Patent Application
20240367761
The present invention relates to the technical field of deep-sea mining, and in particular to an alternating stepping deep-sea mining system and method based on a clean energy platform.
Oceans are rich in mineral resources. With continuous development of land resources, more and more countries turn to develop deep-sea resources, but deep-sea mining faces a lot of difficulties. For example, offshore platforms will always encounter bad weather, cannot be fixed and cannot effectively resist storms; or the platforms are fixed through energy consumption. As offshore platforms are often large platforms, a lot of energy will be consumed when the offshore platforms are fixed by means of energy consumption, which is not conducive to environmental protection. There are even some offshore platforms that cannot be moved, which makes it inconvenient to prepare transport vessels in advance. Moreover, all the above factors will adversely affect mining operations so that mining operations cannot be completed satisfactorily, safely and punctually.
Regarding the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides an alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform, which has the characteristics of mobility, storm resistance and energy saving.
To fulfill the above objective, the present invention may adopt the following technical solutions.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides an alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform, including:
In the alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform described above, further, the anchor cable is a light anchor cable, and the anchor head is a gravity anchor head.
In the alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform described above, the mining system further includes a moon pool and a working tower, wherein the moon pool includes a lifting platform and a lifting track; the lifting tracks are arranged on two sides of the moon pool; the lifting track is vertically arranged along the workshop towards the bottom of the main hull; the lifting platform is connected to the lifting track; a picking and laying apparatus is arranged inside the working tower; the picking and laying apparatus is connected to the mining vehicle by means of a rope; the moon pool runs through the bottom of the main hull and is arranged below and communicated with the workshop; and the working tower is arranged above the workshop.
In the alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform described above, the picking and laying apparatus further includes an intermediate station, the picking and laying apparatus is connected to one end of the intermediate station, and the other end of the intermediate station is connected to the plurality of mining vehicles.
In the alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform described above, the main hull further includes a transport system and an ore storage room, wherein the ore storage rooms are arranged on the left side and the right side of the workshop; the transport system includes a conveying channel; the conveying channels are respectively connected to the front end and the rear end of the main hull and pass through the ore storage room; and a conveyor belt is arranged in the conveying channel.
The alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform described above further includes a renewable energy power generation system, wherein the renewable energy power generation system supplies power for the main hull; the renewable energy power generation system includes a solar power generation system, a wave power generation system and a wind power generation system; the solar power generation system is arranged at the top of the main hull; the wave power generation systems are arranged at the front end and the rear end of the main hull; and the wind power generation system is arranged at the top of the main hull.
In the alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform described above, further, the solar power generation system includes a solar photovoltaic panel, wherein the top of the main hull is provided with a plurality of cabins, and the solar photovoltaic panel is arranged above the plurality of cabins.
In the alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform described above, further, the wave power generation system includes a wave power generation panel, a trussed support arm, a hinge and a hydraulic cylinder; equipment rooms are further arranged at the front end and the rear end of the main hull; the wave power generation panel is connected to the trussed support arm and arranged in the equipment room by means of the hinge; the hydraulic cylinder is arranged in the equipment room; and an output shaft of the hydraulic cylinder is connected to one end of the wave power generation panel.
In the alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform described above, further, the wind power generation system includes a plurality of wind turbines, and the plurality of wind turbines are arranged at the top of the main hull.
In a second aspect, the present invention provides a mining method for an alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform. The mining method is performed by using the mining system described above, and specifically includes the following steps:
Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects.
To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention more clearly, the following briefly introduces the accompanying drawings required for describing the embodiments. Apparently, the accompanying drawings in the following description show merely some embodiments of the present disclosure, and a person of ordinary skill in the art may still derive other drawings from these accompanying drawings without creative efforts.
wherein, 1—winch; 2—anchor cable cabin; 3—anchor cable; 4—anchor head; 5—workshop; 6—mining vehicle; 7—electric propulsion apparatus; 8—moon pool; 9—working tower; 10—lifting platform; 11—lifting track; 12—intermediate station; 13—ore storage room; 14—cabin; 15—solar photovoltaic panel; 16—equipment room; 17—wave power generation panel; 18—trussed support arm; 19—hinge; 20—wind turbine.
The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are described clearly and completely below in combination with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Apparently, the described embodiments are only a part of embodiments of the present application, not all embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments achieved by persons skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative work shall fall within the scope of the present application.
It should be noted that the terms “first”, “second” and the like in the description and claims, as well as in the above accompanying drawings, of the present invention are used to distinguish similar objects, but not necessarily used to describe a specific order or precedence order. It should be understood that data used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be practiced in a sequence other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms “including” and “having” and any variations thereof in the embodiments of the present invention are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.
It should be understood that directional or positional relationships indicated by the terms such as “center”, “longitudinal”, “transverse”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, “clockwise”, “counter-clockwise”, “axial”, “radial”, and “circumferential” are directional or positional relationships as shown in the drawings, only for the purposes of the ease in describing the present invention and simplification of its descriptions, but not indicating or implying that the specified apparatus or element has to be located in a specific direction, and structured and operated in a specific direction, and therefore, should not be understood as limitations to the present invention.
In the descriptions of the present invention, the term “plurality” refers to at least two, such as two and three, unless otherwise specifically defined. In addition, unless otherwise definitely specified and limited, the terms “mounted”, “connected”, and “connection” need to be broadly understood, for example, connection may be fixed connection, or detachable connection or integrated connection; or may be mechanical connection or electric connection; or may be direct connection, or indirect connection via an intermediate medium, or communication of inner parts of two elements. A person of ordinary skill in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention in accordance with specific conditions.
In the present invention, unless otherwise definitely specified and limited, the first feature being provided “above” or “below” the second feature may mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or indirectly in contact with the second feature via an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being provided “over”, “above”, and “on” the second feature may mean that the first feature is provided directly above, or above and staggered from the second feature, or merely means that a level of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature being provided “under” “below”, and “beneath” the second feature may mean that the first feature is provided directly below, or below and staggered from the second feature, or merely means that a level of the first feature is lower than that of the second feature.
Referring to
In a certain embodiment, the anchor cable 3 is a light anchor cable and the anchor head 4 is a gravity anchor head. The anchor cable 3 is light anchor cable mainly for the purposes of reducing the resistance and facilitating release and recovery of the anchor head 4. Preferably, the light anchor cable may be a synthetic fiber cable, such as a polyester anchor cable and a high-strength polyethylene anchor cable, which all have the characteristic of light weight. However, the anchor head 4 is a gravity anchor head mainly for the purposes of sinking into the seabed faster and stabilizing the platform, Preferably, the gravity anchor head may be made of cast steel or forged steel, for example, Q235 ordinary carbon structural steel, which has the characteristics of high strength and corrosion resistance, and the anchor head may be shaped like a claw or a mushroom, so that the anchor head 4 may be deeply engaged into mud of the seabed.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
In a certain embodiment, the mining system further includes a renewable energy power generation system. The renewable energy power generation system supplies power for the main hull. The renewable energy power generation system includes a solar power generation system, a wave power generation system and a wind power generation system. The solar power generation system is arranged at the top of the main hull. The wave power generation systems are arranged at the front end and the rear end of the main hull. The wind power generation system is arranged at the top of the main hull. The renewable energy power generation system equipped on the platform may use solar energy, wave energy and wind energy for complementary power supply, not only solving the problem of energy supply in deep sea, but also meeting the requirements for cleanliness and environmental protection, and causing no pollution to the marine ecology.
Referring to
In the above embodiment, further, the wave power generation system includes a wave power generation panel 17, a trussed support arm 18, a hinge 19 and a hydraulic cylinder (not shown in the figure). The front end and the rear end of the main hull are also provided with equipment rooms 16. The wave power generation panel 17 is welded to the trussed support arm 18 and installed in the equipment room 16 by means of the hinge 19. The hydraulic cylinder is arranged in the equipment room 16, and an output shaft of the hydraulic cylinder is connected to one end of the wave power generation panel 17, The wave power generation panel 17 may reciprocate around the hinge 19 under the action of waves, so as to drive the output shaft of the hydraulic cylinder to reciprocate, further convert wave energy into hydraulic energy, and convert the hydraulic energy into electric energy for power supply by means of an energy conversion system, which not only eliminates the impact of waves on the main hull and ensures better stability when the platform is engaged in mining but also can be used for power generation. Preferably, an eagle-type wave power panel in the prior art (Patent No. CN2016103652769) is used herein, and the wave power generation panel 17, when not needed, may be stored in the equipment room 16 to avoid accidental damage.
In the above embodiment, further, the wind power generation system includes a plurality of wind turbines 20, and the plurality of wind turbines 20 are installed at the top of the main hull. Blades of several wind turbines 20 rotate under the action of sea breeze, and the kinetic energy of rotation is converted into electric energy for power supply, so that the offshore wind natural resources are fully utilized, and the energy consumption of the platform is further reduced.
In order to better understand the present invention, a breeding platform according to embodiments of the present invention will be described according to its functions.
The first portion is a main hull, including a workshop 5, an ore storage room 13, a equipment room 16 and a plurality of cabins 14. The workshop 5 may hold a mining vehicle 6 in the mining system, and the ore storage rooms 13 are arranged on two sides of the workshop 5 to facilitate quick transfer of the mining vehicle 6 full of collected ores. In order to improve the transfer efficiency, a transport system may be added, which includes a conveying channel, two channel openings of the conveying channel are arranged at the front end and the rear end of the main hull, and the conveying channel passes through the ore storage room. In this way, the ores that need to be transferred to the transport vessel can be quickly transferred to the front end and the rear end of the main hull connected to the transport vessel. The equipment room 16 is equipped with a power conversion device, for example, a hydraulic cylinder. The plurality of cabins 14 provide space for staff of the platform to work and have a rest, so that the staff may live on the platform for a long period of time, thus reducing the cost in transporting the staff. The main hull further includes an electric propulsion apparatus 7, which endows the platform with a navigation function, so that the platform can be quickly transferred in the event of a typhoon, a tsunami or other bad conditions.
The second portion is a mining system, including a mining vehicle 6, a moon pool 8, a working tower 9 and an intermediate station 12. The mining vehicle 6 may dive down to 5,000 m on the seabed for are collection. The moon pool 8 is arranged below the workshop 5 where the mining vehicle 6 is placed, and may conveniently release the mining vehicle 6 directly from the middle of the main hull but not from the side of the vessel. In addition, the moon pool 8 is also equipped with a lifting platform 10 and a lifting track 11, so that the efficiency of releasing the mining vehicle 6 into the sea can be improved. The working tower 9 is installed above the workshop 5, and a picking and laying apparatus is installed inside the working tower. The picking and laying apparatus is always connected to the mining vehicle 6 by means of a cable. In this way, not only can the mining vehicle 6 be released or recovered quickly, but also the mining vehicle 6 can be prevented from accidentally running out of the mining area when the mining vehicle 6 is in operation. Moreover, one intermediate station 12 may be added to the picking and laying apparatus according to mining requirements, and the intermediate station 12 may be connected to the plurality of intermediate stations 12, so that the plurality of mining vehicles 6 may work simultaneously, which improves the mining efficiency.
The third portion is a mooring system, including a winch 1, an anchor cable cabin 2, an anchor cable 3 and an anchor head 4. The winches 1 are installed at four corners of the top of the main hull. In this way, not only can the platform be better fixed after the anchor head 4 is released, but also the winch 1 can always be on the sea accessible to the workers for convenient operation. The anchor cable cabin 2 may accommodate and fix the anchor head 4 when the platform is transferred, so as to prevent the anchor head 4 from generating resistance in the sea, which adversely affects the navigation. Since the platform is mainly engaged in the mining operation at a depth of 5,000 m of the deep sea, the anchor cable 3 is a light anchor cable capable of reducing the resistance in the sea, while the anchor head 4 is a gravity anchor head that may sink into the seabed more quickly. Moreover, according to the soil condition of the seabed, the anchor head 4 may be claw-shaped or mushroom-shaped, so as to stably fix the platform to the sea. In the whole large ore area on the seabed, the mooring system may also cooperate with the electric propulsion apparatus 7, so that the platform may advance step by step, thus dividing the large ore area into a plurality of small ore areas for mining. Therefore, the mooring system plays the role of not only fixing the platform but also causing the platform to “walk”.
The fourth portion is a renewable energy power generation system, including a solar power generation system, a wave power generation system and a wind power generation system. The solar power generation system performs sunshade power generation by means of the solar photovoltaic panels 15 installed above the plurality of cabins 14. The wave power generation system performs wave absorbing power generation by means of installing, in the equipment room 16, a hydraulic cylinder and a wave power generation panel 17 connected to an output shaft of the hydraulic cylinder. The wind power generation system performs wind power generation by means of a plurality of wind turbines 20 installed at the top of the main hull. In the renewable energy power generation system according to the present invention, a power storage device may also be designed. In addition to normal output use of power provided by solar, wave and wind energy, excess power may be stored in the power storage device for use when the sunshine, waves and wind are weak. The mining platform according to the present invention makes full use of its own environmental resources, not only ensuring power supply, but also avoids the problem of environmental pollution.
The present invention further provides a mining method for an alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform. The mining method is performed by using the alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform described above, and specifically includes the following steps;
In order to better understand the present invention, the method according to the present invention will be described below by specific embodiments.
The mining method for the alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform according to the present invention includes the following steps: first, putting a platform onto the sea; then transporting the platform to a mining area by a transport vessel, or navigating the platform to the mining area by means of an electric propulsion apparatus of the platform, at this time, a solar power generation system, a wave power generation system and a wind power generation system of the platform also start to work to generate electricity by means of sun shading, wave absorbing and wind power, so as to supply power for the electric propulsion apparatus and other devices of the platform; when a mining operation is needed, first, laying down two anchor heads at the rear end of a main hull, and navigating the main hull forwards; when the first two anchor heads reach the seabed, laying down two anchor heads at the front end of the main hull, and navigating the main hull back; when the second two anchor heads also reach the seabed, adjusting the position of the main hull so that the main hull is fixed in the middle of an area formed by the four anchor heads; finally, releasing the mining vehicle to dive to the seabed, and performing the mining operation in the area formed by the four anchor heads until all the ores in the area are collected; when the mining area needs to be changed, recovering all the mining vehicles first; then, navigating the main hull back to be above the two anchor heads at the rear end; recovering the two anchor heads at the rear end; then turning the main hull around the two anchor heads at the front end, and navigating the main hull forward for certain distance; after that, releasing the two anchor heads at the rear end; navigating the main hull back to the middle of the area formed by the four anchor heads, thus completing change of the mining area; and finally, collecting all the ores in the deep sea by repeating the mining operation and the change of the mining area. Since the mining method can avoid omissions in the mining process and greatly improve the mining rate, the mining platform provides a very innovative mining idea.
The alternating stepping deep-sea mining system based on a clean energy platform according to the present invention is a brand-new deep-sea mining platform, and the mining method using the clean energy platform can better collect all the ores on the seabed to avoid omission and improve the mining rate. The successful development and application of the present invention provide an advanced mining device for the marine mining industry, which will produce huge economic benefits and strongly promote the development of the offshore mining industry, with far-reaching significance.
In the descriptions of the present description, the descriptions of referring terms such as “one embodiment”, “some embodiments”, “examples”, “specific examples” or “some examples” refer to specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in combination with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In the description, the schematic representation of the terms described above does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the described particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, different embodiments or examples described in the present description, as well as features of different embodiments or examples, may be integrated and combined without contradicting each other.
The above-mentioned embodiments are merely for explaining the technical concept and features of the present invention, and are intended to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the contents of the present invention and to implement them accordingly, without limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the essence of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202310494852.X | May 2023 | CN | national |
This application is a continuation application of International Application No. PCT/CN2023/11147115, filed on Aug. 24, 2023, which is based upon and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310494852.X, filed on May 4, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/CN2023/114715 | Aug 2023 | WO |
| Child | 18419579 | US |
