JP2022134889A - Collection system of undersea resources and collection method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide: a collection system of undersea resources capable of efficiently collecting undersea resources contained in the mud of the underwater ground; and a collection method.SOLUTION: A suction-collection pipe 2 is installed extending toward an underwater ground B containing undersea resources from above a water, and at least a bottom of an insertion tube 3 connected to a bottom of the suction-collection pipe 2 is inserted into the underwater ground B. Then, while a liquid L is supplied into the insertion tube 3, a rotary shaft 4 extending in a tube axial direction inside the suction-collection pipe 2 and the insertion tube 3 is rotated to rotate stirring blades 6 attached to a bottom of the rotary shaft 4 inside the insertion tube 3 to excavate and dissolve mud S inside the insertion tube 3. The mud S dissolved into the slurry is raised to a top of the insertion tube 3 by a stirring flow generated by the rotation of the stirring blades 6, and the raised mud S is lifted to above the water through the suction-collection pipe 2 by lifting means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bottom-water resource extraction system and method, and more particularly to a bottom-water resource extraction system and method capable of efficiently extracting bottom-water resources contained in the mud of the bottom ground.

In the development of marine resources, we use pump lifts, air lifts, and other means of lifting and collecting mud from the bottom of the sea, which contains bottom-of-water resources such as rare earths that exist in the deep sea, along with liquids such as water, to lift-and-recover ships on the water. are being harvested. The larger the mud mass, the more liquid volume is required to lift and collect it. As the amount of liquid that is lifted up and collected together with the mud increases, the number of man-hours required for the lifting and collection work and the work to separate the mud and the liquid increases, and the cost required for extracting bottom water resources also increases. Therefore, in order to efficiently extract the water bottom resources contained in the mud of the water bottom ground, it is important to finely thaw the mud of the water bottom ground and lift it up with a smaller amount of liquid.

Conventionally, various systems have been proposed for excavating and lifting up mud from the bottom of water (see Patent Document 1). In the marine resource lifting device of Patent Literature 1, a recovery hopper provided at the lower portion of the lifting pipe portion faces the ground surface of the underwater ground. Next, the rotated bit penetrates the bottom of the sea, and an emulsion (oil mixed with a surfactant) with a specific gravity lighter than that of seawater is sprayed from the nozzle at the bottom of the bit to clear the mud of the bottom of the sea. excavate. Mud and emulsion that have risen from the bottom of the water to the upper part of the collection hopper are lifted onto the water via the lifting pipe. In this method, most of the mud in the waterbed ground excavated by the bit spreads in the waterbed ground, so the mud cannot be finely thawed. Therefore, in this marine resource lifting apparatus, an emulsion having a specific gravity lighter than that of seawater is injected into the seabed ground in order to raise the mud. However, since it is necessary to inject a large amount of emulsion into the waterbed ground and lift it up, the number of man-hours for separating the lifted mud and the emulsion increases, and the cost required for collecting waterbed resources increases. There is also a concern that the emulsion that flows out into the water will harm the aquatic environment.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-11568

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a bottom water resource collection system and a bottom water collection method capable of efficiently collecting water bottom resources contained in the mud of the bottom ground.

In order to achieve the above object, the bottom-of-water resource extraction system of the present invention is a bottom-of-water resource extraction system for excavating mud in the bottom-of-water ground containing bottom-of-water resources and pumping up the mud from the bottom of the water to the bottom-of-water ground. an insertion tube connected to a lower portion of the lifting and storing tube; a rotating shaft extending in the axial direction of the lifting and storing tube and the insertion tube; A stirring blade attached to the lower part of the shaft and arranged inside the insertion pipe; In the inserted state, the liquid is supplied to the inside of the insertion tube by the liquid supply mechanism, and the mud inside the insertion tube is excavated by the stirring blades that rotate with the rotation of the rotating shaft. The mud that has been demulsified and turned into a slurry by the dissolution rises to the upper part of the insertion pipe by the stirring flow generated by the rotation of the stirring blade, and the slurry-like mud that has risen is lifted. It is characterized in that it is lifted on the water through the lifting pipe by means.

The bottom water resource extraction method of the present invention is a bottom water resource extraction method for excavating mud in the bottom water ground containing the bottom water resource and lifting it up to the surface of the water. A liquid is supplied to the inside of the insertion pipe in a state where at least the lower part of the insertion pipe connected to the lower part of the lifting and receiving pipe is inserted into the sea bed ground, and the lifting and receiving pipe and the insertion pipe The mud inside the insertion pipe is rotated by rotating the rotating shaft extending in the direction of the tube axis and rotating the stirring blade attached to the lower part of the rotating shaft inside the insertion pipe. is excavated and demulsified, and the mud made into slurry by the dissolution is raised to the upper part of the insertion pipe by the stirring flow generated by the rotation of the stirring blade, and the raised slurry-like mud is It is characterized in that it is lifted onto the water through the lifting pipe by lifting means.

According to the present invention, the liquid is supplied to the inside of the insertion pipe inserted into the waterbed ground, and the stirring blade is rotated to excavate and disaggregate the mud of the waterbed ground inside the insertion pipe, thereby producing a relatively small amount of liquid. amount can effectively comminute the mud into a slurry. Furthermore, a stirring flow is generated inside the insertion tube by rotating the stirring blade while supplying water to the inside of the insertion tube. As a result, the finely disaggregated slurry-like mud is easily lifted up to the top of the insertion pipe along with the stirring flow. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently lift up and recover the mud from the bottom of the sea with a relatively small amount of liquid, and to efficiently extract the bottom water resources contained in the mud.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an outline of an embodiment of a bottom water resource extraction system of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an explanatory view illustrating the inside of the insertion tube of FIG. 1 in plan view; FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the inside of the insertion tube in the A arrow view of FIG. 2 ; FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the inside of the insertion tube in the B arrow view of FIG. 2 ; 1. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the state which inserted the insertion pipe of FIG. 1 in the water bottom ground. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the stirring blades have penetrated to a predetermined depth in the submerged ground from the state of FIG. 5 ; 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the stirring blade is reciprocated in the tube axis direction inside the insertion tube from the state in FIG. 6. FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the system and method for collecting bottom water resources of the present invention will be described based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. According to the present invention, the mud of the bottom of the water containing the bottom of the water resources (mineral resources) such as rare earths is excavated and collected on the water.

A bottom water resource extraction system 1 (hereinafter referred to as a bottom water resource extraction system 1) of the present invention illustrated in FIG. and a rotating shaft 4 extending inside the lift-and-storage tube 2 and the insertion tube 3 in the tube axial direction. The collection system 1 further includes a stirring blade 6 attached to the lower portion of the rotating shaft 4 and a liquid supply mechanism 8 for supplying the liquid L into the insertion tube 3 . This embodiment exemplifies the case where the lifting pipe 2 is connected to the lifting and receiving ship 20 on the water, but it is not limited to the lifting and receiving ship 20. For example, the lifting and receiving pipe 2 is provided on the water. It can also be configured to be connected to a facility or the like.

The lift-and-storage pipe 2 and the insertion pipe 3 are in communication. The inner diameter of the insertion tube 3 is set larger than the inner diameter of the lift-and-storage tube 2 . The inner peripheral surface of the connecting portion between the lifting tube 2 and the insertion tube 3 has a smoothly continuous curved shape. The inner diameter of the lift-and-storage tube 2 is set, for example, within a range of 0.2 m or more and 1.0 m or less, and the inner diameter of the insertion tube 3 is set, for example, within a range of 0.5 m or more and 5 m or less. A lifting means is connected to the lifting pipe 2 for lifting the mud S raised to the upper part of the insertion pipe 3 through the lifting pipe 2 to the surface of the water. The pumping means is composed of, for example, an air lift pump, a slurry pump, or the like.

When collecting the mud S of the waterbed ground B, the insertion pipe 3 is in a state in which at least the lower part thereof is inserted into the waterbed ground B, and the upper part of the insertion pipe 3 protrudes upward from the surface of the waterbed ground B. . For example, 50% or more of the total length of the insertion pipe 3 is inserted into the seabed ground B. The length of the insertion tube 3 in the tube axis direction is appropriately set according to the depth of the stratum in which the submerged resources are distributed. In this embodiment, an annular stopper 3a is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion tube 3 in plan view. With this stopper 3a as a boundary, the region of the insertion pipe 3 below the stopper 3a is inserted into the waterbed ground B, and the region of the insertion pipe 3 above the stopper 3a is below the surface of the waterbed ground B. will also protrude upwards.

The rotating shaft 4 is suspended from the hoisting/receiving vessel 20 through the hoisting/storage pipe 2 and the insertion pipe 3, and is rotated by a drive mechanism. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4, in this embodiment, a stirring blade 6 is attached to a head 5 that is detachably connected to the lower portion of a rotating shaft 4. As shown in FIG. An excavating edge 7 for excavating the mud S of the water bottom ground B is provided at the lower end of the head 5 . A group of agitating blades 6 composed of a plurality of agitating blades 6 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the head 5 located above the excavating blade 7 . Each stirring blade 6 extends toward the inner peripheral surface of the insertion tube 3 . A plurality of stirring blades 6 constituting the same stirring blade group are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 4 .

Each stirring blade 6 in this embodiment is formed in a flat plate shape and has a tapered shape that tapers from the root portion connected to the rotating shaft 4 (head 5) toward the tip. The front end portion of the stirring blade 6 in the rotation direction is sharply pointed. For example, the front end portion of the stirring blade 6 can be formed in a sawtooth shape with continuous peaks and valleys. The stirring impeller 6 is not limited to a flat plate shape, and can be curved like a screw blade, for example.

In this embodiment, a stirring blade group composed of two stirring blades 6 arranged at opposing positions is provided in three stages in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 4 . Each of the stirring blades 6 constituting the lowest stage stirring blade group is inclined downward in the direction of rotation. Each of the stirring blades 6 constituting the middle stirring blade group and the uppermost stirring blade group is inclined upward in the direction of rotation. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the angle θ (depression angle) between the axial direction of the rotating shaft 4 and the extending direction of the stirring blades 6 is, for example, 10 degrees or more and 80 degrees or less, preferably 20 degrees or more and 70 degrees or less. It is preferably set within the range of 25 degrees or more and 40 degrees or less.

The stirring blades 6 adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 4 are arranged at positions shifted in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 4 in plan view. A gap (clearance) of about 50 mm to 500 mm is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the insertion tube 3 and the tip of the stirring blade 6 . The rotation speed of the stirring blade 6 (rotating shaft 4) is, for example, 10 rpm to 200 rpm.

The number of stages of the stirring blade group provided in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 4 and the number of the stirring blades 6 constituting each stage of the stirring blade group are not limited to this embodiment, and may be configured differently. For example, it is also possible to adopt a structure in which a stirring blade group composed of three stirring blades 6 is provided in two stages in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 4 . The stirring blades 6 constituting each stirring blade group are preferably arranged so as to be point-symmetrical about the axis of the rotating shaft 4 in plan view. The direction of inclination of the stirring blades 6 constituting the stirring blade groups of each stage is not limited to this embodiment. A downward sloping configuration is also possible.

The liquid supply mechanism 8 supplies water (seawater or freshwater) as the liquid L, for example. It is convenient to use on-site water (sea water or fresh water) that is available on-site. In addition, as the liquid L, for example, a liquid obtained by adding an additive to water, or a liquid other than water may be supplied. The liquid supply mechanism 8 of this embodiment has a jet nozzle 8 a provided at the tip of the stirring blade 6 . Each injection nozzle 8 a injects the liquid L toward the inner peripheral surface of the insertion tube 3 . A liquid supply device installed on the surface of the water (ship 20) supplies liquid L to each injection nozzle 8a through a main pipe extending inside the rotating shaft 4 and a plurality of pipes 8b branched from the lower part of the main pipe. is supplied.

The injection nozzle 8a and the pipe 8b are attached to the rear side of the stirring blade 6 with respect to the rotating direction of the stirring blade 6. As shown in FIG. For example, the jet nozzle 8a and the pipe 8b may be installed in the stirring blade 6 so that the liquid L is jetted from the tip of the stirring blade 6 . In this embodiment, all the stirring blades 6 are provided with the injection nozzles 8a, but some of the stirring blades 6 can be selectively provided with the injection nozzles 8a. That is, for example, the injection nozzle 8a can be provided only for each stirring blade 6 that constitutes the lowest stage stirring blade group.

Even when the injection nozzles 8a are selectively provided in some of the stirring blades 6, the injection nozzles 8a provided in each stage should be arranged so as to be point-symmetrical about the axis of the rotating shaft 4 in plan view. is preferred. It should be noted that the liquid supply mechanism 8 may have any structure as long as it can supply the liquid L into the insertion tube 3, and is not limited to the structure of this embodiment. For example, as the liquid supply mechanism 8 , a discharge nozzle for discharging the liquid L can be provided in the lower portion (head 5 ) of the rotating shaft 4 arranged inside the insertion tube 3 .

Next, an example of the procedure of a method for collecting bottom water resources using this collection system 1 will be described below.

An insertion tube 3 is connected to the lower part of the lifting and receiving tube 2, and a head 5 is detachably fixed inside the upper part of the insertion tube 3. - 特許庁Then, as exemplified in FIG. 5, the lifting pipe 2 is extended from the surface of the water (lifting and collecting ship 20) toward the sea bottom ground B, and at least the lower part of the insertion pipe 3 connected to the lower part of the lifting pipe 2 is inserted into the waterbed ground B. At this time, the upper part of the insertion tube 3 containing the head 5 is not inserted into the waterbed ground B, and the head 5 is arranged above the surface of the waterbed ground B. - 特許庁At this stage, the inside of the lower part of the insertion pipe 3 inserted into the waterbed ground B is filled with the mud S of the waterbed ground B. As shown in FIG. The inside of the upper part of the insertion pipe 3, which is not inserted into the seabed ground B, is filled with the water W of the water area.

In this embodiment, when the insertion pipe 3 is inserted into the seabed ground B to a position where the stopper 3a provided on the outside of the insertion pipe 3 contacts the ground surface of the seabed ground B, the depth of the stratum where the waterbed resources are distributed is reached. The lower part of the insertion tube 3 is inserted. The upper part of the insertion tube 3 in which the head 5 is housed protrudes above the ground surface of the submerged ground B.

Next, the rotating shaft 4 is lowered from the surface of the water (the hoisting and recovering vessel 20) toward the seabed B while being inserted into the inside of the hoisting pipe 2 and the insertion pipe 3, and the head 5 is attached to the lower end of the rotating shaft 4. (Stirring blade 6) is connected. With the head 5 connected to the lower end of the rotary shaft 4 , the head 5 is removed from the insertion tube 3 when the rotary shaft 4 is further moved downward toward the submerged ground B. As a result, the head 5 (stirring blade 6) integrated with the rotating shaft 4 becomes movable in the direction of the tube axis.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the liquid supply mechanism 8 supplies the liquid L into the insertion tube 3 and rotates the rotary shaft 4 . By rotating the stirring blade 6 attached to the lower part (head 5) of the rotating shaft 4 inside the insertion pipe 3, the mud S inside the insertion pipe 3 is excavated and demulsified. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the mud S made into a slurry by the demulsification is raised to the upper part of the insertion pipe 3 by the stirring flow generated by the rotation of the stirring blade 6, and the raised slurry-like mud is raised. S is lifted onto the water (lifting ship 20) through the lifting pipe 2 by the lifting means.

More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 5, in a state where the stirring blades 6 are arranged above the surface of the submerged ground B, the injection nozzle 8a starts to inject the liquid L, and the rotating shaft 4 is driven to rotate. to rotate the stirring blade 6. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 6, while injecting the liquid L at high pressure from the injection nozzle 8a toward the inner peripheral surface of the insertion tube 3, the rotating stirring blade 6 is moved from the surface of the submerged ground B to a predetermined depth. to excavate the mud S inside the insertion pipe 3. At this time, the mud S is excavated to the depth of the middle position of the insertion pipe 3 without excavating to a position deeper than the lower end 3 b of the insertion pipe 3 .

The rotating impeller 6 excavates the mud S on the center side of the insertion tube 3, and the mud S between the tip of the agitation impeller 6 and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion tube 3 is excavated by the liquid L injected at high pressure from the injection nozzle 8a. be excavated. In this embodiment, each stirring blade 6 that constitutes the lowest stage stirring blade group is inclined downward in the direction of rotation. Therefore, the mud S excavated by the stirring blades 6 constituting the lowest stirring blade group moves upward, and the mud S that has moved upward constitutes the middle stirring blade group and the top stirring blade group 6. is further refined by

After that, as illustrated in FIG. 7, inside the insertion tube 3, while injecting the liquid L from the injection nozzle 8a, the rotating stirring blade 6 is reciprocated a plurality of times in the axial direction of the insertion tube. The mud S inside 3 is repeatedly disintegrated. As a result, the mud S inside the insertion pipe 3 is further finely granulated, and the finely granulated mud S inside the insertion pipe 3 is mixed with the liquid inside the insertion pipe 3 (the water W in the water area and the liquid supply mechanism 8). , the inside of the insertion tube 3 is filled with slurry-like mud S. By supplying the new liquid L to the inside of the insertion tube 3 by the liquid supply mechanism 8, replacement of the water W and the mud S inside the insertion tube 3 with the newly supplied liquid L is promoted. . Furthermore, the rotation of the stirring blades 6 generates a stirring flow inside the insertion tube 3 , so that the mud S finely granulated inside the insertion tube 3 easily rises to the upper part of the insertion tube 3 . The slurry-like mud S raised to the upper part of the insertion pipe 3 is successively lifted onto the surface of the water (lifting vessel 20) through the lifting pipe 2 by the lifting means.

Thus, in the present invention, by supplying new liquid L to the inside of the insertion tube 3 and rotating the stirring blade 6, the mud S of the water bottom ground B is excavated and demulsified inside the insertion tube 3. Mud S can be effectively pulverized with a relatively small amount of liquid. Furthermore, by generating a stirring flow inside the insertion tube 3 by rotating the stirring blade 6, the mud S finely granulated inside the insertion tube 3 becomes difficult to settle and rises toward the top of the insertion tube 3. becomes easier. Therefore, the mud S of the water bottom ground B can be efficiently lifted up and collected with a relatively small amount of liquid, and the water bottom resources contained in the mud S can be efficiently collected.

In addition, the inner diameter of the lifting pipe 2 used in the deep sea is small, and the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the lifting pipe 2 and the rotating shaft 4 is relatively narrow, but the mud S inside the insertion pipe 3 has a small amount of soil mass. Since it flows into the lifting/storage pipe 2 in a fine-grained state, the mud S is less likely to clog the suction/storage pipe 2.例文帳に追加Therefore, troubles are unlikely to occur in the lifting pipe 2, and the mud S of the water bottom ground B can be lifted up and collected very smoothly. Further, since the liquid L is supplied to the inside of the insertion tube 3 to excavate and disintegrate the mud S inside the insertion tube 3, the liquid L does not flow outside the insertion tube 3 even when a liquid other than water is supplied as the liquid L. It is difficult to flow out into the water.

In order to efficiently disaggregate the mud S and generate an effective stirring flow, the rotational speed of the stirring blade 6 should be 20 rpm or more, more preferably 40 rpm or more. In particular, in order to generate a stirring flow that raises the mud S, the rotational speed of the stirring blades 6 must be increased accordingly. On the other hand, since there is a limit to how fast the stirring blades 6 can be rotated, the upper limit of the rotation speed is, for example, about 80 rpm or 60 rpm.

As in this embodiment, if a plurality of stirring blades 6 arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 4 are provided in multiple stages in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 4, , the mud S inside the insertion tube 3 collides with the stirring blades 6 more frequently, so that the mud S can be efficiently finely granulated.

Furthermore, when each of the stirring blades 6 constituting the lowest stage stirring blade group is configured to be inclined downward in the direction of rotation, the stirring blades 6 constituting the lowest stage stirring blade group excavate and desludge. The sludge S thus formed moves upward and is further disintegrated by the stirring blades 6 constituting the stirring blade group in the upper stage. Therefore, the mud S can be finely granulated very efficiently. In addition, the mud S excavated and demulsified by the stirring blades 6 constituting the lowest stirring blade group and the liquid inside the insertion pipe 3 (the water W and the liquid L in the water area) are inserted from the lower opening of the insertion pipe 3. Since it becomes difficult to flow out to the outside of the pipe 3, it is advantageous for efficiently lifting up and collecting the mud S inside the insertion pipe 3. Furthermore, since the stirring blades 6 constituting the lowest stage stirring blade group generate a stirring flow in which the mud S easily rises inside the insertion pipe 3, the demulsified mud S flows toward the upper part of the insertion pipe 3. easier to rise.

When each of the stirring blades 6 constituting the uppermost stirring blade group is configured to be inclined upward in the direction of rotation, the mud S that collides with the uppermost stirring blade 6 moves downward and moves downward. It is further disaggregated by the stirring blades 6 of the stages. Therefore, it is advantageous for efficiently refining the mud S.

On the other hand, if each of the stirring blades 6 constituting the uppermost stirring blade group is configured to be inclined downward in the direction of rotation, the uppermost stirring blade group 6 will displace inside the insertion tube 3. A churning flow is generated in which the muddy soil S easily rises. Therefore, the loosened mud S easily rises toward the upper portion of the insertion pipe 3 .

For example, the respective stirring blades 6 constituting the lowest stage stirring blade group and the highest stage stirring blade group are inclined downward in the direction of rotation, and the lowest stage stirring blade group and the highest stage stirring blade group It is also possible to adopt a configuration having a middle-stage stirring blade group in which the stirring blades 6 are inclined upward in the direction of rotation between them. With this configuration, the mud S can easily move between the lowermost stage stirring blade group and the middle stage stirring blade group, so that the mud S can be efficiently refined. Furthermore, since the stirring blade group at the uppermost stage generates a stirring flow in which the mud S easily rises inside the insertion pipe 3 , the disintegrated mud S easily rises toward the lifting pipe 2 .

A configuration in which a liquid supply mechanism 8 is provided at the tip of at least one stirring blade 6, and the liquid supply mechanism 8 has an injection nozzle 8a for injecting the liquid L toward the inner peripheral surface of the insertion tube 3. Then, the mud S between the tip of the stirring blade 6 and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion tube 3, which the stirring blade 6 cannot reach, can be excavated and demulsified by the liquid L injected from the injection nozzle 8a. Therefore, the mud S inside the insertion pipe 3 can be comprehensively lifted up. Furthermore, by arranging the injection nozzle 8a at the tip of the stirring blade 6 near the inner peripheral surface of the insertion tube 3, it is possible to cut the mud S between the tip of the stirring blade 6 and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion tube 3. The injection pressure of the liquid L required for is relatively low. Therefore, the mud S between the tip of the stirring blade 6 and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion tube 3 can be efficiently excavated and demulsified with a relatively small amount of liquid.

In addition, since the liquid L ejected at high pressure from the injection nozzle 8a causes a flow of the liquid (the water W in the water area and the liquid L) inside the insertion tube 3, the mud S is more likely to be finely granulated. The deposited mud S is less likely to settle due to the lower portion of the insertion tube 3 . Further, the amount of mud S remaining adhering to the inner peripheral surface of the insertion pipe 3 after the mud S inside the insertion pipe 3 has been lifted up is reduced. Therefore, even when the mud S is lifted up and collected several times by changing the insertion position of the insertion pipe 3, the resistance when inserting the insertion pipe 3 into a new position of the water bottom ground B does not increase, and the insertion pipe 3 can be inserted smoothly. It is also possible to reduce the labor required for maintenance of the insertion tube 3 after finishing the pick-up work.

When the injection nozzle 8a and the pipe 8b are attached to the rear side of the stirring blade 6 with respect to the rotation direction of the stirring blade 6, the injection nozzle 8a And the mud S is less likely to collide with the pipe 8b. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the risk of damage to the injection nozzle 8a and the pipe 8b while maintaining a simple configuration. In addition, by attaching the injection nozzle 8a and the pipe 8b to the outside of the stirring blade 6, maintenance of the injection nozzle 8a and the pipe 8b is facilitated. When the injection nozzle 8a and the pipe 8b are installed inside the stirring blade 6, the mud S hardly collides with the injection nozzle 8a and the pipe 8b. be advantageous. By installing the injection nozzle 8a and the pipe 8b in the stirring blade 6, the resistance when the stirring blade 6 rotates becomes smaller.

After penetrating the agitating blades 6 from the new surface of the submerged ground B to a predetermined depth to excavate the mud S inside the insertion pipe 3, the agitating blades 6 are reciprocated in the pipe axis direction a plurality of times inside the insertion pipe 3. The mud S inside the insertion tube 3 can be finely granulated more reliably by repeatedly dissolving the mud S with the Further, it is possible to more effectively prevent the mud S finely granulated inside the insertion pipe 3 from settling in the lower part of the insertion pipe 3, and the mud S inside the insertion pipe 3 can be lifted up and collected more reliably. The number of times the stirring blades 6 are reciprocated inside the insertion tube 3 can be appropriately determined according to the hardness of the mud S of the submerged ground B, the number of the stirring blades 6, and the like. Specifically, for example, it is preferable to reciprocate the stirring blade 6 inside the insertion tube 3 about 2 to 15 times.

The moving speed of the stirring blades 6 in the direction of the tube axis can be appropriately set according to the hardness of the mud S of the water bottom ground B and the like. Specifically, for example, the moving speed of the stirring impeller 6 in the tube axis direction is preferably set within the range of 1 mm/sec to 100 mm/sec, more preferably 1 mm/sec to 10 mm/sec. Preferably, the moving speed of the stirring blades 6 in the pipe axis direction inside the insertion pipe 3 is faster than the moving speed of the stirring blades 6 in the pipe axis direction when excavating from the surface to a predetermined depth at a new position in the submerged ground B. It is preferable to set the moving speed of the stirring blade 6 in the direction of the pipe axis to be high when reciprocating in the direction multiple times.

When the agitating blade 6 is excavated into a new position of the waterbed ground B, the mud S of the waterbed ground B is not demulsified, and the load applied to the agitating blade 6 is relatively large. In this case, by setting the moving speed of the stirring blades 6 in the direction of the tube axis to be relatively slow to excavate the submerged ground B, it is possible to avoid applying an excessive load to the stirring blades 6 . The mud S that has been excavated once is in a state of being demulsified to some extent, and the load applied to the stirring blades 6 is relatively small. Therefore, when the mud has been demulsified compared to the beginning of excavation, the mud S inside the insertion tube 3 can be efficiently demulsified by setting the moving speed of the stirring blade 6 in the tube axis direction to be high. can.

1 Underwater resource sampling system 2 Lifting and collecting pipe 3 Insertion pipe 3a Stopper 3b Lower end 4 Rotating shaft 5 Head 6 Stirring blade 7 Excavating blade 8 Liquid supply mechanism 8a Injection nozzle 8b Piping 20 Lifting and collecting ship B Seabed ground S Mud L Liquid W Water

Claims (11)

In a bottom-of-water resource extraction system that excavates mud in the bottom ground containing bottom-of-water resources and lifts it up to the surface of the water,
A lifting/storage pipe extending from the water surface toward the seabed ground, an insertion pipe connected to a lower portion of the lifting/storage pipe, and extending in the pipe axial direction inside the lifting/storage pipe and the insertion pipe. A rotating shaft, a stirring blade attached to the lower part of the rotating shaft and arranged inside the insertion tube, and a liquid supply mechanism for supplying liquid to the inside of the insertion tube,
In a state where at least the lower part of the insertion tube is inserted into the submerged ground, the liquid is supplied to the inside of the insertion tube by the liquid supply mechanism, and the stirring impeller that rotates with the rotation of the rotating shaft , the mud inside the insertion pipe is excavated and demulsified, and the mud that has become slurry due to the dissolution rises to the upper part of the insertion pipe by the stirring flow generated by the rotation of the stirring blade, A system for extracting bottom-of-water resources, wherein the slurry-like mud that has risen is lifted onto the water surface through the lifting pipe by a lifting means. 2. The agitation blade group composed of a plurality of the agitation blades arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft is provided in a plurality of stages in the axial direction of the rotating shaft. collection system. 3. The bottom water resource extraction system according to claim 2, wherein each of the stirring blades constituting the lowest stage of the stirring blade group is inclined downward in the direction of rotation. 4. The bottom water resource extraction system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein each of the stirring blades constituting the uppermost stage of the stirring blade group is inclined downward in the direction of rotation. 4. The bottom water resource extraction system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein each of the stirring blades constituting the uppermost stage of the stirring blade group is inclined upward in the direction of rotation. 2. The liquid supply mechanism is provided at the tip of at least one of the stirring blades, and the liquid supply mechanism has an injection nozzle for injecting the liquid toward the inner peripheral surface of the insertion tube. 6. The bottom water resource collection system according to any one of 1 to 5. 7. The method for producing undersea resources according to claim 6, wherein the injection nozzle and a pipe for supplying the liquid to the injection nozzle are attached to a surface behind the stirring blade with respect to the rotating direction of the stirring blade. collection system. In a method for extracting a bottom-of-water resource by excavating the mud of the bottom-of-water ground containing the bottom-of-water resource and pumping it up to the surface of the water,
A lifting pipe is extended from the water surface toward the waterbed ground, and a liquid is introduced into the insertion pipe in a state in which at least the lower part of the insertion pipe connected to the bottom of the lifting and storage pipe is inserted into the waterbed ground. At the same time, the rotating shaft extending in the tube axial direction inside the lifting and storing tube and the insertion tube is rotated so that the stirring blade attached to the lower part of the rotating shaft is moved inside the insertion tube. By rotating, the mud inside the insertion pipe is excavated and demulsified, and the mud made into a slurry by the dissolution is moved to the upper part of the insertion pipe by the agitation flow generated by the rotation of the agitating blade. A method for extracting resources from the bottom of the water, characterized in that the mud is lifted up, and the lifted slurry-like mud is lifted onto the surface of the water through the lifting pipe by a lifting means. After excavating the mud inside the insertion pipe by penetrating the stirring blade from the new surface of the waterbed ground to a predetermined depth, the stirring blade is reciprocated a plurality of times in the pipe axis direction inside the insertion pipe. 9. The method for extracting bottom water resources according to claim 8, wherein the mud is repeatedly disaggregated. The stirring blade is reciprocated a plurality of times in the tube axis direction inside the insertion pipe than the moving speed of the stirring blade in the pipe axis direction during excavation in which the stirring blade is penetrated from the new surface of the underwater ground to a predetermined depth. 10. The method for extracting undersea resources according to claim 9, wherein the moving speed of the stirring blades in the axial direction of the tube is increased. The liquid is injected into the insertion tube by injecting the liquid toward the inner peripheral surface of the insertion tube from an injection nozzle provided at the tip of at least one stirring blade rotating inside the insertion tube. The method for extracting bottom water resources according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the

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