JPS63184688A - Sea bottom sitting type core sampler - 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] [Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to a seabed-seated core sampler for collecting core samples of mineral deposits such as thin cobalt crusts precipitated and deposited on the surface of seabed rocks in the deep sea. It is something.

[Conventional technology]

In order to learn about the presence of thin cobalt crusts on the seabed, such as thin cobalt crusts that have precipitated and deposited on the surface of deep-sea seabed rocks, we collect samples from seabed ore deposits and analyze the thickness and composition of the ore deposits using the samples obtained. The merits and demerits of mining areas are determined based on the data obtained.

Marine drill-type core samplers have traditionally been used to collect core samples from seabed mineral deposits. A conventional marine drill type core sampler uses one or more rotary core tubes with a bit M at the tip to collect cores from the ocean floor by tarring. The sampling operation using one °, 7.7y''''-' is carried out in the following manner. First, the entire core sun shield is suspended by a cable from an offshore division or survey vessel and placed at the core collection point on the ocean floor. Next, while rotating only one core tube attached to the main body, cores are collected from the ocean floor by means of core tube ringing. After collecting the core, the main body will be hoisted onto the exploration vessel and the core sample will be collected.

By repeating these steps, a plurality of core samples are collected.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing one example of a conventionally used core sampler, FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view of the lower part thereof,
The twelfth factor is the A-A#l cross-sectional view.

The core sampler shown in this example can accommodate a plurality of core tubes.

The core sampler 43 of this example shown in FIG. 10 has a cylindrical shape and consists of a frame.

The core sampler 43 includes a buoyancy material filling section 44 at the top,
Two control units 45 housed in the upper section.
45 and forward/reverse thruster 46 stored in the middle section.
, 46 and a hydraulic unit 47, a rotary annular core tube storage unit 48 housed in the lower section, a core tube attachment/detachment unit 49, a core tube storage unit intermittent drive device 53, a lift thruster 41, and a core It consists of a marine drill device 50 having a boring rod 51 at its tip, which passes through the upper and middle portions of the sampler 43 and is vertically installed in the center of the upper and middle portions.

Inside the core tube storage unit 48, the core tube 5 is stored.
A plurality of pieces, for example, about 100 pieces, are housed vertically in concentric circles.

54 is a drive device for the core tube attachment/detachment unit 49;
2 is a leg for seating, and 52 is a core tube attachment/detachment arm constituting the core tube attachment/detachment unit 49.

The boring rod 51 is raised and lowered while rotating up and down by the marine drill device 50, and when lowered, its lower end and the upper end of the core tube 55 are connected to the core tube catcher 56.
Connect by.

A core tube attachment/detachment unit 49 shown by solid lines and dotted lines in FIG. 11 connects the core tube 55 in the core tube storage unit 48 and the tarring rod 51.

As shown in FIG. 11, the core tube 5 in position a
5 is grasped by the node part of the core tube attachment/detachment arm 52, lifted up to position b, then pulled to position C, and then moved the core tube attachment/detachment arm 52 180°.
Rotate and move to position d. Thereafter, the core tube attachment/detachment arm 52 is extended to the position e so that the core tube 55 is connected to the lower end of the tarring rod 51, and the core tube 55 is attached to the tarling rod 51 by the core tube catcher 56 at the position f. Attach it to the bottom end of the

After core sample collection is completed, attach and detach the core tube 55 again at position f, and then attach and detach the core tube 55 in the reverse order of attachment
5 Return to the position of t a and store it in the core tube storage unit 48 .

Then, in order to attach the next core tube 55, after retracting the hand portion of the core tube attachment/detachment arm 52, the core tube storage unit 48 is intermittently rotated one pitch by the driving device 53,
Insert a new core tube into position a to prepare for the next core sample collection.

[While the invention is trying to solve the problem: the origin]

In order to efficiently carry out sampling operations to collect core samples, it is necessary to minimize the number of times the core sampler is returned to the exploration vessel.

However, the core sampler that can be equipped with only one core tube, as described at the beginning of the previous section, has a problem in that the core sample must be withdrawn and collected each time one sampling operation is completed.

Furthermore, in order to increase the success rate of sampling work, it is necessary to collect multiple samples from two or more points at the same time at the same sampling point.

However, according to the actual results of sampling in the sea near Japan, the success rate of sampling is reported to be 50 to 80%, and it is said that sampling by remote control at depths of several thousand meters is about 100%.
This is because we cannot expect a 00% success rate.

A failure in sampling at a certain sampling point means a lack of data on the ore endowment situation in that area, and retrials require a great deal of effort and time. It is considered difficult to reliably collect the thin surface layer of cobalt crust deposited on the surface layer of the bedrock of the ocean floor along with the underlying bedrock, and a high success rate and collection rate cannot be expected.

Therefore, it is desirable to collect as many samples as possible from the same point.

However, the conventional core sampler 43 can only collect a core sample for one core tube at one collection point. Moreover, since the polling rod 51 of the core sampler 43 is located in the center of the main body, when sampling, the core tube 51 housed around the main body
5 must be taken out in the center. Therefore, there is a problem in that the core tube attachment/detachment unit 49 for this purpose has a complicated structure.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a seabed-seated core sampler that is capable of collecting many core samples in a single dive, and is also capable of collecting core samples from multiple locations at one sampling point. be.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention provides an annular core tube storage unit rotatable around an axis in which a plurality of core tubes are vertically stored in a plurality of concentric rows, and a core tube storage unit disposed above the core tube storage unit. A plurality of spindles, the lower end of which is removable from the upper end of the core tube, rotate the core tube and push the core tube under the seabed to collect the seabed core; and a plurality of spindles that move the spindle up and down. It is characterized by comprising a spindle elevating mechanism.

Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same, and FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of the same.

As shown in FIG. 3, the work of collecting cores from the seabed 29 is carried out using an umbilical winch 37, a lifting frame 38, and
This is carried out using an exploration vessel 30 having a control panel (not shown), etc., a depressor 32, and a core sampler 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the core sampler 1 is
A substantially equilateral triangular base 2 having legs 5 whose height is adjustable
and a predetermined height e provided on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the base 2 to accommodate a large number of core tubes 10 inside! A rotatable annular core tube storage unit 3, four guide shafts 4 erected at the middle part of the upper surface of the base 2, and each of the guide shafts 4 inserted thereinto, A square pyramidal arm 6 that is movable up and down, spindles 7 and 8 hanging vertically at both ends of the arm 6, and four guide shafts 4 installed across the upper ends of each of them. It has a frame-like shape, and a buzzer cable 40 is attached to the top thereof, and it is composed of a companion lifting arm 9.

The legs 5 are suspended vertically at three corners of the substantially equilateral triangular base 2, and the length of the legs can be adjusted by cylinders 11 so that the base 2 is horizontal.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective sectional view of the core tube storage unit 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the annular core tube storage unit 3 has narrow cylindrical holes 12 for storing the core tubes 10 arranged vertically in two concentric rows, for example, 40 holes in each inner row and outer row. A total of about 80 holes have been drilled.

A cylindrical core tube 10 is vertically inserted into each of the cylindrical holes 12 . Core tube 10 is retained by a latch (not shown) within cylindrical bore 12. As the core tube 10, either a double tube type or a single tube type can be used.

An internal gear 13 is attached to the inner surface of the core IF-UB storage unit 3. On the upper surface of the base 2, near the inner surface of the core tube storage unit 3, an internal gear 14 is attached to its drive shaft, and a hydraulic motor 1 with a next indexing function is installed.
5 is installed. Internal gears 13 and 14 mesh horizontally. The core tube storage unit 3 can be sequentially rotated one pitch at a time in a fixed direction around an axis by a hydraulic motor 15.

58 is a bearing that supports the core tube storage unit 3. As shown in the figure, the arm 6 is fixed to the upper end of the shaft 17a of the hydraulic cylinder 17 installed at the center of the upper surface of the base 2.

The arm 6 is guided by the inserted guide shaft 4 by the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic cylinder 17, and moves up and down.

A spindle 7 and a spindle 8 are provided vertically on one end of the arm 6 and on the other end, respectively. The spindle 7 is located vertically above the core tube 10 in the outer row of cylindrical holes 12 of the core tube storage unit 3 shown in FIG. 1, and the spindle 8 is located vertically above the core tube 10 in the inner row of cylindrical holes 12. are doing.

at the upper ends of spindles 7 and 8, respectively.

Sprocket 19.19 is pivoted.

At an intermediate portion between the center of the arm 6 and the end on the spindle 7 side, a hydraulic motor 18 for driving the spin V wheel is attached to the lower surface of the arm 6 with its drive shaft passing through the arm 6. The upper end of the drive shaft of the hydraulic motor 18 protrudes from the upper surface of the arm 6, and a sprocket is attached to the upper end.19.
A sprocket 20 having a slightly larger diameter than 19 is pivotally mounted.

Sprockets 19, 19 and 20 are connected by a chain 21, and spindles 7 and 8 are rotated by a hydraulic motor 18.

In this way, when attached to arm 6, +1. The spindles 7 and 8 move vertically together with the arm 6 up and down.

Core tube catchers 22, 22 are attached to the lower ends of the spindles 7 and 8. The core tube catchers 22, 22 attach and detach the lower end of the spindle 7 or 8 and the upper end of the core tube 10.

T-shaped bearings 23, 23 for holding the spindles 7 and 8 are horizontally fixed outwardly in the middle of the guide shafts 4. A spindle 7 or 8 passes vertically through each outer end of the bearings 23 , 23 .

24. 24 is a hydraulic unit for the hydraulic cylinder 17, 25 is a pulp control number that controls the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic cylinder 17, and 261d is connected to the core tube 10. a water supply pump for supplying cooling water to the
9 is a pressure-resistant container that houses electrical control equipment.

A socket 28 is attached to the top of a quadrangular pyramidal frame-shaped lifting arm 9 attached to the upper end of the guide shaft 4 .

[For production]

FIGS. 6(a) to 6(cl) are explanatory diagrams showing the principle of core collection (sipeling) using the core tube 10. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 6(a) to 6(d), a spindle,
7 to collect the core from the ocean floor 29, first, the spindle 7
is lowered while rotating to connect the spindle 7 and the core tube 10 in the outer row of cylindrical holes 12 via the core tube catcher 22, and then further lowered while rotating the spindle 7 together with the core tube 10. , the lower end of the core tube 10 is connected to the core tube unit 3
The core tube 10 is made to protrude from the bottom surface of the sea)l 29
(For example, rock) is pushed down and polled to collect the core into the core tube 10. The above-described steps are performed simultaneously at two points on the spindle 8 located on the opposite side of the arm 6.

Once the core has been collected, the spindles 7 and 8 are raised and placed into the core tube 10.10'5 and the cylindrical hole 12.12.

When performing the next sampling, the core tube storage unit 3 is rotated one pitch. Then, by performing the above-mentioned operations, a core is collected into a new core tube 10°10.

The core tube storage unit 3 can have three or more rows of cylindrical holes 12. In this case, the number of spindles is increased according to the number of rows of cylindrical holes 12.

The core sampler 1 is suspended by a depressor 32 via a buzzer cable 40.

The depressor 32 is suspended from the exploration vessel 30 via a fan axial cable 31.

The umbilical cable 31 and the buzzer cable 40 contain wiring for power supply and signal transmission between the exploration vessel 30 and the core sampler 1.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the depressor, and FIG. 8 is a front view thereof. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the depressor 3
2 is suspended by an umbilical cable 31 connected to the top of a lifting arm 33. The buzzer cable 40 is wound around the dead winch 34, which is rotated by a hydraulic motor 57, via sheaves 35, 35. 36 is a latch that meshes with the socket 28 of the core sampler 1.

FIGS. 9(a) to 9(d) are conceptual diagrams showing the order in which the core sampler 1 is installed. As shown in FIGS. 9(a) to 9(d), the core sampler 1 and the depressor 32 are docked together and suspended from the exploration vessel 30 to near the seabed 29 via the umbilical cable 31. Next, the core sampler 1 and the depressor 32 are separated, the buzzer cable 40 is unwound, and the core sampler 1 is seated on the seabed 29.

At this time, position holding control is performed by the exploration vessel 30 so that the depressor 32 is always located near the top of the core sampler 1, and slack is always given to the buzzer cable 40.

Thereby, the depressor 32 has a function (buffer function) of preventing the core sampler 1 seated on the seabed 29 from being pulled down and washed away by the tidal force applied to the umbilical cable 31.

When sampling by the core sampler 1 is completed, the depressor 32 winds the buzzer cable 40 and docks the core sampler 1 and the depressor 32. Next, the exploration vessel 30 releases the umbilical cable 3.
The depressor 32 and the core sampler 1 are housed on the exploration vessel 30.

The operations described above are performed by remote control from the exploration vessel 30 while being observed through a monitor TV (not shown) attached to the core sampler 1.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the core sampler of the present invention: (1) Since a plurality of core samples can be collected at one seating point, the success rate of sampling is extremely high.

(2) Work efficiency is high because multiple core samples can be collected at the same time.

(3) Since the axes of the spindle and core tube are coaxial, the structure is simple and weight can be reduced.

(4) Since it can accommodate many core tubes, many core samples can be collected in one dive. Therefore, work efficiency is good.

(5) By combining with a depressor, it is possible to prevent the seat from falling while seated due to tidal force, so the probability of an accident occurring is extremely low.

It has many advantages such as

Therefore, core samples can be collected efficiently, safely, and reliably, and an industrially useful effect that greatly contributes to determining the superiority or inferiority of seabed mining areas can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a front view showing one embodiment of the present invention, the second figure is a plan view of the same, the third factor is a conceptual diagram, and Figure 4 (d) shows the principle of collecting a core sample using a core tube. Explanatory diagram,
Fig. 7 is a plan view of the depressor, Fig. 8 is a front view thereof, and Figs. 9 (a), (b), (c), and (d) are the core. FIG. 10 is a front view showing an example of a conventional core sampler, FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view of the lower part of the core sampler, and FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line A--A in the core sampler. In the drawings, 1... core sampler, 2... base, 3...
Core tube storage unit, 4... Guide shaft, 5... Leg, 6... Arm, 7.8... Spindle, 9... Lifting arm, 10... Core tube, 11... Schilling, 12... Cylindrical hole, 13.14... Internal gear, 15... Hydraulic motor, 16... Bearing, 17... Hydraulic cylinder, 17a... Shaft, 18... Hydraulic motor , 19.20... Sprocket, 21... Chain, 22... Core tube catcher 123... Bearing, 24... Hydraulic unit, 25... Pulve control Z, 26... Water supply pump,
27... Rotary head, 28... Socket,
29... Seabed, 30... Exploration ship, 31... Ampirical cable, 32... Depressor, 33... Lifting arm, 34... Buzzer winch, 35... Sheave, 36
...Latch, 37... Ampirical winch, 38... Lifting frame, 39... Pressure resistant container, 4
0...Buzzer cable, 41...Rising thruster
142... Legs, 43... Core sampler, 44... Buoyancy material filling section, 45... Control unit, 46... Thruster-147... Hydraulic unit, 48
...Core tube storage unit, 49...Core tube attachment/detachment unit, 50...Marine drill device, 51...Seering rod, 52...Core tube attachment/detachment arm, 53...Core tube Storage unit intermittent, drive device, 54... arm drive device, 55... core tube, 56... core tube catcher 157... hydraulic motor, 5
8...Bearing.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An annular core tube storage unit rotatable about an axis in which a plurality of core tubes are vertically stored concentrically in multiple rows, and a core tube storage unit arranged above the core tube storage unit; a plurality of spindles, the lower end of which is removable from the upper end of the core tube, for rotating the core tube and pushing the core tube under the seabed to collect the seabed core; and for raising and lowering the spindle; A seabed-seated core sampler characterized by a spindle lifting mechanism. (2) The seabed-seated core sampler according to claim (1), wherein the spindles are arranged at equal angles in correspondence to the number of rows of the core tubes.