RU2550610C1 - Method of production of gas hydrates and submarine combine for its implementation - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: mining.

SUBSTANCE: method comprises mechanical destruction of seafloor layer by an stripping knife moving along the seafloor, and transportation of destruction products to the surface. The products of destruction are placed in elastic, gas-tight shells, which are collected along the surface and transported them to the place of use in the transportation vessel refrigerators. The combine is a moving platform with a knife for seafloor cleaning with the mounted video camera and the stripping knife under the hole in the platform designed as a horizontally rotating cylinder with the scrapers mounted on it. The platform has two mounted cylinders, the first is a container with shells located horizontally one above another one, and the second one, mounted above the hole, is a loading container in the top side of which the segments with drive mechanisms shifting them from the cylinder axis are located.

EFFECT: improvement of efficiency of ocean production of gas hydrates.

4 cl, 2 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to the field of mining located on the seabed.

A known method of producing gas hydrates, which consists in the mechanical destruction of the bottom layer using the sharp edges of the ladles moving along the bottom, and transporting gas to the surface using a hose (1). The known method is energy-consuming, because decomposition of gas hydrate under high pressure requires strong heating.

The referenced link actually sets forth a method for producing gas hydrates, which consists in mechanically destroying the bottom layer using an overburden knife moving along the bottom and transporting the fracture products to a surface present in many other sources. Known methods are difficult to implement and also energy consuming.

The purpose of this proposal is to simplify technology and reduce energy costs in the extraction of gas hydrates in the ocean.

The goal in the method is achieved by the fact that the destruction products (gas hydrates) are placed in shells, which are collected on the surface and transported to the place of use in the refrigeration chambers of the transport vessel.

The goal in the combine is achieved by the fact that two cylinders are installed on the platform, the first of which is a container with shells located horizontally one above the other, and the second, installed above the hole, is a loading container, on top of which segments with drive mechanisms are located shifting them from the axis of the cylinder. In addition, on the side surface of the second cylinder, opposite the vertical slit, there are installed: a cassette with ring clamp brackets, a clamp compression mechanism and a shell ring traction drive mechanism, which is a lever with a thread that is associated with a thread on the meshing bracket, and the shells are made in the form discs made of gas-tight elastic material mounted on a steel ring.

Possibility of implementation.

Figure 1 shows an underwater harvester that implements the proposed method. The harvester consists of a platform - 1, moving along the bottom on wheels - 2. The harvester sinks to the bottom from the escort vessel on a cable-cable - 3. On the platform 1 there is a feeding mechanism for shells - 4, on which a container - 5 with shells - 6, which represent a failure, flat elastic (transparent) disks, tensioned on a steel ring - 7, and a loading container - 8, from the outside of which are installed: cassette clamping ring brackets - 9, ring extraction mechanism - 10 with lever - 11, screwed into the engagement bracket - 12.

At the bottom of the cassette with compression brackets there is a clamping mechanism of the latter - 13. At the top of the loading container are locking segments - 14 of a flat ring, which prevents the shells from floating up. The segments have drive mechanisms - 15, shifting them from the axis of the container - 8. On the platform - 1 are installed: overburden knife - 16, which is a cylinder rotating on axes - 17 with scrapers fixed on it - 18, and a knife for cleaning the bottom with a video camera - 20. Wheel drives - 2 and overburden knife - 16 are not shown.

The production of gas hydrates is carried out as follows: The escort (control) vessel, together with the underwater combine harvester, comes to the explored zone of gas hydrate hydrocarbons on board. The vessel must be specialized and have on board means for launching the combine and managing it. An underwater harvester on a cable-cable descends overboard and, upon reaching the bottom, begins to move. In this case, the stripping knife - 19 shifts small stones and algae from the path of the combine, and the overburden knife destroys the layer of gas hydrates with the host rock to a depth of h. Gas hydrates have a density of less than unity and float inside the container-8 through an opening in the platform, lifting the shell - 7 to the level of segments - 14. The edge of the elastic (steel) ring - 14, on which the shell is stretched, falls under the engagement bracket - 12. Further filling the container with destruction products - 21 causes deformation of the shell in the form of a dome. The sensor detects the filling of the shell and gives the command to the ring extraction mechanism - 10. The lever - 11 occupies the position shown by the dotted line, the engagement bracket through the vertical slot (not visible in the section) in the container wall - 8 pulls the ring - 7 in the form of parallel wires to the outside of the container - 8 moving along the guides - 22. Next, the clamp clamp mechanism - 13 compresses the clamp around the ring wires. The shell - 6 with gas hydrate products in it - 21 takes the form of a bag, tilted neck down. Further, the lever - 11 begins to rotate around its axis, attracting the bracket - 12, and since the meshing bracket is located on the edge of the guides - 22, it leaves the loop of the ring - 7, freeing it. Almost at this stage, the bag with gas hydrates begins to surface, pulling the wire of the ring - 7 from the gap in the wall of the container - 8. For absolutely unobstructed ascent of the bags with gas hydrates, the drive mechanisms - 15 segments - 14 move them from the axis of the container - 8 to its size diameter and after the exit of the bag with gas hydrates - 21 from the container - 8 return them to their place. After the ascent of the bag, the lever - 11 is driven in reverse rotation around its axis and the engagement bracket - 12 rises to the horizontal position.

The mesh feeding mechanism - 4 moves the lower mesh from the container - 5 to the loading container - 8. Next, the cycle of forming bags with gas hydrates is repeated. A bag with gas hydrates during ascent maintains its position with the hole down due to the weight of the steel ring - 7. Since gas hydrates begin to decompose after reaching a critical depth (3), the gas displaces water from the bag, thereby inhibiting their decomposition (practically stopping, since they cease to come into contact with water ) Thus, minimal gas losses are achieved during the production of gas hydrates.

The operator on board the escort vessel with the help of a video camera - 20 controls the movement of the harvester along the bottom. On the surface, the transport vessel collects bags of gas hydrates and places them in the refrigerator. The harvester destroys the gas hydrate field layer by layer. Its rise to the surface is required only to replace the shells in the container - 5

Information sources

1. Patent of Russia No. 2431042.

2. Egorov A.V., Nigmatulin R.I., Rimsky-Korsakov N.A., Rozhkov A.N. Transport of gas hydrates from the bottom of a deep water body to the surface. "Nano-occurrences in the development of hydrocarbon deposits: from nanomineralogy and nanochemistry to nanotechnology." Materials of the 3rd International Conference. IG and RGI OJSC, Moscow, October 30-31, 2012. M .: Oil and gas, 2012, p.145-150.

Claims (4)

1. The method of extraction of gas hydrates from the bottom of water basins, which consists in mechanically destroying the bottom layer using an overburden knife moving along the bottom and transporting the destruction products to the surface, characterized in that the destruction products (gas hydrates) are placed in elastic gas-tight shells collected on the surface and transported to the place of use in the refrigeration chambers of the escort vessel. 2. An underwater combine for the extraction of gas hydrate hydrocarbons from the bottom of water pools, which is a moving platform with a knife for cleaning the bottom, with a video camera and an overhead knife located under it on the platform in the form of a horizontally rotating cylinder with scrapers mounted on it, characterized in that two cylinders are installed on the platform, the first of which is a container with shells located horizontally one above the other, and the second, installed above the hole, is a boot full-time container, on top of which there are segments of the drive mechanisms, move them away from the cylinder axis. 3. Underwater harvester according to claim 2, characterized in that on the side surface of the second cylinder, opposite the vertical slot, are installed: a cassette with ring clamp brackets, a clamp compression mechanism and a shell ring traction drive mechanism, which is a lever with a thread that is interfaced with thread on the clutch bracket. 4. An underwater harvester according to claims 2, 3, characterized in that the first and second cylinders are mounted on a mechanism for supplying shells to the loading opening, and the shells are made in the form of disks of a gas-tight elastic material mounted on a steel ring.