JPS61134493A - Sea bottom ore mining apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a seabed mineral mining apparatus for extracting mineral resources from the seabed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventionally, containers have been used to transport minerals excavated on the seabed to the sea.

In other words, a container loaded with a predetermined amount of minerals on the ocean floor is raised through the sea by driving a winch attached to a mother ship at sea, and unloaded onto the mother ship.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention According to the above-mentioned conventional configuration, when a large-capacity ore lifting container is moved underwater at high speed in order to increase the ore lifting efficiency, especially when the water is deep, the load of minerals and the container are There was a problem in that the drag force experienced during underwater movement placed an excessive load on the mother ship's winch, exceeding its capacity.

The present invention solves the above problems, and by giving buoyancy to the container rising to the sea, it is possible to load a large amount of minerals into the container without applying an excessive load to the winch of the mother ship. The objective is to provide a seabed mineral mining equipment that can increase the mining rate.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the seabed mineral mining equipment of the present invention includes a container for lifting minerals, a cargo tank for loading minerals in the center, and a cargo tank formed around the cargo tank at the lower end. a buoyancy tank having an opening, supporting the container so as to be movable back and forth between a mining mother ship on the sea and an undersea relay station;
A container support for placing the container on the submarine transfer base is provided, a pipe for sending air to the buoyancy tank through the opening is provided to the support, and a compressor for supplying air to the pipe via a hose is connected to the mine. This is a configuration installed on the mother ship.

Function In the above configuration, the container is placed on the support platform of the submarine transfer station and has its cargo tank loaded with a predetermined amount of minerals. Because it can be reduced, it can be lifted out to sea with less force.

I will explain next. Fig. 1 is an overall schematic diagram, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the container, Fig. 3 is a side view of the container, Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the container, Fig. 5 is a front view showing the working capacity, and Fig. 6 is a plan view of the container. A plan view of the submarine relay station, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the submarine relay station.

In the drawing, 1 is an excavator that excavates minerals on the seabed, 2 is an ore collector that collects the excavated minerals on the seabed, 3 is an undersea relay station, and 4 is an offshore mining mother ship, with the ore collector 2 and the seabed. A flexible hose 5 for transporting minerals is interposed between the relay station 3 and the power supply and operation control cables 6 and 7 of the excavator 1 and the ore collector 2, respectively, via the submarine relay station 3. The cable 8 is led together with the power supply and operation control cables of the relay station 3 to the mining mother ship 4 on the sea.

9, 10.11.12 are containers for loading minerals, and each container 9.10.11.12 has an opening 9a at the top.

Cylindrical mineral loading cargo tank 9b, 10b, llb, having 10a, 1Q, 12a,
12b, and the cargo tanks 9b, 10b, 11
b, buoyancy tank 9c formed around 12b,
10c, 11c, 12c, and buoyancy tanks 9c, 10c, 1ic, 12c
The outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical intermediate portions 9d, 10d, 1
1d.

12d, and an upper end surface 9e, 10e, 11e, 12e J5' formed into a tapered shape with a tapered end.
and red end faces 9f, , 10f-, 10, 12f
Totfi growls. 9h, 10h, 11h.

12h [F Kata', /ri9b, 10b, 1・
1b, 12b eA partition wall that divides the circumferential direction into, for example, four chambers, with openings 9a, ioQ,
110, 12(l) are provided.

13 is a winch for lifting ore installed on the mining mother ship, 14 is a guide winch installed on the submarine relay station 3, and each winch 13.
11 and 12 are provided. 15 is a wire for lifting ore wound around the winch 13 for lifting ore;
The ends of 5 are connected to the upper ends of each container 9, 10° 11, 12, respectively. 1G is guide winch 14
A guide wire is wound around the ends 1 of the wire 16 in each container 9.1G, It.

It is connected to the 5 parts of the 12 points.

Reference numerals 17 and 18 denote container support stands, and the support stands 17 and 18 are provided so as to protrude from the upper surface of the submarine relay station 3, and the upper end thereof has a tapered placing surface 17a shaped like an earthenware bottle.

18a is formed, and holes 17b and 18b communicating with the internal space 19 of the submarine relay station 3 are provided in the center.

Guide wire 1 inserted through the holes 17b and 18b
6 is guided to the guiding winch 14 via a pulley 20 disposed within the internal space 19.

21, 22' are air supply pipes, and the pipes 21.2
One end of 2 is branched into a plurality of branches (four in the one shown in FIG. 6), and each of the branched - ends 21a.

22a is the tapered mounting surface 17a of the support stand 17.18
The pipes 21 and 22 have an opening facing upward at an intermediate position, and the other ends of the pipes 21 and 22 are connected to an air reservoir 24 installed on the top surface of the submarine relay station 3 via a connecting pipe 23.

25 is a compressor installed on mining mother ship 4 at sea, 26
is a hose, and the air compressed by the compressor 25 is
- The air is supplied to the air reservoir 24 via the gas 26.

Reference numeral 27 denotes a transport pipe arranged at the submarine relay station 3. The transport pipe 27 is a vertical pipe that is installed on the upper surface of the submarine relay base 3 and whose lower end side is connected to the flexible hose 5 for transporting minerals via the pump 28. 29, and a horizontal portion 31 that is connected to the upper end of the vertical portion 29 via a flexible hose 30.
7.18, and minerals are discharged from the end opening 31a of the horizontal portion 31.

32 is a container support stand 1 for the vertical part 29 of the transport pipe 27
A support 33 that is rotatable around the axis of the support 32 is supported at the top of the support 32, and a horizontal direction fixed to the upper surface of the support 33 is supported. A portion of the flexible hose 30 and the horizontal portion 31 of the transport pipe 27p are mounted and fixed on a guide plate 34 extending to

35 is a switching device interposed between the support 32 and the receiving part 33, and the switching bag [35 is a gear 36 fixed to the outer periphery of the receiving part 33].
It consists of a gear 37 that engages with this gear 3G, and a motor 38 that is fixed to the support column 32 and rotates the gear 37. That is, by operating the switching device 35, the horizontal portion 31 of the transport pipe 27 is switched to the flexible hose 3.
It swings in the horizontal plane centering on the 0 part, and as a result, the horizontal part 3
The end opening 31a of 1 is connected to the tapered lower end surface 9b, 1
Support stand 17゜1 through 0b, Ilb, 12b
Openings 9a, 10a provided at the top of each container placed on the tapered placement surfaces 17a, 18a of B
11a.

It is movable to the upper center of 12a.

Tapered mounting surfaces 17a, 18 of support stands 17.18
The ends 21a and 22a of the pipes 21 and 22, which open upward at the intermediate position of a, have a tapered shape S! Four sides 1
7a.

Each opening 9 (1, 10 (1, 11g
.

It is located directly below 12g.

39 and 40 are oil tanks, 41.42 are hydraulic units,
Each is installed on the top surface of the submarine relay station 3.

Reference numerals 43, 44, and 45 are wheels for moving the excavator 1, the ore collector 2, and the submarine transfer station 3, respectively.The submarine transfer station 3 shown in FIG. 7 is equipped with caterpillars 4G instead of wheels.

Excavation l11, operation of the ore collector 2, each guide winch 14 of the submarine transfer station 3, the pump 28, the switching device 35, the ore lifting winch 13 of the mining mother ship 4, the air supply pipe 21.
The supply of air by 22, etc. are all controlled by the mining mother ship 4.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained.

2 to 7, the minerals excavated by the excavator 1 are collected by the ore collector 2, and then sent to the transport pipe 27 via the flexible hose 5 by the pump 28, The liquid is discharged from the end opening 31a of the portion 31 and loaded into a predetermined container. Figure 5 shows container 1
0 is placed on the tapered mounting surface 17a of one of the support stands 17 via its tapered lower end surface 10a, and the transport pipe 27 is placed on the opening 10a provided in the upper part of the container 10.
2 shows a state in which the orientation is switched by the switching device 35 so that the end opening 31a is located, and in this state, minerals discharged from the end opening 31a are loaded into the cargo tank 10b of the container 10. The interior of the buoyancy tank 10c is filled with air supplied from the open end 21a of the pipe 21 through the opening 100, thereby reducing the overall load of the container 10. Buoyancy tank 10c is cargo tank 1
Since it is formed around 0b, the container 10 can maintain its posture correctly in the sea.

When a predetermined amount of minerals are loaded into the cargo tank 10b, the transport pipe 27 is transferred to the other support stand 1 by the switching bag W135.
8 side, and the container 10G is pulled up by the tlil threading punch 13. The container 12 is loaded with minerals and is being pulled up into the sea towards the mining mother ship 4.
Container 9 is empty after the invasive cargo has arrived at mining mother ship 9, container 11 is descending into the sea toward submarine relay station 3 to load minerals, and mining mother ship 4 is empty. , buoyancy tank 9C, -10C, tie of each container 9.10.11.12 after unloading.

Means (not shown) is provided to remove some of the air in 12c and feed seawater in its place, thereby reducing the load on guide winch 14 when descending into the sea.

The upper and lower parts of the container are respectively tapered upper and lower end surfaces 9.
e, 10e, lie, 12e, 9f, 10f.

Since it is composed of 11f and 12f,
The resistance received from seawater during underwater movement can be reduced, which also reduces the driving load of each winch 13, 14.

The container 11 descending into the sea is connected to its lower end and passes through the hole 18b of the support stand 18 to the guide winch 14.
By being wound around the winch 14, the guide wire 16 can reach the support base 18 without being washed away by ocean currents or the like. When the container 11 is placed at a predetermined position on the support base 18, the end opening 31a of the transport pipe 27, which is in standby or in swing motion, moves to a position above the opening 11a of the container 11 and stops, and the container 11 Minerals are loaded into the cargo tank 11b. When placed, the container 11 is placed on the tapered mounting surface 18a of the support base 18 via its tapered lower end surface 11b, so that it is placed in a constant posture without tilting.

Thus, in the above embodiment, container 9.1G.

11 and 12 are cylindrical mineral loading cargo tanks 9b, 10b, 11b, 12b in the center, and the cargo tanks 9b, 101), 11b, 12
Buoyancy tanks 9c, 10c, I provided around b
It consists of lc, 12c, and container 9.1
G, 11.12 is placed on the support 17.18, the air supplied by the pipe 21.22 flows into the buoyancy tank 9.
C910c, 11c, 12c, the lower end surface 9
Openings 9g formed at f, 10f, 1N, and 12f.

By being supplied through 10g, 11g, and 12g, the weight of the container 9.10.11.12 in the sea is reduced, and the load on the ore lifting winch 13 can be reduced, and the container g, io,
il.

12 postures can be stabilized. Moreover, the upper end surfaces 9e of the buoyancy tanks 9c, 10c, 11c, and 12c.

10e, 11e, 12e and lower end surface 9f, 1
0f, 11zu.

Since each winch 12f is formed in a tapered shape, the drag coefficient CD of the container 9.10.11.12 can be reduced.
3.14 driving load can be reduced.

Roughly speaking, when the container on one support stand 11 is fully loaded with minerals, the attitude of the transport pipe 27 is switched to the other support stand 18 side, and by the time the attitude change is completed, the container that has descended into the sea is supported. The horizontal portion 3 of the transport pipe 27 is set on the table 18 and this operation is repeated in sequence.
Since the minerals are discharged from the open end 31a of 1 and lifted to the sea, the minerals are discharged from the open end 31a without interrupting the minerals.
It becomes possible to discharge from.

In addition, it has the following effects.

■ Seabed excavator 1 and seabed ore collection! ! Since the work can be done separately from the excavation work 12, ore collection work can be carried out without obstructing the field of vision due to dust generated during excavation.

■ At submarine transfer station 3, ore can be loaded into containers extremely smoothly and continuously.

■ When an empty container is lowered from the sea, the guide winch 14 on the submarine transfer station 3 is used to guide the container, so the container is quickly placed on the designated container support platform 17, 18 without being swept away by ocean currents. This can shorten the descent time.

■ Since the mining mother ship 4 and the submarine relay station 3 are connected only by wires or cables 8, it is possible to easily cope with changes in the water and depth of the seabed.

Moreover, it is not necessary for the mother ship 4 to strictly maintain its fixed position in the vicinity directly below the submarine relay station 3. That is, an inexpensive fixed position holding device may be used.

■ Since a container system in which one ore lifting winch 13 and one guiding winch 14 are installed in one container is arranged in multiple rows in parallel, even if one
Even if one container system fails, ore lifting operations will not come to a complete halt.

In the illustrated example, the openings 9g, 10g, IIQ
.

12g is a rectangular one with a tapered lower end surface 9f.

10f, 10, and 12f at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction, but the lower end surfaces 9f, 10f,
llf.

An annular opening extending in the circumferential direction is formed at 12τ, thereby connecting the opening and the ends 21a, 22a of the pipe 21.22.
It can be easily aligned with the

Furthermore, although four containers 9.10.11°12 and two support stands 17.18 are used in the illustration and example, the number of containers and support stands may be changed depending on the water depth, and each winch 13.14 may be The winding speed and the swinging speed of the transport pipe 27 can be changed.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, a container having a load greater than the capacity of an ore lifting winch can be lifted and recovered, and the attitude of the container in the sea can be stabilized.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 7 show an embodiment of the present invention, with Figure 1 being an overall schematic diagram, Figure 2 being a plan view of the container, Figure 3 being a side view of the container, and Figure 4 being a cross section of the container. 5 is a front view showing the work procedure, FIG. 6 is a plan view of the submarine relay station, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the submarine relay station. 3... Undersea relay base, 4... Mining mother ship, 9.10.
11゜12...Container, 9b, 10b, 1
1b, 12b...Cargo tank, 9c, 10
c, 11c, 12c, ... buoyancy tank, 9
g, 10g, iig, 12Q... Opening of buoyancy tank, 13... Winch for ore lifting, 14... Winch for guide, 15... Wire for lifting ore, 1G... Wire for guide, 17 .18... Container support stand, 21
．． 22...pipe, 25...compressor, 26.
...Horse agent Yoshihiro Morimoto Figure 5/q 16 Figure 6 In January 1985, Japanese Patent Application No. 2.58087 No. 2, Title of Invention Seabed Mineral Mining Apparatus 3 was amended. Relationship with the patent applicant's case (511) Hitachi Zosen Corporation Showa 1920, Month, Day 6, Number of inventions increased by amendment Part 8 of drawings, Detailed explanation of the invention column in the description of the contents of the amendment (1 ) On page 4, line 3, correct the word ``capacity'' to read ``procedure.'' (2) Page 5, line 6 r9b, 10b, 11b, 12bj
9c, 10c, 11c. 12c,” he corrected. (3) Page 7, line 20 r9b, 10b, 11b, 12bj is r 9f,
10f, 11f. 12f” is corrected. (4) In the second line of page 9, the text "Figure 2" is corrected to "Figure 5." (5) Page 9, line 8 [10aJ is corrected to rlofJ. (6) On page 11, line 10, correct rllbJ to rllfJ. (7) On page 13, line 14, the statement ``Listed in the 18th race'' is corrected to ``Listed in the 18th race.'' (8) On page 13, line 18, the phrase ``Noni Mizu Depth'' is corrected to ``No Mizuren.'' (9) On page 13, line 19, correct the phrase ``directly below'' to ``directly above r''. ■Part of the drawings (1) Figure 1 of the drawing As shown in Figure 1 of the attached copy of the drawing, the part number "23" is corrected to "3". (2) Corrections will be made as shown in the attached sheets of Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings. (3) Figure 6 of the drawings is corrected to "42". (4) Correct as shown in Figure 7 of the drawings attached. Figure 2 Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A container for mineral lifting is composed of a cargo tank for loading minerals in the center and a buoyancy tank formed around the cargo tank and having an opening at the lower end, and the container is connected to a mining mother ship on the sea and a submarine transfer station. A container support is provided to support the container so as to be movable back and forth between the container and to place the container on the submarine transfer base, and the support is provided with a pipe for sending air to the buoyancy tank through the opening, and a hose is connected to the pipe. A submarine mineral mining apparatus characterized in that the mining mother ship is provided with a compressor that supplies air through the mining mother ship.