JP6201094B1 - Submarine resource mining system - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide a submarine resource mining system for solving submarine resources, including a base that forms the center of the submarine resource mining system, and a plurality of mining devices and transfer devices arranged radially from the base. Multiple arm systems that move up and down, left and right, umbilical connections that receive power and control signals from sources on the surface of the sea, and means for transporting mined seabed resources to the seafloor resource storage and loading platform A movable / fixed submarine resource mining system comprising a drive device and a control device for each device. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a seabed resource mining system.

Various investigations have revealed that useful metals such as methane hydrate and rare earth are present in seabed resources, and various methods and systems for mining such resources have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .
Various methods, such as a continuous bucket method and a fluid dredge method, have been proposed for transferring seabed resources from the deep seabed to the ocean, but there is no reliable method for mining.
The present invention relates to a mining device for resources such as methane hydrate present in the surface layer of the seabed.

  Prior Document 1 discloses a seabed mineral mining system. The mining system described in the document includes a seabed moving device having a grinding tool capable of grinding the surface of a seabed deposit. The seabed moving device grinds the surface of the seabed deposit by an open grinding tool while moving the seabed by receiving electric power and a control signal from a supply source on the sea surface side. The ground product produced by grinding is classified by classifying means so as not to exceed a predetermined size, and the classified ground product is transported to the sea.

JP 2013-528726 A

However, considering the operational balance and capital investment efficiency of offshore mining motherships and laying motherships, and submarine auxiliary mining machines, there is little submarine auxiliary mining capacity.
In addition, in Patent Document 1, it is described that the submarine auxiliary mining machine is a non-wireless remote control explorer (ROV) or a roped explorer operated by an umbilical cable connected to the sea surface. However, it is difficult to operate with the unsearched remote control spacecraft in the deep sea with the current technology. There are problems such as tangling with other umbilical cables.
Furthermore, even if the submarine auxiliary mining machine is operated on the sea floor alone, the mining machine is controlled, but the bottom of the sea surface during operation is uneven, and it is difficult to control the posture and the operation of the mining machine falls over. Stabilize.
In addition, many devices such as expansion of mining machines, submarine bulk mining machines, submarine mining machines (GM), and stock pile systems are distributed in the seabed. There are too many problems.

Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and is a method for increasing investment and operating efficiency by concentrating distributed devices and enabling a wide range of mining to be performed simultaneously. is there.
As a method, a base is provided at the center of the submarine resource mining system, and a plurality of mining devices are attached to the arm system arranged radially from the base. It is an object of the present invention to provide a movable / fixed submarine resource mining device by a cabled remote control method using an umbilical cable.

In order to solve the above problems, the first aspect of the present invention provides:
In mining submarine resources,
(1) A base that forms the center of a submarine resource mining device , and a plurality of long bases with support legs that are arranged radially from the base and move vertically and horizontally with a plurality of mining devices and transfer devices . Arm system and
(2) an umbilical connection that receives power and control signals from a source on the surface of the sea;
(3) Transfer means for transferring mined seabed resources to the offshore seafloor resource storage and loading platform;
(4) A driving device and a control device for each of the above devices are provided.

The second aspect of the present invention is:
As movable / fixed in the submarine resource mining system, a type (a) provided with an endless track device on the base of the submarine resource mining device, a tension tether type that suspends the base of the submarine resource mining device from the sea ( b), a mold (c) in which the base of the submarine resource mining apparatus is a large diameter steel pipe and the lower part of the large diameter steel pipe is embedded in the sea floor, or the upper and lower radials provided above the base of the submarine resource mining apparatus and A mold (d) supported and fixed by a plurality of base support legs that can be stretched or a mold (e) appropriately combined with any of the above-mentioned molds (a), (b), (c), (d) (e ) .

The third aspect of the present invention is:
The arm system is composed of a plurality of long main arms provided radially with a support leg and an auxiliary arm movably attached below the main arm, which are arranged radially from the base of the submarine resource mining device. Is characterized in that the mining device and the transfer device are attached, and the transfer device is attached to the main arm.

The fourth aspect of the present invention is:
The base is provided with a crushing device, a classifying device, a temporary storage place, and an in-base transfer device for mined seabed resources.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention,
A tent-type shielding device in which an elliptical annular body into which a fluid is press-fitted is attached to the upper and lower peripheral edges of a trapezoidal tent film covering the entire arm system and the mining device. .

The sixth aspect of the present invention is:
To the top of the tent-type shielding device attached with ring-shaped annular bodies into which fluid is injected into the upper and lower peripheral edges of the trapezoidal tent membrane body, such as classified mud generated when mining seabed resources It discharges from the discharge pipe extended from the base, sinks and stabilizes.

As mentioned above, according to the present invention,
(1) By adopting a submarine resource mining system centered on the base, even if multiple mining machines are working simultaneously, the operation is set as a searchable type and a single umbilical cable to the seabed is installed. The trouble that the control and cable are entangled can be avoided.
(2) By placing the mining machine under the arm system that is arranged radially from the base, the attitude of the mining machine and the mining area are limited, the function and maintenance of the mining machine are simplified, the operation is stabilized, the collapse, etc. Can be prevented.
(3) The arm system makes it possible to take a large mining area with the base stabilized and fixed, reducing the movement of submarine resource mining equipment , improving operational efficiency, and reducing mining leakage. it can.
(4) Since the mining efficiency is high, the mining cost can be kept low.
(5) Mining resources can cope with any state of lump, slurry, gas.
For example, mining of methane hydrate is carried out in bulk (crystal) and can be transported to the sea in bulk, reducing the mining cost.
(6) The tent-type shielding film can keep the seawater pollution at the time of mining and the seawater pollution at the time of discharge of unnecessary substances after classification low.
Such effects can be expected.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the entire seabed resource mining system of the present invention. 1 is a schematic view of a movable / fixed embodiment of a submarine resource mining system of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of an arm system and a mining device of a submarine resource mining device of the present invention. It is a mining area | region figure of one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic of one Embodiment in the base of the seabed resource mining apparatus of this invention. It is the schematic of the pollution countermeasure by the mud etc. at the time of mining of this invention, and resource mining of light specific gravity. It is the schematic of the countermeasure against an unnecessary thing after mining of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The following embodiments exemplify submarine resource mining systems for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and are not intended to specify the present invention, and are included in the scope of the claims. It is equally applicable to those of other embodiments.

With reference to FIG. 1, the outline of the overall configuration of the movable / fixed type submarine resource mining system of the present invention will be described.
As shown in the perspective view, the apparatus is arranged radially from the base 2, the suspension cable 22 connecting the base 2 and the work ship 8, the umbilical cable 24, the transfer device 25, and the base 2. A plurality of long arm systems 3 and 4 having support legs 32, a mining device 5 attached to the arm systems 3 and 4, and transfer devices 34 and 42 are provided.
In the base 2, depending on the contents and state of the mining resources, if necessary, the re-crushing 231 and the classifier 232, the temporary storage 234 of the resources, the transfer device 233, and the drive device 235 and the control device 236 of each device are common. But,
In the upper part of the base 2, the submarine resource mining device 1 is suspended from the offshore work ship 8 during suspending or moving, and is connected to the cable connection portion 22, the umbilical connection portion 24, and the transfer for transferring to the offshore subsea resource storage and loading platform 8. Platform 25 and the like are provided.
The arm systems 3 and 4 are composed of a main arm 3 and an auxiliary arm 4, and the mining device 5 is attached to the auxiliary arm 4 and has a feature that a mining area can be widened and deeply mined.
For example, if the working ship 8 is mining methane hydrate in the Sea of Japan, a semi-submersible platform having an automatic ship position holding device is preferable in consideration of the influence of the rough sea in winter on the seabed resource mining device 1 and the depth.
When starting to mine seabed resources, the seabed resources mining apparatus 1 is suspended from the workboat 8 on the sea and installed on the seabed.
At the same time, a transfer device 9 from the transfer platform 25 to the offshore seafloor resource storage and loading platform 8 (using the already disclosed technology, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-204875, Patent Registration No. 6030785, Patent Application 2016-2222059, etc.), The umbilical cable 24 and, if necessary, the pressurized water and the like are integrated, and the suspension cable 22 or the chain 22 is tied to the base upper portion 2 and suspended.
When the weight load of the submarine resource mining device 1 is large, the suspension cable 22 or the chain 22 is also connected to the main arm 3.
The submarine resource mining system according to the present invention can cope with any conditions such as marine weather conditions, sea depth, seabed formation, and resource conditions (lumps, mud) as long as it is a surface type submarine resource. The transfer to the sea has the characteristics that the mined materials are collected on the base and can cope with any state of mass classification, slurry, and gas.

Next, the outline of the movable / fixed embodiment of the seabed resource mining apparatus 1 will be described according to the form with reference to FIG.
The present invention may, if the surface layer type seabed resources, weather conditions waters, depth, seabed strata state, the state of the resource (lumps, muddy) for corresponding to any state of the seabed resource extraction device 1 group It has features for moving and fixing the table 2 and shows an outline thereof.
In addition, the schematic diagram is easy to understand, and the display of auxiliary arms and mining equipment is omitted.

Fig. 2-a is a type (a) with an endless track device 26 at the bottom of the base 2, suitable for mining where the mining resources are shallow and the ground is hard, Is suitable.
Naturally, it is fixed at the mining site during the operation of resource mining, and after mining, the endless track device 26 is driven to move by itself.

Fig. 2-b is a method that enables the seabed resource mining device 1 to be operated in a stable state even if it is a soft formation with a lot of mud etc. in the seabed. It is a tension tether type (b) that suspends the submarine resource mining device 1.
In the softer formation, the heavy submarine resource mining device 1 has a risk of subsidence or collapse, and is suitable for mining the surface methane hydrate on the Japan Sea side where the formation is weak or the rare earth in the Pacific Ocean.

Fig. 2-c is a mold (c) in which the lower part of the base 2 is driven or buried in the sea bottom as a method for stabilizing the seabed resource mining device 1 when the sea bottom is soft. Stabilization of the base 2 due to subsidence of the base 2, arm system 3, 4 and mining device 5 due to the tooth cutting of the tip (diameter 5-20 meters, length 10-50 meters) Plan.
When the lower layer is mined after mining, the base 2 is further submerged and fixed by driving high-pressure water into the tip of the large-diameter steel pipe with a nozzle or by applying vibration or the like to the large-diameter steel pipe.
It is suitable for surface layer type methane hydrate on the Sea of Japan side where mud is contained in the seabed and is soft and the resource-containing layer is 100 meters thick.

FIG. 2D shows a type (d) of the submarine resource mining apparatus 1 in which a plurality of vertically and telescopic base support legs 21 provided on the upper circumference of, for example, a large diameter steel pipe are supported and fixed to the sea floor. Stabilize.
Since there are also a plurality of arm systems 3 and 4 arranged radially from the base 2, the base support legs 21 are preferably arranged between the arm systems 3 and 4 in consideration of workability.

Next, the outline of the mining method will be described with reference to FIG.
The outline is an arm system 3 and 4 which is arranged radially from the base 2 and can be moved up and down and to the left and right. The main arm (main arm, main arm revolving body 31, main arm hoisting rope 33, main arm support) Leg 32) and auxiliary arm 4 (auxiliary arm 4, auxiliary arm revolving unit 41),
The main arm 3 divides the circumference of the side wall of the base 2 into 3 to 5 and is attached to a revolving body portion 31 fixed to the side wall, and the main arm 3 can be moved under the main arm 3. Install the arm 4,
Mining device 5 (mining machine 51, crusher 52) and transfer devices 34 and 42 are attached to the auxiliary arm.
The transfer devices 34 and 42 attached to the main arm 3 and the auxiliary arm 4 may be a belt type, a bucket type, a pipe type using water pressure or the like, depending on the contents of the mining resource and the normal state.

The structure of the arm depends on the state of the seabed and the state of the resources (lump, mud), but the main arm length 3 is preferably 20 to 100 meters because it takes a large mining area and is fixed by the main arm support leg 32. The auxiliary arm length 4 that places importance on mobility is preferably 5 to 20 meters.
Regarding the problem of arm and loading load due to the long arm length, unlike general cranes that carry heavy objects on the ground, the buoyancy in the sea, the usage status of main arm 3 installation and mining operation Considering the following, the load is small, and the length and structure of the main arm 3 can be simplified.
(1) At the time of installation, the auxiliary arm 4 and the mining device are brought close to the base side 2 of the main arm 3, and the base 2 with the main arm 3 wound up is suspended from the work ship 8 and installed on the seabed. To do.
(2) After installation, lower the tip of the main arm 3 to near horizontal and stabilize it with the main arm support leg 32.
(3) Next, the auxiliary arm 4 and the mining device 5 are moved to the mining site below the main arm 3.
That is, the weight load on the main arm 3 is small, and the arm tip 3 is supported by the arm support leg 32, so that the weight load can be minimized.

  Next, it is preferable that the movable region of the auxiliary arm 4 can be at all angles below the main arm 3, but considering the operational stability of the mining machine 51, the auxiliary arm 4 is attached to the lower side of the main arm 3, The movable region may be 180 degrees in the longitudinal direction.

Next, the mining equipment 5 is introduced according to the contents of the mining mineral resources, for example, (Technical Paper) Development of a submarine thermal ore mining elemental technology testing machine (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Report Vol.50 No.2 Special issue on ships and oceans). A mining machine such as a drum cutter may be attached to the auxiliary arm 4.
Further, in order to increase mining efficiency, it is possible to attach a plurality of auxiliary arms 4 and mining machine 51 to one main arm, and if necessary, a crusher (which uses an impact force) 52 is also attached.

Next, FIG. 4 shows the movable region of the arm.
By providing the position of the revolving body part 31 to which the main arm 3 is attached at a place extended by 2 to 5 meters from the base 2, a large movable region can be obtained, mining leakage is reduced, and turning is facilitated.
The number of main arms is optimally 3 to 5 from the viewpoint of mining efficiency, but the weight balance exerted on the operating base 2 by the submarine resource mining device 1, that is, the base 2 is most stable. It is recommended to install four units evenly in a radial pattern.

Next, the base 2 of the seabed resource mining apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The main purpose of Base 2 is
(1) When the submarine resource mining system 1 is installed on the seabed, a plurality of locations for fixing the rope 22 are provided at the top of the base 2 and connected to form the backbone of a device that suspends and descends from the work ship 8,
(2) A plurality of arm systems 3 and 4 which are movable in the vertical and horizontal directions and provided with a plurality of mining devices 5 and a transfer device 34 are mounted on the outer periphery.
(3) Inside the platform, mined seabed resources are crushed 231 and classified 232, transported within the platform 233, temporary storage 234, and umbilical connections that receive power and control signals from sources on the surface of the sea. 24. It has a driving device 235 for each device, controls 236 each device,
(4) A facility equipped with transport means 9 for transporting the mined seabed resources to the seafloor resource storage and loading platform 8.
Each device is not special and varies depending on the content of the mineral resources to be mined.

Next, referring to FIG. 6, a schematic diagram of pollution countermeasures and light specific gravity resource mining by the submarine resource mining system will be described.
Due to the turbidity of seawater caused by open-type seabed deposits, there are concerns over deterioration in mining efficiency and environmental problems.For example, crabs live on the seabed on the Sea of Japan side, and in the mining of surface methane hydrate, Problems have been raised about mud contamination.
Therefore, FIG. 6 shows a tent in which an elliptical annular body in which a fluid is press-fitted into the upper and lower peripheral edges of the trapezoidal shielding film body is attached to each of the arm systems 3 and 4 radially arranged from the base 2. This is a tent-type pollution countermeasure device 6 that covers the bottom of the reference (registered patent registration No. 6006442 and No. 5296914) close to the bottom of the sea and sinks and stabilizes mud soared by mining to the sea floor under the tent. is there.
The shielding film 62 is sized to cover the arm systems 3 and 4 close to the bottom of the sea, and the specific gravity of the shielding film 62 and the tube 61 so as to form a trapezoid when seawater flows into the annular tube at the bottom of the sea. Is heavier than the specific gravity of seawater of about 1.5 to 2.0.
The construction of the tent type shielding device 6 is prepared when the submarine resource mining device 1 is on the sea, that is, the upper part of the gable of the trapezoidal tent is attached to the entire length of the main arm 3 in the longitudinal direction and the other parts are bundled In addition, when the seabed resource mining device 1 is installed on the seabed, the arm systems 3 and 4 are lowered, and the tent (shielding film) 62 is expanded, the bundled part is released and seawater is injected into the tube 61. To do.
The expanded tent (shielding film) 62 has a heavy specific gravity of the tube material constituting it, so that the main arm 3 is automatically covered with the gable portion at the top.

Further, when mining resources with a light specific gravity, such as methane hydrate, are mined in an open type, the mining may cause separation and floating from other substances such as mud adhering to the mining.
The tent-type shielding device 6 can extract such light specific gravity mining resources. In this case, although not shown, from the upper part of the base side 2 of the extended tent (shielding film) 62, a hose or the like is used. A system for sucking and introducing the base 2 may be provided.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the countermeasures for the classified unnecessary materials such as mud generated simultaneously with the mining of the seabed resources will be described.
The countermeasure method is a ring shape in which unnecessary substances such as mud classified in the base 2 are pressed into the upper and lower peripheral edges of the trapezoidal tent film body 73 provided at the discharge location through the discharge pipe 71. Is released to the upper part of the tent of the tent-type shielding device 7 (reference patent registration No. 6006442 and No. 5296914 is applied) to which the annular body 72 is attached. It escapes from the hole 74 by natural pressure.
The shape of the tent-type shielding device 7 is circular, and the size of the shielding film 73 depends on the amount of unnecessary materials generated, but the diameter is 30 to 100 meters and the height is about 15 to 60 meters. It is preferable that the tube 72 has a specific gravity lighter than 1.0, and the tube 72 used in the lower portion has a specific gravity of about 1.5-2.
The tent-type shielding device 7 is set up by being lowered to the seabed in a folded state, and seawater is pressed into the tube 72 and expanded.
The seawater press-fitting pump can be attached to the tent-type shielding device 7, but the tent-type shielding device 7 is connected to the base 2 and the discharge pipe 71, and is performed from the base 2 of the submarine resource mining device 1. There is also a method. After mining, it is lifted on a work boat and moved.
As another method, there is also a method in which the unneeded material is transferred to the offshore seabed resource storage and loading platform 8 and solidified and dumped.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Submarine resource mining equipment 2 Base 21 Base support leg 211 Base support leg winding rope / chain 22 Submarine resource mining equipment suspension rope / chain 231 Crusher 232 Classifier 233 Intra-base transfer equipment 234 Storage facilities 235 Drive unit of each device 236 Control device 24 Umbilical cable / connection unit 25 Transfer platform 26 Endless track device 3 Main arm 31 Main arm revolving unit 32 Main arm support leg 33 Main arm hoisting rope / chain 34 Transfer device 4 Auxiliary Arm 41 Auxiliary arm revolving unit 42 Transfer device 5 Mining device 51 Mining machine 52 Crusher 6 Tent type shielding device 61 Ring body / tube 62 Shielding film 7 Tent type shielding device 71 Drain pipe 72 Ring body / tube 73 Shielding film 74 Seawater Discharge hole 8 Work ship (Submarine resource storage and loading platform)
9 Submarine to Ocean Transfer Equipment SL Marine SB Seabed

Claims (6)

In mining submarine resources,
(1) A base that forms the center of a submarine resource mining device , and a plurality of long bases with support legs that are arranged radially from the base and move vertically and horizontally with a plurality of mining devices and transfer devices . An arm system,
(2) an umbilical connection that receives power and control signals from a source on the surface of the sea;
(3) Transportation means for transporting mined seabed resources to the seafloor resource storage and loading platform;
(4) A movable / fixed submarine resource mining system comprising a drive device and a control device for each device. As movable / fixed in the submarine resource mining system, a type (a) provided with an endless track device on the base of the submarine resource mining device, a tension tether type that suspends the base of the submarine resource mining device from the sea ( b), a mold (c) in which the base of the submarine resource mining apparatus is a large diameter steel pipe and the lower part of the large diameter steel pipe is embedded in the sea floor, or the upper and lower radials provided above the base of the submarine resource mining apparatus and A mold (d) supported and fixed by a plurality of base support legs that can be stretched or a mold (e) appropriately combined with any of the above-mentioned molds (a), (b), (c), (d) (e submarine resource extraction system according to claim 1, characterized in that configured in). The arm system is composed of a plurality of long main arms provided radially with a support leg and an auxiliary arm movably attached below the main arm, which are arranged radially from the base of the submarine resource mining device. The submarine resource mining system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mining device and the transfer device are attached to the main arm, and the transfer device is attached to the main arm. The submarine resource mining according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the base is provided with a crushing device, a classifying device, a temporary storage area, and an in-base transfer device for the mined submarine resources. system. A tent-type shielding device in which an elliptical annular body into which a fluid is press-fitted is attached to the upper and lower peripheral edges of a trapezoidal tent film covering the entire arm system and the mining device. The submarine resource mining system according to claim 1.   To the top of the tent-type shielding device, attached to the top of the trapezoidal tent membrane body is a ring-shaped annular body into which fluid is injected into the upper and lower periphery of the trapezoidal tent membrane body. The submarine resource mining system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the submarine resource mining system is discharged from a discharge pipe extended from a base, subsidized, and stabilized.

Images