Approach 2:
A flexible hose acts as an intermediary between the surface pump and the subsea cutting tool, transmitting slurry from depth to the surface. This intermediary enables the separation of the cutting and pumping functions across different depth zones, allowing operation at depths exceeding 1500 meters.
2Power
If large cutter suction dredges are used, then cutting power reaches tens of thousands of kilowatts, but the equipment cannot navigate complex seafloor topography with high mobility
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the high-power cutting function (concentrated in the subsea tool) from the mobility function (provided by the surface-supported, flexible subsea tool), allowing each to be optimized independently for its specific requirement.
Solution Approach 2:
The subsea cutting tool is designed with dynamic positioning capabilities and flexible hoses that allow it to adapt to complex seafloor topography, maintaining both high cutting power and mobility on uneven terrain.
3Ease of operation
If seafloor mining tools are designed for high mobility to handle complex topography, then the tools can traverse uneven terrain, but the tools lack the stability needed for precise cutting operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamic stabilization mechanisms that allow the subsea tool to maintain stability during cutting operations while retaining the ability to move across complex topography when needed, balancing mobility and stability requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables agile and efficient seafloor cutting and material retrieval in complex topographies, capable of operating at depths greater than 1500 meters, preparing benches for bulk mining and handling various seafloor materials, including ores and hard rocks, while maintaining mobility and adaptability.
Implementation Method 1
at least one pair of cutting heads which form the auxiliary cutting tool, the cutting heads being configured to preferentially draw cuttings between the pair of cutting heads
Implementation Method 2
using a surface pump to generate a negative differential pressure to suck water and nearby mobile seafloor sediment up the pipe
Implementation Method 3
features a hydraulically operated articulated boom
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A seafloor auxiliary mining tool for use in a seafloor mining system. The seafloor auxiliary mining tool has a seafloor locomotion system enabling traversal of the seafloor. Umbilical connections receive power and control signals from a surface source. A boom mounted auxiliary cutting tool is configured to cut extremities of a seafloor deposit. Cuttings produced by the auxiliary cutting tool are sized by sizing means, to ensure such cuttings are no greater than a desired size.