Deep sea mining system

Claim 2

In a deep sea mining plant for collecting and processing ore nodules on the ocean floor for delivery to a pipe circuit for hoisting to the ocean surface, the combination of; a vehicle adapted to travel said floor with a velocity Sv and including receiving means for receiving collected nodules, an ore cleaner for removing unwanted mud from said nodules, and means for transferring said cleaned nodules to said pipe, ore gathering apparatus mounted on said vehicle and extending over a substantial distance laterally from said vehicle to span a strip and adapted to collect nodules from said ocean floor along said distance and deliver them to said receiving means of said vehicle, said ore gathering apparatus having propulsion means adapted to travel said floor laterally spaced apart from said vehicle to move said apparatus with said vehicle while so extended, thereby to clear said nodules from said strip.

Claim 3

The mining plant of claim 1 wherein said means for transporting said cleaned nodules to said pipe circuit includes a surge bin for accumulating said cleaned nodules from said cleaner, and said plant further includes first control means operatively associated with said bin adapted to vary the speed Sv of said vehicle so as to maintain the flow of said cleaned nodules into said bin essentially equal to the flow of said nodules to said pipe circuit.

Claim 4

The mining plant of claim 2 wherein said first control means comprises a crawler drive motor for driving said vehicle, a weight transducer for measuring the weight of nodules in said bin and generating signals according to said weight, means for producing a weight reference signal according to a specified weight of nodules to be accumulated in said bin, and means for comparing said signals of said weight transducer with said weight reference signal and causing said crawler drive motor to adjust said speed Sv to maintain said weight of said nodules in said bin essentially at a specified level.

Claim 5

A mining plant as set forth in claim 2 wherein said first control means is adapted to drive said vehicle at a speed SV corresponding with maintaining a substantially constant quantity of nodules in said bin.

Claim 6

A mining plant ss set forth in claim 4 wherein said speed Sv corresponds with keeping said bin approximately half-filled with nodules.

Claim 7

The mining plant of claim 4 wherein said ore gathering apparatus includes a track with an axis ''''c,'''' a series of scraper buckets circulating along the length of said track at a speed Sc with inbound buckets of said vehicle contributing to the support of said track and having open bottoms and an input axis ''''b'''' which is skewed forward of said axis ''''c'''' in the direction of said vehicle''s motion by an angle phi , and wherein said plant further includes inclined plate means extending from said receiving means to said ocean floor for providing a riding surface for said inbound buckets from said floor to the top of said receiving means whereby said nodules collected by said inbound buckets are slideably supported by said plate means until dumped into said receiving means.

Claim 8

The mining plant of claim 6 wherein said track is extended at an angle theta relative to the negative of said velocity vector Sv, and wherein phi is substantially according to the relation. phi theta - tan 1 Sc sin theta /Sv + Sc cos theta .

Claim 9

The mining plant of claim 4 wherein said ore gathering apparatus comprises a long arm projecting from said vehicle along an axis ''''c'''' describing an angle theta of substantially 90* relative to the negative of said velocity vector, with the distal end of said arm carried by a tail-sheave tractor, and an endless scraper which scrapes nodules inwardly from said distal end to said vehicle along said arm.

Claim 10

A mining plant as set forth in claim 8 wherein said ore clEaner comprises a hollow inclined cylinder with an elevated end receiving said nodules from said receiving means, means for rotating said cylinder, a helical plate affixed to the internal surface of said cylinder along which said nodules may slide down said incline upon rotation of said cylinder, and means for directing jets of water on said sliding nodules to clean them.

Claim 11

The combination as defined by claim 2 wherein said apparatus comprises a pair of long arms projecting from said vehicle at an angle theta of substantially 90* relative to the negative of said velocity vector Sv with the distal end of each arm carried by a tail-sheave tractor, and and endless scraper which scrapes nodules inwardly from said distal ends to said vehicle along said arms, wherein said vehicle comprises an ore crusher for reducing said cleaned nodules to particle size, and means for mixing said particle-sized nodules with fluid to produce ore slurry, in further combination with a Sessile ship adapted to hover over said plant, and a hoist pipe circuit adapted to pump ore slurry along its length, one end of said circuit connected to said ship and a second end connected to said plant and receiving said ore slurry porduced by said plant, said hoist pipe circuit comprising a series of hoist pipe sections each having a plurality of buoyancy tanks to provide a buoyant force amounting to at least half the weight of said pipe section loaded with ore, and a pump adapted to pump said ore slurry upward the length of said section.

Claim 12

The combination as set forth in claim 10 wherein said first control means comprises a crawler drive motor for driving said vehicle, a weight transducer for measuring the weight of said bin and generating signals according to said weight means for producing a speed setting signal Sv'' according to a specified weight of said bin, and means for comparing said signals of said weight transducer with said speed setting signal and cooperating with said crawler drive motor to adjust said speed Sv to maintain the weight of said bin essentially as specified.

Claim 13

The combination of claim 2 wherein said vehicle comprises an ore crusher and means for mixing the resulting crushed ore with water to form an ore slurry, in combination with a hoist pipe circuit comprising a plurality of interconnected sections, each section comprising pumping means, electrical connections, and a dump valve to clear the section in case of pumping failure.

Claim 14

The combination of claim 12 having a hovering stable surface ship with ore bins for receiving said ore slurry and further including: a submerged float joined to said hoist pipe circuit providing it with a subsurface floating support, and a flexible, supported pipe connected between said ore bins of said ship and said hoist pipe circuit at said float for providing a flexible conduit for the flow of said slurry from said pipe circuit to said ore bins.

Claim 15

The combination of claim 13 wherein said ore bins are located at about the same depth as said submerged float so that said flexible pipe is disposed substantially horizontally.

Claim 16

The combination of claim 14 wherein said hoist pipe circuit is fabricated of buoyant material for reducing the load of said hoist circuit.

Claim 17

The combination of claim 15 wherein said stable ship is a Sessile ship in a vertical orientation incorporating a stem section with a narrow stem and an assigned water-line crossing said narrow stem, and said ore bins are located in the bottom of said Sessile ship.

Claim 18

A sea-going rig for harvesting manganese nodules and the like from the floor of the ocean, comprising, a. a plurality of long, buoyant hoist pipe sections, each comprising, pumping means to raise an ore slurry at a designed efficient rate, electrical connections for carrying electrical power to and through said sections, interconnecting means to permit said sections to be vertically assembled into a long conduit, an emErgency dump valve, and means for rafting said sections together for towing on the high seas, b. a miner comprising (ii) a vehicle adapted to move across the floor of the ocean with a velocity Sv and including receiving means for receiving collected nodules, an ore cleaner for removing unwanted mud from said nodules, and means for mixing said cleaned nodules with sea water for introduction into said conduit as a slurry, and (ii) ore gathering apparatus mounted on said vehicle and extending over a substantial distance laterally from said vehicle to span a strip and adapted to collect nodules from said ocean floor along said distance and deliver them to said receiving means, comprising propulsion means adapted to move said apparatus with said vehicle while so extended thereby to clean said nodules from said strip, c. a first control means for controlling the amount of water in said slurry responsive to the lowermost of said pumping means in operation, d. second control means for operating said dump valves, e. third control means for controlling said velocity to maintain a steady adequate supply of ore from said apparatus to said means for mixing, and f. a tender adapted to transport said miner from port to its operations area, to carry the equipment required to assemble said miner to the lowermost of said sections while in said operating area, and to lower said miner so attached to the ocean floor, and adapted to hover over said miner as it is in operation gathering and conveying said ore and to provide the electrical power for it its operation.

Claim 19

A sea-going rig for harvesting manganese nodules and the like from the floor of the ocean, comprising, a. a plurality of long, buoyant hoist pipe sections, each comprising, pumping means to raise an ore slurry at a designed efficient rate, electrical connections for carrying electrical power to and through said sections, interconnecting means to permit said sections to be vertically assembled into a long conduit, an emErgency dump valve, and means for rafting said sections together for towing on the high seas, b. a miner comprising (ii) a vehicle adapted to move across the floor of the ocean with a velocity Sv and including receiving means for receiving collected nodules, an ore cleaner for removing unwanted mud from said nodules, and means for mixing said cleaned nodules with sea water for introduction into said conduit as a slurry, and (ii) ore gathering apparatus mounted on said vehicle and extending over a substantial distance laterally from said vehicle to span a strip and adapted to collect nodules from said ocean floor along said distance and deliver them to said receiving means, comprising propulsion means adapted to move said apparatus with said vehicle while so extended thereby to clean said nodules from said strip, c. a first control means for controlling the amount of water in said slurry responsive to the lowermost of said pumping means in operation, d. second control means for operating said dump valves, e. third control means for controlling said velocity to maintain a steady adequate supply of ore from said apparatus to said means for mixing, and f. a tender adapted to transport said miner from port to its operations area, to carry the equipment required to assemble said miner to the lowermost of said sections while in said operating area, and to lower said miner so attached to the ocean floor, and adapted to hover over said miner as it is in operation gathering and conveying said ore and to provide the electrical power for it its operation.

Claim 20

The rig as defined by claim 17 wherein said tender is a flip ship adapted to navigate in a horizontal orientation, and to hover in a vertical orientation over said miner in operation.

Claim 21

In the art of recovering ores comprising manganese nodules and the like from the ocean floor wherein the ore is elevated from the bottom of the ocean in a slurry carried by pumps through a very long conduit, said pumps and conduit being designed to deliver ore to the surface at a sufficiently high rate to be commercially economical, the method of harvesting comprising the steps of: a. carrying the lower end of said conduit along the floor of the ocean along a predetermined initial path at a controlled velocity, while gathering to said lower end nodules laterally across a wide strip bounded by a first edge and a second edge, b. gathering ore deposits on the ocean''s floor to said lower end from a substantial distance laterally and transverse to said path thereby clearing a strip having a first edge and a second edge, at least one of said edges being distinctively marked by said gathering step, c. cleaning the gathered ore by water jets at said lower end, d. mixing said ore with water in an amount controlled to achieve constant maximum efficiency of said conduit and pumps in raising said ore to the surface, and e. controlling the magnitude of said velocity so that the amount of ore gathered at said lower end is sufficient to supply ore for mixing in the required quantity to achieve constant maximum efficiency of said conduit and pumps in raising said ore to the surface, f. monitoring the ground at an edge of said strip at said distance to detect an edge previously distinctively marked, and g. controlling the direction of said velocity responsive to the detection of a previously marked edge to prevent overlapping of said strip.

Claim 22

In the art of recovering ores comprising manganese nodules and the like from the ocean floor wherein the ore is elevated from the bottom of the ocean in a slurry carried by pumps through a very long conduit, said pumps and conduit being designed to deliver ore to the surface at a sufficiently high rate to be commercially economical, the method of harvesting comprising the steps of: a. carrying the lower end of said conduit along the floor of the ocean along a predetermined initial path at a controlled velocity, while gathering to said lower end nodules laterally across a wide strip bounded by a first edge and a second edge, b. gathering ore deposits on the ocean''s floor to said lower end from a substantial distance laterally and transverse to said path thereby clearing a strip having a first edge and a second edge, at least one of said edges being distinctively marked by said gathering step, c. cleaning the gathered ore by water jets at said lower end, d. mixing said ore with water in an amount controlled to achieve constant maximum efficiency of said conduit and pumps in raising said ore to the surface, and e. controlling the magnitude of said velocity so that the amount of ore gathered at said lower end is sufficient to supply ore for mixing in the required quantity to achieve constant maximum efficiency of said conduit and pumps in raising said ore to the surface, f. monitoring the ground at an edge of said strip at said distance to detect an edge previously distinctively marked, and g. controlling the direction of said velocity responsive to the detection of a previously marked edge to prevent overlapping of said strip.

Claim 23

The method of claim 19 with the further step of crushing said ore prior to mixing.