Semi-Closed-Loop Deep-Sea Ore Lifting With Surface Pumping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing deep-sea ore hydraulic lifting systems face challenges with complex designs, low reliability, high maintenance costs, and ecological impact due to continuous seawater pumping, particularly affecting the service life and environmental sustainability of deep-sea pumps.
Innovation Solution
A semi-closed loop deep-sea ore hydraulic lifting system utilizing a water injection pump, multiple high-pressure silo feeding device, lifting riser, and dewatering device, with redundant high-pressure silos and controlled valves for uninterrupted operation, minimizing seawater exchange and enabling easy maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If deep-sea multi-stage lifting pumps are used to achieve high pumping head, then the pumping head is improved, but the device complexity increases and reliability decreases due to many moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the pump from the deep-sea environment and relocates it to the sea surface. The deep-sea ore lifting system replaces the traditional deep-sea pump with a sea surface pump connected via a water injection riser, eliminating the need for complex deep-sea pump equipment while maintaining high pumping head capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a water injection riser as an intermediary component between the sea surface pump and the deep-sea ore collection device. This intermediary mechanism transmits water to create a hydraulic lift, enabling ore transport without requiring complex deep-sea pumping equipment.
2Stress or pressure
If deep-sea lifting pumps are installed on the seabed or suspended on risers, then high pumping head is achieved, but ease of repair deteriorates due to difficulty in access
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is extracted from the deep-sea environment and relocated to the sea surface where it is easily accessible for maintenance. The system uses a water injection riser to deliver water to the deep-sea ore collection device, eliminating the need for deep-sea pump installation while maintaining high pumping head capability.
3Productivity
If continuous seawater pumping is performed, then ore lifting is achieved, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to ecological disturbance
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the ore-seawater mixture itself as the lifting medium. The mixture is pumped to the sea surface, then separated in a dewatering device where seawater is recovered and reused in the water injection riser. This self-service approach minimizes additional seawater extraction and reduces ecological disturbance while maintaining ore lifting productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers and reuses seawater from the dewatering process. The separated seawater is returned to the water injection pump for reuse in creating the hydraulic lift, minimizing continuous seawater extraction and reducing ecological impact while maintaining ore lifting efficiency.
4Speed
If high-speed flow of ore-seawater slurry is used, then lifting speed is improved, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to pump wear
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is extracted from the deep-sea environment and relocated to the sea surface, where it handles only water rather than abrasive ore-seawater slurry. The ore mixture is transported through the water injection riser by hydraulic lift, protecting the pump from wear while maintaining lifting speed.
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
The system achieves high efficiency, reliability, and minimal ecological disturbance by reducing seawater exchange, facilitating easy maintenance, and avoiding the need for deep-sea pumps, while maintaining high pumping head and flow rates.
Implementation Method 1
water injection pump is used to pump seawater into the water injection riser... to be mixed with the seawater, and then an obtained ore and seawater mixture is lifted to the mining ship
Implementation Method 2
The dewatering device on the mining ship is used to separate the seawater from minerals
Data Source
AI summary
An environmentally-friendly semi-closed loop deep-sea ore hydraulic lifting system, comprises a water injection pump, a water injection riser, a deep-sea multiple high-pressure silo feeding device, a lifting riser, a dewatering device and a pipeline. The water injection pump and the dewatering device are fixed on a mining ship. The water injection pump is connected to the deep-sea multiple high-pressure silo feeding device through the water injection riser. The deep-sea multiple high-pressure silo feeding device is connected to the dewatering device through the lifting riser. The water injection pump is connected to the dewatering device through the pipeline. Seawater is pumped into the water injection riser by the water injection pump, then ore is fed into a high-pressure hydraulic pipeline by the deep-sea multiple high-pressure silo feeding device to be mixed with the seawater, and an obtained ore and seawater mixture is lifted to the mining ship on the sea surface.