JP2020020217A - Ore lifting system and ore feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

To lift ore collected at a bottom of water smoothly to the water surface even when using a pump with a high discharge pressure in an ore lifting system.SOLUTION: An ore lifting system according to one embodiment comprises a pump, an ore recovery unit, an outward pipe extending from the pump to the bottom of water, a return pipe extending from the bottom of water to the ore recovery unit, and an ore feeding device for feeding ore collected at the bottom of water into the return pipe. The ore feeding device includes a sealed container shielded from external water. The sealed container includes an ore storage space for storing the ore, and an ore feeding space that communicates with the outward pipe and the return pipe. The ore feeding space is configured to receive the supply of the ore from the ore storage space via an ore feeding port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a mining system and an ore input device.

As an apparatus for collecting and recovering mineral resources such as manganese nodules existing on the seabed, Patent Document 1 discloses that a tip of a long unloading pipe from a mother ship on the sea is lowered to the seabed together with a collector and collected by the collector. A system is disclosed in which a mineral resource is transferred to a discharge pipe as slurry together with seawater, and the slurry is passed through a pump provided in the middle of the discharge pipe to discharge the slurry to a mother ship on the sea.
In a mining system, it is necessary to use a pump with a higher discharge pressure at the deeper seabed, or to arrange a number of pumps in series to increase the head. Patent Document 2 discloses that a U-shaped pipe located on the sea and open to the atmosphere at both ends is used as a pipe for unloading, and the slurry rises in the return path due to the head difference between the outward path and the return path of the U-tube and the thrust of the pump. An unloading system is disclosed, in which a pump power can be reduced by forming a flow.

JP-A-62-260994 JP 2003-269070 A

When extracting mineral resources from the deep seabed, since the discharge pressure of the pump is high, the pressure in the ore pipe is inevitably high, so it is not realistic to use the head difference as in Patent Document 2 to perform ore. Absent. The higher the pressure in the pipe, the more difficult it is to supply the ore collected by the collector to the pipe. Therefore, the collected ore cannot be smoothly transferred to the surface of the water. Means for solving this problem are not disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. In Patent Literature 2, both ends of a U-shaped pipe located on the sea are open to the atmosphere. However, the pressure inside the seafloor pipe is high, and the above problem has not been solved.
Further, in Patent Literature 1, the ore passes through the inside of the pump rotating at high speed, so that the service life is short due to wear and damage inside the pump. In addition, since the pump is underwater, inspection and replacement cannot be easily performed.

  An object of one embodiment is to make it possible to smoothly ore the ore collected at the bottom of the water to the surface of the water even when a pump having a high discharge pressure is used in the mining system.

(1) The mining system according to one embodiment includes:
Pump and
Ore recovery department,
An outward pipe extending from the pump to the bottom of the water,
A return pipe extending from the water floor to the ore recovery unit;
An ore charging device for charging ore collected at the water bottom into the return pipe,
With
The ore charging device includes a sealed container shielded from external water,
The closed container,
An ore storage space for storing the ore,
Ore input space communicating with the outward piping and the return piping,
Contains inside,
The ore input space is configured to receive supply of the ore from the ore storage space via an ore input port.

  In the configuration of the above (1), the inside of the closed vessel cut off from the external water communicates with the outbound piping and the inbound piping via the ore charging space, and thus is in a low pressure state when the pump is not operating. . Therefore, the ore collected at this time by the ore collector can be easily supplied to the closed vessel, so that the above problem can be solved. The ore stored in the ore storage space of the closed vessel is transferred to the ore input space connected to the outward pipe and the return pipe via the ore input port. Can be transferred to the ore recovery section on the water. In this way, smooth mining becomes possible regardless of the pressure in the mining pipe caused by the discharge pressure of the pump and the like. In addition, it is possible to transfer the ore without passing the ore into the high-pressure pump. The ore recovery unit can be provided, for example, on a water base such as a mother ship floating on the water or on land near the waterside.

(2) In one embodiment, in the configuration of the above (1),
The ore input space is located below the ore storage space.
According to the above configuration (2), since the ore input space is located below the ore storage space, the ore can be transferred from the ore storage space to the ore input space using the gravity applied to the ore. Therefore, no extra power is required for this transfer.

(3) In one embodiment, in the configuration of the above (2),
A cone-shaped space that tapers toward the ore input space is formed between the ore storage space and the ore input port.
According to the configuration of (3), since the conical space is formed between the ore storage space and the ore input space, the ore in the ore storage space can easily move to the ore input space by gravity.

(4) In one embodiment, in any one of the above (1) to (3),
Comprising a plurality of ore input devices,
The outward piping and the return piping are configured to be selectively connectable to the plurality of ore charging devices.
According to the configuration of the above (4), the ore can be sequentially discharged from the plurality of ore input devices by sequentially connecting the outward pipe and the return pipe to the plurality of ore input devices. As described above, by using a plurality of ore charging devices, the amount of ore collected can be increased, and the collection efficiency can be improved.

(5) In one embodiment, in any one of the above (1) to (4),
A collector for collecting the ore at the bottom of the water;
An ore supply hose connected to the closed vessel and the ore collector, for transferring the ore collected by the ore collector to the closed vessel;
A shutoff valve provided in the ore supply hose,
Is provided.
According to the configuration of the above (5), the ore is easily supplied to the ore storage space of the closed container in order to supply the ore collected by the collector to the closed container in the low pressure state through the ore supply hose when the pump is not operating. Can supply. By closing the shut-off valve when the pump operates, it is possible to prevent water containing ore from flowing back to the collector.

(6) In one embodiment, in any one of the above (1) to (5),
An impeller provided in the ore charging space so that a rotation axis is along a vertical direction,
A sensor that detects the concentration of the ore contained in the water flowing through the return pipe, the differential pressure between the water bottom and the top of the return pipe, or the flow rate of the water containing the ore flowing through the return pipe.
With
The number of revolutions of the impeller can be controlled in accordance with the value detected by the sensor.
According to the configuration of (6), by controlling the rotation speed of the impeller according to the detection value of the sensor, it is possible to control the concentration and the flow rate of the ore contained in the water flowing through the return pipe. Thus, clogging of the return pipe can be suppressed, and the mining can be performed smoothly.

(7) In one embodiment, in any one of the above (1) to (6),
The pump is configured to be capable of forming a discharge pressure of 2 MPa to 15 MPa.
According to the configuration of the above (7), by setting the discharge pressure of the pump to 2 to 15 MPa, a high head of the pump can be achieved, and mining can be performed even from a deep water depth.

(8) The ore input device according to one embodiment includes:
An ore charging device for charging ore collected at the bottom of the water to a pipe,
Including a sealed container that is shielded from external water,
The closed container,
An ore storage space for storing the ore,
Ore input space communicating with the pipe,
Contains inside,
The ore input space is configured to receive supply of the ore from the ore storage space via an ore input port.

  In the configuration of the above (8), the closed vessel is shut off from external water and communicates with the outbound piping and the inbound piping via the ore charging space, so that the low pressure state can be maintained when the pump is not operating. . Therefore, the ore collected by the collector at this time can be easily supplied to the closed vessel. The ore stored in the ore storage space of the closed vessel is transferred to the ore input space connected to the outward pipe and the return pipe via the ore input port. Can be transferred to the ore recovery section on the water.

(9) In one embodiment, in the configuration of the above (8),
The closed container has a pressure-resistant structure.
According to the configuration of the above (9), since the closed vessel has a pressure-resistant structure, the discharge pressure of the pump provided in the discharge pipe is increased, and the closed vessel is durable even if the discharge pipe system becomes high pressure. Can maintain sex. Therefore, it is possible to carry out the mining operation on the deep water bottom.

(10) In one embodiment, in the configuration of the above (8) or (9),
An impeller is provided in the ore charging space so that a rotation axis is provided along a vertical direction.
According to the configuration of the above (10), when the ore stored in the ore storage space of the closed container is charged into the ore input space through the ore input port, the ore in the ore input space is agitated and scraped out by the impeller. Since the bias of the ore can be suppressed, clogging of the ore input port can be suppressed. As a result, the water containing the ore can be smoothly transferred to the ore recovery unit on the water.

(11) In one embodiment, in the configuration of the above (10),
In the ore charging space, an annular flow path is formed on the outer peripheral side of the impeller, and the pipe communicates with the annular flow path.
According to the configuration of the above (11), the water containing the ore charged into the ore charging space from the ore charging port is pushed out to the annular flow path without bias by the stirring and scraping action of the impeller and the centrifugal force. It is transferred to the pipe without clogging.

(12) In one embodiment, in the configuration of the above (10) or (11),
A drive unit for rotating the impeller is provided.
According to the configuration of (12), the ore in the ore storage space is transferred from the ore input port to the ore input space without bias by rotating and rotating the impeller by the drive unit, thereby stirring and scraping the impeller. Therefore, clogging of the ore at the ore input port can be suppressed, and the ore can be smoothly transferred to the pipe. Further, if the drive unit can control the rotation speed of the impeller, the ore input port is controlled by controlling the mixing ratio of the carrier water flowing from the pipe and the water containing the ore input from the ore input port. Clogging can be suppressed.

(13) In one embodiment, in the configuration of the above (10) or (11),
The impeller is configured to rotate by the dynamic pressure of water containing the ore charged into the ore charging space from the ore charging port.
According to the configuration (13), the impeller is rotated by the dynamic pressure of the water containing the ore charged into the ore charging space from the ore charging port. Therefore, a driving unit for rotating the impeller and its power are required. do not do.

(14) In one embodiment, in the configuration of the above (8) or (9),
In the ore input space, an annular flow path provided so that the central axis is along the vertical direction is formed, and the ore input port communicates with a part of the annular flow path,
The pipe includes an outward pipe and a return pipe that communicate with the outer circumference of the annular flow path in a tangential direction.
In the configuration of the above (14), the outward pipe and the return pipe communicate with the outer circumference of the annular flow path in a direction tangential to the outer circumference of the annular flow path. And flows out to the return pipe through the annular flow path. Since the ore is introduced into the transport water stream from the ore input port by gravity, the ore can be smoothly transferred to the return pipe without clogging at the ore input port and the annular flow path.

  According to some embodiments, even when a pump having a high discharge pressure is provided, ore collected at the bottom of the water can be smoothly transported to the surface of the ore via the ore pipe. Therefore, since a pump having a high discharge pressure can be used without any trouble, it is possible to collect ore from a deep sea floor.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a mining system according to one embodiment. It is a longitudinal section of an ore charging device concerning one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. It is a longitudinal section of an ore charging device concerning one embodiment. It is a longitudinal section of an ore charging device concerning one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in these embodiments or shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto, but are merely illustrative examples. It's just
For example, expressions representing relative or absolute arrangement such as “in a certain direction”, “along a certain direction”, “parallel”, “orthogonal”, “center”, “concentric” or “coaxial” are strictly described. Not only does such an arrangement be shown, but also a state of being relatively displaced by an angle or distance that allows the same function to be obtained.
For example, expressions such as "identical", "equal", and "homogeneous", which indicate that things are in the same state, not only represent exactly the same state, but also have a tolerance or a difference to the extent that the same function is obtained. An existing state shall also be represented.
For example, the expression representing a shape such as a square shape or a cylindrical shape not only represents a shape such as a square shape or a cylindrical shape in a strictly geometrical sense, but also an uneven portion or a chamfer as long as the same effect can be obtained. A shape including a part and the like is also represented.
On the other hand, the expression “comprising”, “comprising”, “including”, “including”, or “having” one component is not an exclusive expression excluding the existence of another component.

  FIG. 1 shows a mining system 10 according to one embodiment. The mining system 10 is applied, for example, to collect mineral resources existing on the bottom of the water, such as manganese nodules on the sea floor. The mining system 10 includes an ore recovery unit 12 for recovering the collected ore on the water (on the water surface Ws). The ore recovery unit 12 is provided, for example, on the mother ship 14 floating on the water surface Ws as shown in the figure, but may be provided on land near the waterside. The pumping system 10 further includes a pump 16 for transferring water Sr containing ore, an outgoing pipe 18 extending from the pump 16 to the water bottom Sf, and a return pipe 20 extending from the water bottom Sf to the ore recovery unit 12. And a discharge pipe including: For example, the pump 16, the start end of the outgoing pipe 18, and the end of the return pipe 20 are provided in the ore recovery unit 12 and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the unloading system 10 includes an ore input device 30 (30A, 30B, 30C) according to some embodiments. The ore charging device 30 is placed on the water bottom Sf, and is used for charging the ore Mr collected at the water bottom Sf into the return pipe 20. The ore charging device 30 is configured to include a sealed container 32 having a sealed structure capable of blocking the inside from external water. Inside the sealed container 32, the ore storage space S ₁ for temporarily storing the ore Mr supplied from Atsumariko machine 50, ore input space communicates through the ore storage space S ₁ and the ore inlet 34 S ₂ are formed. Ore input space S ₂ communicates to the outgoing pipe 18 and return pipe 20, and through the ore inlet 34 from the ore storage space S ₁ to receive a supply of ore Mr.
In one embodiment, the closed container 32 is supported by the legs 47 and is placed on the water bottom Sf.

In the above configuration, the interior of the sealed container 32, which is cut off from the outside of the water, since in communication with the outbound pipeline 18 and return pipe 20 through the ore input space S _2, and a low pressure state when the pump 16 is non-operational Become. Therefore, it is possible to easily supply the ore Mr taken at Atsumariko machine 50 at this time in the ore storage space S ₁ of the hermetic container 32. Ore Mr reserved in the ore storage space S ₁ is transferred to the ore input space S ₂ communicating with the outbound pipeline 18 and return pipe 20 through the ore inlet 34. The ore Mr can be transferred to the ore recovery unit 12 on the water via the return pipe 20 by operating the pump 16 at the time of unloading. As described above, instead of directly charging the ore Mr from the ore collector 50 into the pipe as in Patent Literature 2, the ore Mr can be batch-taken into the closed container 32 when the pump 16 is not operating. Smooth mining becomes possible regardless of the discharge pressure of the pump 16. Therefore, since a pump having a high discharge pressure can be used for the mining, the mining can be performed even from the deep water bottom Sf. In addition, the ore can be transferred without passing the ore into the high-pressure pump.

  In one embodiment, in the ore recovery unit 12, a separator 22 that separates ore Mr from water Sr containing ore is provided. Is done. The pump 16 is provided on the downstream side of the separator 22, and only the carrier water W flows into the pump 16, and the carrier water W is sent from the pump 16 to the ore charging device 30 through the outward piping 18. As described above, since the ore Mr does not flow into the pump 16, damage and wear of the impeller, the casing, the sliding portion, and the like of the pump 16 can be suppressed. In addition, since the pump 16 is installed in the ore recovery unit 12 above the water, not under the water, maintenance such as replacement of the pump 16 and parts of the pump 16 is easy.

In some embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, ore input space S ₂ is disposed below the ore storage space S _1.
According to this embodiment, by utilizing the gravitational force acting on the ore Mr reserved in the ore storage space S _1, capable of transporting ore Mr from the ore storage space S ₁ to ore input space S ₂ through the ore inlet 34 . Therefore, does not require apparatus and power for transferring the ore Mr from the ore storage space S ₁ to the ore input space S _2.

In one embodiment, the ore input space S ₂ is formed inside the hollow casing 42 which is provided inside the sealed container 32. The casing 42 has, for example, a cylindrical shape that is short in a direction along the central axis 42a as illustrated. Ore input space S ₂ is ore inlet 34 communicates with the outbound pipeline 18 and return branch pipe 26, the partition wall of the casing 42 is composed of watertight bulkhead.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, between the ore storage space S ₁ and the ore inlet 34, conical space S ₃ which is tapered toward the ore input space S ₂ is formed Have been.
According to this embodiment, since the pyramidal space S ₃ is formed between the ore storage space S ₁ and ore input space S _2, utilizing gravity from the ore storage space S ₁ to the ore input space S ₂ The moved ore Mr becomes easy to move.
In one embodiment, conical space S _3, the bottom wall 36 of the cone-shaped and tapered toward the ore input space S ₂ is formed provided. For example, the bottom wall 36 has a conical shape. Ore Mr reserved in the ore storage space S ₁ is that slide down along the bottom wall 36 by gravity, to facilitate the movement of the ore input space S2.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the mining system 10 includes a plurality of ore input devices 30 (30a, 30b) installed on the water bottom Sf. The outgoing pipe 18 and the return pipe 20 are configured to be selectively connectable to the plurality of ore charging devices 30.
According to this embodiment, by sequentially connecting the outgoing pipe 18 and the return pipe 20 to the plurality of ore input devices 30, the ore Mr can be discharged from the plurality of ore input devices 30 sequentially. Therefore, the amount of ore Mr collected can be increased, and the collection efficiency can be improved.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the outward piping 18 includes a plurality of outward branch pipes 24 (24a, 24b) that are branched in the vicinity of the ore charging device 30 in accordance with the number of the ore charging devices 30. Outward branch pipe 24 (24a) communicates with the ore input space _{S 2} ore feeding device 30 (30a), the outward branch pipe 24 (24b) is communicated with the ore input space _{S 2} ore feeding device 30 (30b) I have. In addition, the return pipe 20 includes a plurality of return branch pipes 26 (26a, 26b) that are branched in the vicinity of the ore charging apparatus 30 (30a) in accordance with the number of the ore charging apparatuses 30. Return branch pipes 26 (26a) communicates with the ore input space _{S 2} ore feeding device 30 (30a), return branch pipe 26 (26b) communicates with the ore input space _{S 2} ore feeding device 30 (30b). An on-off valve 28 is provided on each of the forward branch pipe 24 and the return branch pipe 26.
By opening and closing the on-off valve 28 sequentially by a control device (not shown) provided in the ore recovery unit 12, the ore Mr can be discharged from the plurality of ore input devices 30 one by one.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the mining system 10 includes a collector 50 for collecting the ore Mr at the water bottom Sf. Ore supply hose 52 is connected between the compressor housing 32 and the collecting ore machine 50, ore Mr taken at Atsumariko machine 50 is transferred to the ore storage space S ₁ of the sealed vessel 32 by ore supply hose 52. The ore supply hose 52 is provided with a shutoff valve 54.
According to this embodiment, the ore storage space S ₁ is at a low pressure, the ore Mr taken at Atsumariko machine 50 can be supplied through the ore supply hose 52 at the time the pump non-operation. By closing the shut-off valve 54 during the mining operation when the pump 16 operates, it is possible to prevent the water Sr containing ore from flowing back to the collector.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, when a plurality of ore charging devices 30 are placed on the water bottom Sf, the ore supply hose 52 terminates in a number of branch pipes 56 corresponding to the number of ore charging devices 30. (56a, 56b) branches, each of the branch pipes 56 is communicated with the ore storage space _{S 1} of different ore dosing device 30. Each branch pipe 56 is provided with a shutoff valve 54. By closing the shut-off valve 54 of the branch pipe 56 (56a) corresponding to the ore charging device 30 (30a) that performs the ore mining operation, it is possible to prevent the water Sr containing the ore from flowing back to the ore collector 50. .
In one embodiment, the ore feeding device 30, water outlet 38 with the opening and closing valve 39 for draining water collected ore storage space S ₁ is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, in the ore input device 30 (30b) to which the water Sr containing ore is supplied from the ore collector 50, the on-off valve 39 is opened, and only water is discharged from the ore storage space S1, and the ore is discharged. In the ore charging device 30 (30a) to be operated, the on-off valve 39 is closed.

  In one embodiment, the sealed container 32 has a watertight pressure-resistant structure. As a result, even if the discharge pressure of the pump 16 is increased and the pressure in the discharge pipe system is high, the closed vessel 32 can maintain water tightness. Also enables mining operations.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the ore charging device 30 (30 </ _b > A, 30 </ _b > B) includes an impeller 40 provided in the ore charging space S < _b > _{2 so} that the rotation shaft 40 a is provided along the vertical direction.
According to this embodiment, the ore Mr pooled in the ore storage space S ₁ of the sealed container 32 when dosed via the ore inlet 34 into the ore input space S _2, agitation and scraping by the rotation of the impeller 40 since it is possible to suppress the deviation of the ore Mr in ore input space S ₂ by the action, it can be suppressed clogging ore Mr of ore inlet 34. Thereby, the water Sr containing the ore can be smoothly transferred to the ore recovery unit 12 on the water.

In one embodiment, the impeller 40 is disposed inside the casing 42 forming the ore input space S ₂ inside, the central axis 42a of the rotary shaft 40a and the casing 42 of the impeller 40 within 15 ° with respect to the vertical direction Are arranged with an inclination angle of.
In one embodiment, the impeller 40 has a plurality of blades 41 extending radially to the outer peripheral side, and the outer diameter of the blades 41 is configured to be larger than the ore input port 34. Thereby, the stirring and scraping action of the impeller 40 and the centrifugal force can be applied to all the ores Mr falling from the ore inlet 34.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, annular channel Ca is formed on the outer peripheral side of the impeller 40 in the ore input space S _2, the outward branch pipe 24 and return pipe 20 to the annular channel Ca Communicating.
According to this embodiment, water Sr containing ore is charged from the ore inlet 34 into the ore input space S _2, without deviation in the annular channel Ca by stirring and scraping action and centrifugal force of the impeller 40 Extruded. Therefore, the ore Mr is smoothly transferred to the return pipe 20 through the annular channel Ca without causing clogging at the ore input port 34.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the outgoing pipe 18 and the return pipe 20 are tangential to the outer peripheral surface of the annular flow path Ca at different positions in the circumferential direction with respect to the annular flow path Ca. Communicates with the annular flow path Ca in a direction along.
As shown in FIG. 3, the carrier water W flowing from the outward pipe 18 positively flows on the outer peripheral side of the annular flow path, flows through the annular flow path Ca in the direction of the arrow b, and flows out to the return pipe 20. The impeller 40 is rotated in the direction of arrow a by a driving unit 44 described later or by the dynamic pressure of the transport water W. Since the ore Mr is introduced by gravity from the ore input port 34 into the flow of the transport water W, the ore Mr can be smoothly transferred to the return pipe 20 without clogging of the ore Mr at the ore input port 34 and the annular channel Ca.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a drive unit 44 for rotating the impeller 40 is provided.
According to this embodiment, the impeller 40 is forcibly rotated by the drive unit 44, and the ore Mr in the ore storage space S ₁ is supplied from the ore input port 34 without any unevenness due to the stirring and scraping action of the impeller 40. It is transferred to the space _{S 2.} As a result, it is possible to suppress the ore Mr from being clogged at the ore input port 34, so that the ore Mr can be smoothly transferred to the return pipe 20. If the drive unit 44 can control the number of rotations of the impeller 40, it controls the mixing ratio of the transport water W flowing from the outward pipe 18 and the water Sr containing ore supplied from the ore input port 34. Thus, clogging at the ore input port 34 can be suppressed.

  In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the impeller 40 is connected to the driving unit 44 via a rotation shaft 40a. The drive unit 44 is configured by a motor or the like, and is provided outside the bottom wall of the sealed container 32. The rotating shaft 40a is rotatably supported by a bearing 46 having a sealing function provided on the bottom wall of the sealed container 32.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the impeller 40 is configured to rotate by the dynamic pressure of the water Sr containing ore is charged from the ore inlet 34 in the ore input space S _2. Therefore, the drive unit 44 is not provided, and the rotating shaft 40a is rotatably supported by the bearing 46.
According to this embodiment, since a driving unit for rotating the impeller 40 and a power for driving the driving unit are not required, low cost and energy saving can be achieved.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, that the flow path forming portion 48 in the center of the ore input space S ₂ is provided, the annular channel Ca is formed. The means for forming the annular flow path Ca is not limited to this means. The casing 42 forming the annular flow path Ca is provided so that the central axis 42a extends along the up-down direction. Therefore, the central axis of the annular flow path Ca is also arranged along the up-down direction. It overlaps with the central axis 42a.
The ore charging port 34 is arranged so as to communicate with a part of the annular channel Ca. As described above, the outward pipe 18 and the return pipe 20 are arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction with respect to the annular flow path Ca and tangentially to the outer peripheral surface of the annular flow path Ca.

  According to this embodiment, as described above, the transport water W flowing from the outward pipe 18 flows out to the return pipe 20 through the annular flow path Ca, and the ore Mr from the ore input port 34 is introduced into the transport water flow. Since the ore is dropped by gravity, the ore can be transferred to the return pipe 20 smoothly without clogging of the ore Mr in the ore input port 34 and the annular flow path Ca.

  In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the flow path forming part 48 has a cylindrical shape, and the upper surface and the bottom surface of the flow path forming part 48 are connected to the upper inner surface and the lower inner surface of the casing 42, respectively. Thereby, the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the annular flow path Ca respectively form a circular arc. In one embodiment, the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the annular flow path Ca form concentric circles. The ore charging port 34 can be arranged at any position in the circumferential direction of the annular flow path Ca except for the region R in FIG.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a concentration sensor 60 for measuring the concentration of ore contained in the water Sr flowing through the return pipe 20 is provided, and the driving unit 44 is controlled in accordance with a detection value of the concentration sensor 60. Then, the rotation speed of the impeller 40 is controlled. As the density sensor 60, for example, a density meter or the like is used.
In one embodiment, pressure sensors 62 and 64 are provided at the bottom and the top of the return pipe 20, respectively, to detect the differential pressure between the bottom and the top of the return pipe 20, and the impeller 40 is operated in accordance with the detected value. To control the number of revolutions.
In one embodiment, a flow sensor 66 that measures the flow rate of water Sr containing ore flowing through the return pipe 20 is provided, and the drive unit 44 is controlled in accordance with the detection value of the flow sensor 66 to control the rotation speed of the impeller 40. I do.

In one embodiment, a control unit 68 is provided that receives detection values of the sensors 60 to 66 and automatically performs the control based on the detection values.
In one embodiment, the sensors 60, 64, 66 and the control unit 68 are provided in the ore recovery unit 12 on the water, and the sensor 62 is provided in the bottom area.

  According to the above embodiment, the concentration of ore contained in the water Sr flowing through the return pipe 20 and the flow rate of the water Sr containing the ore are controlled by controlling the rotation speed of the impeller 40 according to the detection values of the sensors 60 to 66. , The clogging of the return pipe 20 can be suppressed, and the mining can be performed smoothly.

  In one embodiment, the pump 16 is configured to be capable of forming a discharge pressure of 2 MPa to 15 MPa, and is operated at the discharge pressure. As a result, the pump 16 can be set at a high head, so that the pumping can be performed from a deep water bottom.

  According to some embodiments, in a mining system used to collect mineral resources from the bottom, even when equipped with a pump having a high discharge pressure, the ore collected at the bottom is surfaced through the ore pipes. Unloading can be performed smoothly. Therefore, ore collection on the deep sea floor can be performed without any trouble.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Unloading system 12 Ore recovery part 14 Mother ship 16 Pump 18 Outbound piping 20 Inbound piping 22 Separator 24 (24a, 24b) Outbound branch pipe 26 (26a, 26b) Inbound branch pipe 28, 39 Open / close valve 30 (30A, 30B, 30C) , 30a, 30b) Ore charging device 32 Airtight container 34 Ore charging port 36 Bottom wall 38 Drainage port 40 Impeller 40a Rotating shaft 41 Blade 42 Casing 42a Central shaft 44 Drive unit 46 Bearing 47 Leg 48 Flow path forming unit 50 Collector 52 Ore supply hose 54 Shutoff valve 56 Branch pipe 60 Concentration sensor 62, 64 Pressure sensor 66 Flow rate sensor 68 Control unit Ca Annular flow path Mr Ore Sr Water containing ore S ₁ Ore storage space S ₂ Ore input space S ₃ pyramidal space Sf Water bottom W Carrier water Ws Water surface

Claims (14)

Pump and
Ore recovery department,
An outward pipe extending from the pump to the bottom of the water,
A return pipe extending from the water floor to the ore recovery unit;
An ore charging device for charging ore collected at the water bottom into the return pipe,
With
The ore charging device includes a sealed container shielded from external water,
The closed container,
An ore storage space for storing the ore,
Ore charging space communicating with the outward piping and the return piping,
Contains inside,
The ore charging system, wherein the ore input space is configured to receive the supply of the ore from the ore storage space via an ore input port.   The said ore input space is located below the said ore storage space, The unloading system of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The mining system according to claim 2, wherein a cone-shaped space tapering toward the ore input space is formed between the ore storage space and the ore input port. Comprising a plurality of ore input devices,
The unloading system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the outgoing pipe and the return pipe are configured to be selectively connectable to the plurality of ore charging devices. A collector for collecting the ore at the bottom of the water;
An ore supply hose connected to the closed vessel and the ore collector, for transferring the ore collected by the ore collector to the closed vessel;
A shutoff valve provided in the ore supply hose,
The mining system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: An impeller provided in the ore charging space so that a rotation axis is along a vertical direction,
A sensor that detects the concentration of the ore contained in the water flowing through the return pipe, the differential pressure between the water bottom and the top of the return pipe, or the flow rate of the water containing the ore flowing through the return pipe.
With
The mining system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a rotation speed of the impeller is controllable in accordance with a detection value of the sensor.   The pumping system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pump is configured to be capable of forming a discharge pressure of 2 MPa or more and 15 MPa or less. An ore charging device for charging ore collected at the bottom of the water to a pipe,
Including a sealed container that is shielded from external water,
The closed container,
An ore storage space for storing the ore,
Ore input space communicating with the pipe,
Contains inside,
The ore input device, wherein the ore input space is configured to receive the supply of the ore from the ore storage space via an ore input port.   The ore charging apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the closed container has a pressure-resistant structure.   The ore charging apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising an impeller provided in the ore charging space such that a rotation axis extends in a vertical direction.   The ore charging apparatus according to claim 10, wherein an annular flow path is formed on an outer peripheral side of the impeller in the ore charging space, and the pipe communicates with the annular flow path.   The ore charging apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a driving unit configured to rotate the impeller.   The ore input according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the impeller is configured to be rotated by a dynamic pressure of water containing the ore input from the ore input port into the ore input space. apparatus. In the ore input space, an annular flow path provided so that the central axis is along the vertical direction is formed, and the ore input port communicates with a part of the annular flow path,
The ore charging apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the pipe includes a forward pipe and a return pipe that communicate with the outer circumference of the annular flow path in a tangential direction.

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