JP3341111B2 - Deep-bottom resource suction and lifting device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention is effective not only in minerals, organisms, bio, cold water, hot water, deep water, etc., which sleep on the sea floor, whether deep or shallow, but also on soils such as water bottoms. The present invention relates to a deep-bottom resource suction and lifting device that is selectively lifted to the ground.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Many methods have been disclosed which utilize the airlift effect as a method of collecting resources sleeping on the deep sea floor. In this case, in order to cause the airlift effect, an air compressor (compressor) is used to extract the underwater airlift pipe. The main method was to send air to the air to raise bubbles. The method using this compressor requires high-speed rotation and high-speed operation with blades, pistons, screws, etc., resulting in energy loss with noise and vibration.In addition, equipment that requires noise and vibration prevention equipment is required. The situation was complicated and large, the cost was high, and it was not practical.

[0003] Further, heavy liquid having a specific gravity greater than the bulk specific gravity of manganese nodules and the like is discharged from the U-shaped pipe connected to the downcomer through the ore-pipe, and the manganese nodule ore is discharged to the sea by buoyancy generated from the heavy liquid. How to do that has also been announced. In this method, the bulk density of heavy liquid that is effective for floating manganese nodules is large, and it is expected that the water pressure difference from the seawater alone will exceed the current water pressure of the deep sea on the seabed at a depth of 2000m to 4000m, and will increase by buoyancy. There was a drawback that the process up to this was difficult and not practical.

[0004]

An object of the present invention is not to use a conventional compressor air supply method or a resource collection method based on buoyancy generated from heavy liquid, but also to use a machine using centrifugal force or high-speed rotation as an air supply method. Is in the development of equipment that does not.

Another object of the present invention is to develop a simple apparatus which does not cause a trouble such as a failure during the gas pressure feeding under a high pressure air feeding state to the deep sea.

Another object of the present invention is to develop a device which is simple to maintain, has low noise and vibration, is low in cost, and can be used easily, without using complicated and various types of mechanical configurations and devices which cause noise and vibration. It is in.

Another object of the present invention is to develop a device which can monitor a resource freely and easily in the deep sea or the like and can effectively collect the resource.

[0008]

According to the present invention, in order to effectively withdraw the above-mentioned mineral resources lying on the deep sea floor, which have been difficult to put into practical use, gas and liquid are pumped together into the deep sea using the same pipe. A gas-liquid pressure feed pipe 2 is extended from water from a pump 1 into water, connected to a gas-liquid separation chamber 3 in water, a siphon 4 is provided from above the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 and extended downward, and the other end is subjected to gas-liquid separation. It is connected to the lower part of the air lift pipe 6 within the vertical length of the chamber 3 to form a bubble extrusion port 5, the air lift pipe 6 extends in the upper water surface direction, and the upper end becomes the resource discharge port 7, and the lower end of the air lift pipe 6 The suction pipe 8 is connected to the upper end of the suction pipe 8, the suction pipe 8 is extended to the deep part underwater, and the other end is connected to the suction port 9.
The gas and liquid pumped from the pump 1 enter the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 via the gas-liquid pumping pipe 2, the gas and liquid are separated vertically to form a water level, and the liquid The liquid is released into the external water by an increase in the liquid, and the gas enters the siphon 4 to form a siphon of the gas. The increase in the gas forms bubbles from the bubble extrusion port 5 into the air lift pipe 6, and the air lift effect is increased. It exerts a suction force on both the bubble extrusion port 5 and the suction port 9 to cause the bubble extrusion port 5
Causes the indoor water level A10-1 or the indoor water level B10-2 or the indoor water level C10-3 to be formed in the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, and sucks the liquid 12 or the resources 12 of the seabed 11 together with the liquid from the suction port 9, The air lift pipe 6 passes through the suction pipe 8 at an effective flow rate exceeding the maximum size sedimentation velocity of the suctioned material.
It is characterized in that the inside is raised together with air bubbles and transported from the resource discharge port 7 to an external storage location or the like.

The present invention also provides a suction port 9 of a suction pipe 8.
Is characterized in that a remote monitoring and operating device 13 is attached to the vicinity of, and the resource 12 is monitored by remote control, and is moved freely as needed to perform resource selection, cutting, collection, suction, clogging, and the like.

[0010]

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One example of the deep bottom resource suction and lifting device of the present invention is as follows.
Referring to FIG. 1, the case of claim 1 will be described. In order to develop a technology for solving the above-mentioned conventional problems that have been difficult to put to practical use, such as large-scale equipment, complexity, and cost barriers, gas and liquid (hereinafter, referred to as "gas" and "liquid") will be described. The gas-liquid pump pipe 2 is drawn into the water from a pump 1 that pumps the same into the deep sea with the same pipe.
It is connected to the underwater gas-liquid separation chamber 3, a siphon 4 is provided from the upper part of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 and extends downward, and the other end is located below the air lift pipe 6 within the vertical length of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3. The upper end of the air lift pipe 6 is connected to the upper end of the suction pipe 8 by communicating with the lower end of the air lift pipe 6.
This is a device in which a suction pipe 8 is extended to a deep part in the water and the other end is a suction port 9. The gas-liquid pumped from the pump 1 enters the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 through the gas-liquid pressure pipe 2, Separates upward and downward to form a water level, the liquid is discharged from the bottom into the external water with an increase in the liquid, the gas enters the siphon 4 to form a gas siphon, and the gas increases from the bubble outlet 5 to form bubbles. As it rises, it enters the air lift pipe 6 and exerts an air lift effect while ascending, causing a suction force to be generated in both the bubble ejection port 5 and the suction port 9, and the suction force at the bubble ejection port 5 enters the gas-liquid separation chamber 3. Indoor water level A10-1 or indoor water level B10-
2 or the indoor water level C10-3, sucks the liquid or the resources 12 of the seabed 11 together with the liquid from the suction port 9, and the air lift pipe 6 through the suction pipe 8 at an effective flow rate exceeding the maximum size sedimentation velocity of the suctioned material. The inside is raised together with air bubbles and transported from the resource discharge port 7 to an external storage location or the like.

One of the reasons for providing the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is to separate the gas and liquid and to supply only the gas from the siphon 4 to the air lift pipe. By forming the indoor water level and securing a vertically long width that allows the indoor water level to move up and down, even if an abnormality occurs during the suction or air lift, the indoor water level changes to cope with the change, and the pump 1 suddenly changes. This is to prevent them from doing so.

The reason for providing the siphon 4 from the upper part in the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 shown in FIG. 1 is to supply air to the air lift pipe from the bubble extrusion port 5. The other end is provided within the range of the height of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 ". This is because both the upper width and the lower width from the position of the bubble extrusion port 5 are required. According to the observation of the experiment, when resistance occurs in the middle of the suction pipe 8 or in the suction port 9 due to clogging or the like, the water level in the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 becomes higher than the bubble extrusion port 5 by the indoor water level C10-1 corresponding to the a value. When resistance such as clogging occurs on the way of the air lift pipe or the resource discharge port 7 to be formed, the water level in the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 forms a lower indoor water level C10-3 corresponding to the b value than the bubble extrusion port 5.

The reason why the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is made vertically long is that, as described above, if resistance occurs in the suction pipe 8 or the suction port 9, the suction force reaches the gas-liquid separation chamber 3. Water level A
10-1 rises. In this case, a margin a for forming the water level of the indoor water level of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is required. If a is small, the liquid is sucked to negatively affect the air lift effect. When resistance occurs in the air lift pipe 6 and the resource discharge port 7, the force for extruding bubbles from the bubble extrusion port 5 decreases and the gas in the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 increases.
3 decreases. In this case, a margin b for forming the indoor water level of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is required. If b is small, if the air lift pipe 6 or the like becomes clogged, the gas is removed from the gas-liquid separation chamber. 3 leaks into the outside seawater from the lower part. Thus, a and b are the necessary lengths to be secured with a margin,
Therefore, it is necessary to make the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 vertically long.

The gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is installed at a large depth (10
(In the unit of 00 m), it may be of a suspended type from the water surface, and in the case of a shallow depth (in the unit of 10 to 100 m), it may be of the fixed bottom type.

The gas-liquid pressure-feeding pipe 2 means both a pipe and a hose, and includes all pipes through which gas, liquid such as rubber, metal, and plastic can pass.

The position of the bubble extrusion port 5 may be almost at the middle of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, but it is expected that clogging will often occur during the suction operation at the suction port 9 in operation, and it is also strong. Since it is necessary to provide a suction force, it is practical to make the margin a for forming the indoor water level A10-1 larger than b.

When the air lift pipe 6 passes through the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, the siphon 4 is connected to the air lift pipe in the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 in the form of a chimney as shown in FIG.
When the air lift pipe 6 passes outside the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, the siphon 4 is connected to the air lift pipe from the upper part of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 down the outside of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 as shown in FIG. I do. Thus, the air lift pipe 6
May pass through the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 or may be provided outside.

The vertical length of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is determined by the depth of the suction port 9, the position of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, the length of the air lift pipe 6,
It depends on many factors such as the specific gravity of the suction resource 12,
When the depth of the suction port 9 is several thousand meters, it may reach 100 m units.

The reason why the remote monitoring work equipment 13 is provided is that the suction work of the resources 12 in the deep sea is appropriately monitored in a remote place, and the work is moved in a timely and freely manner to perform cutting, collection, suction, and clogging processing. It is for doing.

The ratio of gas-liquid passing through the gas-liquid pressure feed pipe 2 is appropriately determined according to the depth of the water bottom, the suction speed in the suction pipe 8, the size, specific gravity, amount, etc. of the resource 12 to be sucked, but it is standard. Are 50% each, but there is a method of increasing the amount of liquid when increasing the depth and increasing the amount of gas when increasing the amount of gas.

The term "deep bottom" means both deep and shallow water bottoms, including the sea bottom and the freshwater bottom, and also includes the deep underwater part, and is also applied to the natural and artificial bottoms of lakes and seas. . Resources 12
Means minerals, organisms, bio, etc., solid, liquid,
It includes both granular and mud-like materials, and is also used for lifting sediment other than resources 12. In addition, resources include hot water, hot water, and cold water, and also include resource water deep in the water.

It is necessary that the suction flow rate in the suction pipe 8 and the flow rate of the multiphase flow of gas, liquid, and solid in the air lift pipe 6 be higher than the sedimentation rate of the maximum size of the suctioned material. In the case of baby boomers, the bulk specific gravity is large and the sedimentation velocity is large, so it is necessary to increase the flow velocity in the pipe. That is, it is necessary to determine the speed in the pipe corresponding to the bulk specific gravity of the object to be lifted, which means that the amount of gas from the gas-liquid extrusion port 5 needs to be increased.

[0024]

A pump for pumping gas and liquid together into the deep sea is hereinafter generally referred to as a gas-liquid pump or the like.

The reason why a gas-liquid pump or the like is used as the pump 1 is that gas and liquid are both compressed and fed by the same pipe, so that an inverse air lift effect occurs, and the pump can be pumped deeper at the same pressure as before.

Another use of a gas-liquid pump or the like for the pump 1
One reason is simple equipment and operation. In other words, there is no need for blades, gears, pistons, screws, etc.
This is because the compression function can be exhibited with a simple device configuration, and the cause of the failure is reduced.

Another one using a gas-liquid pump or the like for the pump 1
One reason is that, without using centrifugal force, low-speed rotation (2 to 30 r
(approximately pm), and the compression work can be performed, and the vibration noise is extremely small.

Another one using a gas-liquid pump or the like for the pump 1
One reason is that a cooling facility is not required. That is, since the gas and the liquid are mixed even in the high heat generated when the pressure of the gas is increased, the heat does not reach the high heat, so that the cooling facility becomes unnecessary.

Another one using a gas-liquid pump or the like for the pump 1
One reason is 100% volumetric efficiency despite low speed rotation
It is because it operates in. That is, in the past, air leakage, water leakage, and return water occurred between the casing, but since there are no blades, gears, pistons, screws, etc. in gas-liquid pumps, etc. This is because both gases and liquids operate at a volumetric efficiency of 100% without leakage or water leakage.

Another one using a gas-liquid pump or the like for the pump 1
One reason is that contaminants are naturally mixed, and even if solids smaller than the minimum diameter of the pumping pipe are slightly mixed, the pumping can be performed without any influence. That is, since a gas-liquid pump or the like is hollow from the mouth to the spout and has no obstacle, even if solid matter is mixed in, it can be pumped as it is.

Another one using a gas-liquid pump or the like for the pump 1
One reason is that there is no danger of cavitation because there is no suction stroke, and there is no danger of a water hammer because gas and liquid are mixed and gas acts as a cushion.

The location of the deep-bottom resource suction and lifting device may be on land, but it is effective to install it on a ship and be close to the deep sea. It is effective to use a floating surface and install it near the sampling site.

When the gas is pumped toward the bottom of the water, the volume is reduced, and conversely, when bubbles in the deep sea rise near the water surface, the volume expands. The basic relationship between water depth and bubble volume is It is necessary to understand this phenomenon and to deal with the work using the airlift effect. In the case of a large depth of several hundred meters to several thousand meters, the bubbles rapidly change in volume near the water surface.

Calculating from the above equation, assuming that the volume in the atmosphere is 1, the volume is 1/2 at a water depth of 10 m, and 1 at a water depth of 30 m.
/ 4, 1/6 at 50m, 1 / 11,100 at 100m
m is 1/101. That is, it is understood that when the bubble rises from the deep sea to near the water surface and reaches about 1/10 of the water depth, rapid volume expansion occurs. For this reason, the diameter of the pressure-feeding pipe 2 may be sequentially changed according to the gas volume reduction according to the depth.

It is natural that the gas-liquid pumping speed in the gas-liquid pumping pipe 2 is higher than the maximum rising speed of gas (bubbles).
Although it depends on the volume ratio of gas and liquid, it is effective to increase the flow velocity as much as possible. This is also to effectively use the reverse air lift effect (tentative name), and the role of the bearing because gas is mixed. The range of 2 to 6 m / sec is effective because the flow resistance is small. Excessive flow velocity wastes input energy. The flow velocity can be adjusted by the pumping force and the diameter of the pipe.

The reverse air lift effect (provisional name) is the reverse of the phenomenon in which the head can be pumped to a height higher than the pressure due to the incorporation of gas and liquid as compared with the pumping of water alone which occurs in the case of pumping. the If pumped both into water refers to a phenomenon in which water pumped depth compared to the pumping of gas alone becomes possible pumped into deep than pressure.

The suction speed in the suction pipe must exceed the maximum sedimentation speed of the suction object, and is desirably 4 m / sec or less. Excessive suction speed increases friction loss and damages the pipe due to friction. Therefore, it is desirable to limit the suction speed to the maximum necessary speed. For example, when a 20 cm pipe is used for sucking manganese nodules having a large specific gravity, the maximum size of the resource is set to 10 cm or less, which is の of the inner diameter of the pipe, and the flow velocity in the pipe is desirably 2.5 to 4.5 m / sec. It is necessary to exceed the sedimentation speed of the manganese nodules, which is considered to be the target. If the speed is too low, the ascent speed becomes low and the input energy is wasted. The suction speed can be adjusted by adjusting the suction force or adjusting the diameter of the suction pipe.

The air lift pipe 6 is usually continuous with the suction pipe and has the same diameter, but may be changed as required. Further, since the velocity in the air lift pipe 6 is accompanied by bubbles, the velocity of the air lift pipe 6 expands as the air velocity increases, and the flow velocity increases. In particular, an explosive expansion phenomenon occurs in a range of about 1/10 of the length of the air lift pipe 6 near the water surface. Therefore, the inner diameter of the air lift pipe 6 may be changed for speed adjustment. For example, if the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is
When installed at 0 m, the gas volume expands to about 10 or more at a depth of about 1/10 near the water surface, which increases the total average volume of gas, liquid, and solid several times,
Similarly, the flow velocity in the pipe increases several times, and there is a danger of causing an obstacle. In order to minimize the obstacles caused by these, there are cases in which processing measures are taken to change the inner diameter of the pipe or to protect the inner wall of the pipe from damage.

In order to monitor the vicinity of the resource 12 in the deep sea or the sea floor 11 and the like, to move freely and to collect the resource easily in a timely manner,
In the vicinity of the suction port 9 of the suction pipe 8, the remote monitoring operation device 1
The remote control system 3 is used to perform sorting, cutting, collection, suction, clogging, and the like of the resources, and to perform a suction operation effectively.

The gas-liquid separation chamber 3, siphon 4, bubble extrusion port 5, air lift pipe 6, and suction pipe 8, which are important parts for supplying gas, are covered by a gas supply facility cover 14.
There is also a method of preventing the occurrence of a failure due to an accidental external force by attaching a key.

[0042]

According to the present invention, the use of a gas-liquid pump or the like does not require a conventional compression machine, the gas can be pumped with simple equipment and operation, and the cause of failure is reduced.
That is, the gas-liquid pump has a simple configuration without the need for blades, gears, pistons, screws, etc. during the pressure feeding, and has the advantage of eliminating the cause of failure.

According to the present invention, the use of a gas-liquid pump or the like causes an opposite air lift effect (tentative name), so that there is an advantage that gas can be pumped deeper than before even at the same pressure as before.

According to the present invention, since a gas-liquid pump or the like is used, there is an advantage that in the process from the compression to the pressure feed, even at a low speed rotation, there is no return gas and return water which occur conventionally, and the pressure feed can be performed at a volume efficiency of 100%.

According to the present invention, since a blower or a compressor is not used by using a gas-liquid pump or the like, a cooling device required for the conventional compression work is not required, and the cost of equipment and maintenance is saved.

According to the present invention, by using a gas-liquid pump or the like,
Since compression does not require centrifugal force or high-speed rotation and requires low-speed rotation, noise and vibration are small, so energy loss is small and equipment required for noise and vibration, and maintenance and management costs can be saved.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage that the use of a gas-liquid pump or the like does not cause water hammer or cavitation as described above.

According to the present invention, a gas-liquid pump or the like has no blades, gears, pistons, screws, and the like from the gas-liquid inlet to the gas outlet, and thus has the advantage that there is no friction loss between the liquid and the device. In addition, there is an advantage that there is no fear of clogging even if contaminants or solids are mixed in the gas-liquid pressure feeding pipe 2.

According to the present invention, since the compression and the operation are simple with the use of a gas-liquid pump or the like, the maintenance is easy and the operation can be performed at low cost.

According to the present invention, by installing the gas-liquid separation chamber vertically, even when an abnormality such as sudden clogging occurs, it is absorbed by a change in the water level in the gas-liquid separation chamber, so that the gas amount and pressure suddenly increase. There is the advantage that it serves to mitigate the change and to protect the entire device.

According to the present invention, there is an effect that resources lying on the bottom of a wide water depth ranging from several tens of meters to several thousand meters can be pulled up to the ground.

According to the present invention, the present invention can be applied not only to seawater but also to freshwater, and there is an advantage that it can be used for dredging of underwater water bottoms in ponds, marshes, artificial lakes and the like.

According to the present invention, it is possible to collect valuable metal resources from manganese nodules, cobalt crusts, hydrothermal deposits, etc. among mineral resources.

According to the present invention, there is an effect that hot water from a hydrothermal deposit or the like is sucked and pulled up, and can be utilized for hydrothermal power generation.

According to the present invention, minerals, organisms,
It is possible to suction and pull hot water, hot water, cold water, etc. without being limited to bio.

According to the present invention, there is an effect of minimizing the pollution of the water bottom even when used for lifting solids such as the water bottom and earth and sand.

According to the present invention, the deep seawater is sucked and drawn up, and the cooling effect by the adiabatic expansion is added.
There are merits that can be used for cooling, medical care, biotechnology, etc.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a side sectional view of the structure of a deep-bottom resource suction and lifting device,
An explanatory view of the principle of generation of the air lift effect is shown in (a), in which a suction pipe 8 and an air lift pipe 6 are provided outside the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, and the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is suspended in water and provided on the seabed 11. (B) shows an example in which the suction pipe 8 and the air lift pipe 6 are passed through the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 and the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is provided on the sea floor 11; Suction port 9
FIG. 1 shows an example in which a remote monitoring and operating device 13 is provided near the device.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual side sectional view of a deep-bottom resource suction / lift apparatus,
(A) shows an example in which the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is provided in a suspended manner,
(B) An example in which the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is provided at the bottom of the water is shown (an example in which details of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 and the like in the gas supply facility cover 14 are omitted).

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pump 2 Gas-liquid pressure feeding pipe 3 Gas-liquid separation chamber 4 Siphon 5 Bubble extrusion port 6 Air lift pipe 7 Resource discharge port 8 Suction pipe 9 Suction port 10-1 Indoor water level A 10-2 Indoor water level B 10-3 Indoor water level C11 Ocean floor 12 Resources 13 Remote monitoring work equipment 14 Gas supply facility cover

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A gas-liquid pressure feed pipe 2 is extended into water from a pump 1 for pumping both gas and liquid to the deep sea through the same pipe and connected to a gas-liquid separation chamber 3 in water. A siphon 4 is provided from the upper portion and extends downward, and the other end is connected to a lower portion of an air lift pipe 6 within a vertical length of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 to form a bubble extrusion port 5. The upper end of the suction pipe 8 is connected to the lower end of the air lift pipe 6 to communicate with the lower end of the air lift pipe 6.
The gas and liquid pumped from the pump 1 enter the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 via the gas-liquid pumping pipe 2, the gas and liquid are separated vertically to form a water level, and the liquid The liquid is released into the external water by an increase in the liquid, and the gas enters the siphon 4 to form a gas siphon. The increase in the gas forms bubbles from the bubble extrusion port 5 into the air lift pipe 6 to increase the air lift effect. It exerts a suction force on both the bubble extrusion port 5 and the suction port 9 to cause the bubble extrusion port 5
Causes the indoor water level A10-1 or the indoor water level B10-2 or the indoor water level C10-3 to be formed in the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, and sucks the liquid 12 or the resources 12 of the seabed 11 together with the liquid from the suction port 9, The air lift pipe 6 passes through the suction pipe 8 at an effective flow rate exceeding the maximum size sedimentation velocity of the suctioned material.
A deep-bottom resource suction and lift device that raises the inside with bubbles and transports it from the resource discharge port 7 to an external storage location or the like. 2. A remote monitoring and operating device 13 is provided in the vicinity of the suction port 9 of the suction pipe 8 to monitor the resources 12 by remote control and to move freely as needed to perform cutting, collection, suction, clogging, etc. The deep-bottom resource suction and lifting device according to claim 1, wherein