JP6535068B2 - Underwater mining device and method - Google Patents

Description

  According to the preamble of claim 1, the submersible worktable which can be placed above the water bottom, the drilling means for drilling ground material from the water bottom, and the drilling means are adjusted BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an underwater mining device having adjustment means for introducing into and transport conduits for transporting ground material excavated at a distance from the drilling means.

  The invention further relates to a method of mining ground material on the bottom of the water using an underwater mining device according to the preamble of claim 14, wherein the underwater mining device is lowered onto the bottom of the water and the drilling means is bottomed by the control means. It is introduced into the ground and the soil material is excavated, and the excavated soil material is transported to a remote place by the transport pipeline.

  From EP-A-2562346 (A1) it is possible to pick up an underwater drilling device with a lowerable worktable. A drilling tool, which can be driven by a drill drive, is arranged on the work bench to create a borehole in the water floor. The drilling device serves to manufacture the base element in water. The drilled out products generated during the creation of the holes are guided upwards and discharged via the outlet opening into the surrounding water area where they are transported away and scattered by the water flow.

  An underwater mining system can be taken from WO 2015/178854 (A1) and WO 2015/178853 (A1). In this system, several mobile mining units are used, and mined ground material is guided from this mobile mining unit to a floating vessel located in the water between the mining unit and the supply ship .

European Patent Application Publication No. 2562346 International Publication No. 2015/178854 International Publication No. 2015/178853

  The present invention is based on the object of providing an underwater mining device and a method of mining ground material on the bottom of the water, wherein the ground material can be mined in water in a particularly efficient manner.

  According to the invention, this object is achieved by an underwater mining device having the features of claim 1 and a method of mining ground material on the bottom of a body of water having the features of claim 14. Preferred embodiments of the invention are mentioned in the respective dependent claims.

  The underwater mining device according to the invention is designed such that the receptacle for the transport container is designed on the work bench, that the transport container is releasably supported and held in the receptacle, the transport pipeline is transported. It is characterized in that it leads into the container, and the excavated ground material can be received in the transport container.

  The basic idea of the invention is that the mined ground material is received directly on the worktable and temporarily stored. Therefore, the mined ground material is not transferred to the surrounding environment or to the receiving container remotely located from the workbench. Receiving and storing the mined ground material proves that the transportation is easy.

  Another aspect of the present invention is that the ground material being mined is received within a transfer container releasably supported on the worktable of the underwater mining device. When the predetermined filling level is reached, the transport container can be released from the work platform and transferred to the removal or discharge position. The empty transport container can then be returned to the workbench. In this way, the mined ground material can be received and transported towards the water surface, preferably in a reliable manner, without putting a heavy burden on the environment.

  Basically, the drilling means can be a drilling device or any other suitable drilling means. It is particularly preferred according to an embodiment of the present invention that the drilling means is an excavator having at least one drilling wheel rotationally driven about a substantially horizontal axis of rotation. The excavator preferably has two pairs of excavating wheels that are rotationally driven. By preference, the drilling wheel pair is driven to transport the excavated ground material towards the middle between the two wheels pairing from which it is transported out of the trench by a suction pump Be done. The excavator may be substantially similar in construction to known underground continuous wall excavators.

  Another embodiment of the invention consists in the fact that the adjustment means is a guiding device, along which the drilling means are guided vertically adjustably. In particular, the adjustment means can be a column with one or several guideways. By preference, the guiding device can also be a framework or a tubular structure, in which the drilling means are guided vertically displaceably.

  Excavator settling can basically occur due to gravity. In a variant of the preferred embodiment of the underwater mining device according to the invention, the adjusting means further comprise advancing means for raising and / or lowering the drilling means. In this way, an advancing or resetting force can be selectively applied.

  It is particularly advantageous that the advancing means comprise at least one positioning cylinder or hoist. Preferably, the positioning cylinder is a hydraulic cylinder for raising and / or lowering. Likewise, advancing and raising are also realized by means of a hoisting device having one or several hoisting ropes with corresponding deflection means.

  A particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention is realized in that the guiding device provided at its upper end with the receptacle for the transport container is designed as a guiding framework. The guide framework may be a tube-like design with an inner free space in which the drilling means are guided vertically displaceably. The transport container can be placed and positioned above the guiding framework.

  In this connection, the receiving part has a funnel-shaped centering part, and the transfer container is designed on its underside to be suitable for the insertion of the transfer container into the aligning part of the receiving part It is particularly advantageous to have a conical insertion part. The receptacles are funnel-shaped and allow correspondingly fitted conical inserts on the lower surface of the transport container to be easily received and aligned by lowering. Upon receipt of the transfer container, a connection to the transfer line feeding in the mined ground material can be established simultaneously.

  A particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that the receptacle for the transport container is provided with a first connection element of the transport line, and is connected to the first connection element at the lower surface of the transport container. A second connection element is provided which can establish a pipeline connection. Also, the two connection elements can be designed with correspondingly adapted conical cones to facilitate the construction of the connection. In this way, the ground material which has been mined can be fed into the transport container from below via the transport line.

  A preferred further improvement of the invention is that a riser pipe extending from the second connection means upward through the transport container and extending to the outlet is arranged inside the transport container. Through the riser pipe, the transported excavated ground material is supplied from above into the transport container. Thus, due to the riser in the transfer vessel, the mined ground material first flows through the vessel and is only delivered to the upper side of the transfer vessel. This supply of mined ground material, which is usually mixed with the surrounding water, can cause a settling process inside the transport container. Solid ground material can settle on the bottom area of the transfer container, while correspondingly cleaned water can resurface above the transfer container. As a result, the filling of the transport container with the excavated ground material as an actual payload is improved.

  According to a further refinement of the invention, a particularly environmentally friendly separation of the transport container from the work bench, in that the stop valve is arranged on the first connection means and / or the second connection means. This is achieved in that the stop valve is closed when the transport container is removed from the receptacle, in that the stop valve is opened for filling the transport container. The stop valve (s) is operated with appropriate control. Also, this valve is designed as an automatic valve with mechanical components so that it is automatically opened when the transport container is installed and automatically closed when the transport container is removed It can be done.

  According to a variant of the embodiment of the invention, it is further advantageous that locking means are arranged in the receptacle for locking and locking the received transport container in its position. This ensures that the transport container remains in place, even in the case of stronger flows. Furthermore, also the transport container can be used in this way for the transport of underwater mining devices. For this purpose, the transport container is preferably connected to the lifting means, more particularly to the lifting rope. The transport container can be moved by the lifting rope to the discharge position, in particular to a watercraft, in particular a ship. When the transport container is securely locked to the workbench, the underwater mining device may be transported along with the transport container by the lifting means in its entirety.

  By preference, pump means are provided to transport the excavated ground material from the excavating means to the transfer vessel. The pump means can be integrated in the drilling means or can be arranged on the work bench as a separate component.

  For accurate installation of the underwater mining device on the bottom of the water, it is expedient that adjustable support legs are provided on the work surface for adjusting the worktop on the water bottom. The support legs can be provided with alignment cylinders or other alignment means in order to compensate for height mismatches with one another. In this way, the workbench can also be adjusted horizontally on irregular ground. By preference, a total of three support legs are arranged such that they are distributed along the perimeter of the workbench.

  The method according to the present invention provides that the ground material excavated is transported to a transport container which is releasably supported on the receiving part of the underwater mining device, and the filled transport container is received when the filling level is reached. It is characterized in that it is released from the department and transported to a remote place.

  Preferably, the method according to the invention can be carried out using the underwater mining device described above. The advantages described above can be realized thereby.

  In a variant of the preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the transfer container is releasably secured on the upper side of the underwater mining device, the lifting means engage on the upper side of the transfer container, and for the transfer of the underwater mining device The transport container is locked in the receptacle. Thus, the lifting means serve for the separate transfer of ground material using the transfer container when said transfer container is disengaged and released from the underwater mining device. When the transport container is locked in the receptacle on the workbench, the underwater mining device can be transported and moved by the lifting means in its entirety.

  The invention will be further described below by means of preferred embodiments schematically shown in the drawings.

1 is a side view of an underwater mining device according to the invention. FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of a transfer container for an underwater mining device. FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail view of the receptacle of the transport container in the underwater mining device.

  In the underwater mining device 10 according to the invention, according to the invention, a rod is used which can be arranged by means of a vertically movable supporting leg 28 in total from a sea vehicle, in particular from a ship to the water, by means of a lifting device. A work platform 12 having a frame structure is provided. The workbench 12 can be adjusted to a horizontal configuration by the support legs 28.

  A pillar-like guide framework 14 is arranged on the work table 12 and forms the adjustment means 13. An excavating means 30 is vertically adjustably supported along the vertical guiding device 16 in an area inside the guiding frame 14. The drilling means 30 is designed as an excavator, more particularly an underground continuous wall excavator with two pairs of drilling wheels 32 located below. The drilling wheels 32 are rotationally driven about a horizontal rotation axis, in which case the drilling wheels 32 rotate so that they dig ground material and carry it into the central region between the two pairs of drilling wheels 32. .

  For vertical adjustment of the drilling means 30, advancing means 20 with a lateral positioning cylinder 22 are provided. By means of the positioning cylinder 22, the drilling means 30 can be raised or lowered stepwise. In doing so, the drilling means 30 are guided by the elongated guide frame along the vertical guide 16 in the guide frame 14. The adjustment path of the drilling means 30 can be limited to the height of the guiding framework 14 so that the drilling means 30 is always guided inside the guiding framework 14. Alternatively, the drilling means 30 can also be moved entirely out of the guiding framework 14, in which case further guidance is achieved along the elongated guiding frame of the drilling means 30.

  The ground material excavated by the excavating wheel 32 is transported via the central transport pipeline 18 upward by the pump means 24 to the transport container 50 supported in the receptacle 40 above the guide framework 14 Ru.

  The receiving portion 40 has a funnel-shaped aligning portion 42 for receiving the lower end of the transfer container 50 in an aligned manner. Furthermore, a drive module 26 with various units and operating means is releasably arranged on the work bench 12. The drive module 26 is connected to the on-water supply ship via a supply line (not shown in detail). With the supply line, also corresponding control of the underwater mining device 10 can be achieved.

  The transport container 50 for the underwater mining device 10 according to the invention is shown in more detail in FIG. The transfer container 50 has a substantially cylindrical base 52 and at its lower end is provided with a conical insertion portion 54 followed by a locking ledge 55. Inside the hollow transport container 50, a riser 58 extends from the lower surface 53 upwards beyond the upper end of the cylindrical base 52. The excavated ground material is transferred from the transfer pipeline 18 of the underwater mining device 10 to the riser pipe 58 in the transfer container 50 on the lower surface 53, and the riser pipe 58 into the inside of the transfer container 50 in the upper region. The direction is changed by the bending of the heading bow. This bend leads into the upper region of the cylindrical substrate 52 such that the excavated ground material is supplied from above into the transport container 50 together with the sucked water. In this way, stationary components of the excavated ground material can settle in the lower region of the transfer vessel 50, while liquid can rise above the transfer vessel 50.

  A fixing element 57 is additionally arranged on the upper side of the transport container 50, on which lifting means, not shown, in particular the hooks of a crane rope are fixed.

  As shown in more detail in FIG. 3, the transport container 50 is releasably secured on the receptacle 40 of the guiding framework 14 by means of locking means 70. It can be seen from the view of FIG. 3 that the conical insertion portion 54 of the transport container 50 is designed to fit into the funnel-shaped aligning portion 42 of the receiving portion 40. In the inserted position, the wedge shaped holding element 72 can be moved from the released position to the locked position shown in FIG. 3 by an actuating mechanism 74 actuated by an alignment cylinder not shown. In the locking position, the radially inward moved holding element 72 engages behind the larger sized locking ledge 55 on the cylindrical end of the transport container 50. In the locked position, the transport container 50 is rigidly connected to the guiding framework 14 and thus to the work platform 12 so that the underwater mining device 10 can then be pulled upward with the transport container 50.

  The connection between the transfer line 18 and the transfer container 50 can also be roughly understood from FIG. On the upper end of the transfer line 18, a first connection element 46 is designed which fits into and engages within the second connection element 56 in the form of a funnel on the transfer container 50. In the connection position between the first connection element 46 and the second connection element 56, a pipeline connection is established between the transfer line 18 and the riser 58 inside the transfer vessel 50. The opening of the first connection element 46 and the opening of the second connection element 56 are closed when the transport container 50 is separated from the receptacle 40 by means of the stop valve 60 shown schematically. . By preference, the stop valve 60 is mechanically actuated during installation or release of the transfer container 50.

  An underwater mining device 10 according to the present invention is provided for drilling ground material on the bottom of the water, in particular for sampling or for mining natural resources near the surface.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS 10 underwater mining device, 12 work platform with frame structure, 13 adjustment means, 14 pillar-like guide frame, 16 vertical guiding device, 18 center conveyance pipeline, 20 advancing means, 22 side positioning cylinder, 24 pump means, 26 Drive module, 28 vertically adjustable support legs, 30 drilling means, 32 drilling wheels, 40 receiving parts, 42 funnel-shaped aligning parts, 46 first connection elements, 50 transport containers, 52 cylindrical substrates, 53 lower surface , 54 conical insertion part, 55 locking ledge, 56 second connection element, 57 fixed element, 58 riser, 60 stop valve, 70 locking means, 72 wedge shaped holding element, 74 actuation mechanism.

Claims (13)

A submersible work platform which can be placed on the bottom of the water;
Drilling means for drilling ground material from the bottom of the water;
Adjusting means for adjusting the drilling means and introducing it into the water bottom;
A transport line for transporting the excavated ground material to a location remote from said drilling means;
An underwater mining device having
The receptacle for the transport container is designed on the work bench,
The transport container is releasably supported and held in the receptacle;
The transfer conduit leads into the transfer container, and the excavated ground material can be received in the transfer container,
A first connection element of the transfer line is provided on the receptacle for the transfer container;
A second connection element, which can be connected to the first connection element, is arranged on the lower surface of the transport container in order to establish a connection of the pipelines,
A stop valve is arranged on the first connection element and / or the second connection element,
An underwater mining device , wherein the stop valve is opened to fill the transfer container and the stop valve is closed when the transfer container is removed from the receptacle .   The underwater mining device according to claim 1, wherein the drilling means is an excavator having at least one drilling wheel driven to rotate about a substantially horizontal rotation axis. The underwater mining device according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting means comprises a guiding device, the guiding device along which the drilling means are vertically vertically guided. .   An underwater mining device according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting means comprises advancing means for raising and / or lowering the drilling means.   An underwater mining device according to claim 4, wherein the advancing means comprises at least one alignment cylinder or hoist.   The underwater mining device according to claim 3, wherein the guiding device is designed as a guiding framework, the upper end of which is provided with the receptacle for the transport container. An underwater mining device according to claim 1,
The receiving part has a funnel-shaped aligning part,
The transport container has on its lower surface a conical insertion portion designed to be compatible with the insertion of the transport container into the aligning portion of the receptacle.
Underwater mining device. The underwater mining device according to claim 1 , wherein a riser pipe extending from the second connection element upward to the outlet from the second connection element is arranged inside the carrier. An underwater mining device, wherein the excavated ground material transported through the riser pipe is fed into the transport container from above. An underwater mining device according to claim 1, wherein locking means are arranged on the receptacle for locking and locking the received transfer container in that position.   The underwater mining device according to claim 1, wherein pump means are provided for transporting the excavated ground material from the drilling means to the transport vessel.   The underwater mining device according to claim 1, wherein adjustable support legs are provided on the platform to adjust the platform on the water bottom. Using water drilling device according to 請 Motomeko 1, a method for mining the ground material on the bottom of the water,
The underwater mining device is lowered onto the bottom of the water,
Said drilling means are introduced into said water bottom by means of adjusting means, whereby said ground material is excavated,
The excavated soil material by the conveying conduit, is transported away,
In the method
The excavated soil material is conveyed into the transport container that is releasably supported on the receiving part of the water mining device,
When the filling level is reached, the filled transport container is released from the receptacle and transported away.
Method. The method according to claim 12 , wherein
The transfer container is releasably secured to the upper side of the underwater mining device;
A method wherein lifting means engage the upper side of the transport container and the transport container is locked in the receptacle for the transfer of the underwater mining device.

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