This invention relates to the prospecting and harvesting of placer gold from underwater alluvial and glacial deposits such as the ocean floor adjacent to Nome, Ak.
The P.I.G. can operate in deeper water and in light swells, the operating machinery is on the ocean floor separate from the motion of the ocean surface. The P.I.G. is safer, not needing to put a diver at risk, the operating machinery is under water away from people. The P.I.G. operates during the summer months, prospecting/harvesting, locating spots to return to during the winter months to continue harvesting beneath the frozen ocean surface.
The P.I.G. consists of a heavy steel frame which supports the unit's entities. Attached to the frame is the steel plate suction body with a wide shallow suction port at the bottom front. Located above and in from of the suction port is a rotating tilling churn with fingers that lift rocks and debris to either side of the drum while tilling the ocean floor and clearing the suction port. At the rear of the suction body is a rotating paddle/spud driving system which digs into the ocean floor and propels/steers the unit. At the top of the suction body is a discharge nozzle to which a suction hose is attached that draws the slurry of gravel and sand to the ocean surface platform for processing. The drum and paddles are driven by hydraulic motors powered from the surface platform. The suction port is slotted to allow the tilling drum fingers to past through, clearing the port. The tilling drum is of heavy steel with fingers welded to the drum, the fingers are staggered sequentially so that when the drum rotates the fingers sequentially tumble the rocks and debris to either aide of the drum. As the drum rotates, the fingers continuously clear the suction port of oversized rocks sucked up against it. The paddle/spud system consists of two paddle wheels, separately driven to allow steering and has a staggered nature causing the tilling drum to oscillate, resulting in a more thorough tilling. The paddle wheels have spuds (spikes) that drop down by gravity, during rotation, to dig down into the ocean floor providing more driving force.
A Description and drawings further define this invention as follows. A typical embodiment of the present invention in Drawing 1/7 showing the assembled nature of the unit. The frame (d) supports the unit's entities comprised of a suction body (e) which includes the “Suction Port” (a) which sucks up the material stirred from the ocean floor by the “Tilling Drum” (b). The unit is driven by the “Dual Paddle Wheels” (c). Pinned to the paddle wheel gussets are sets of gravity positioning spuds (f).
Drawing 1/7 Shows
Drawing 2/7 Shows
Drawing 3/7 Shows
Drawing 4/7 Shows
Drawing 5/7 Shows
Drawing 6/7 Shows
Drawing 7/7 Shows
Letter (a) “Suction Port”
Letter (b) “Drain”
Letter (c) “Dual Paddle Wheel”
Letter (d) Frame
Letter (e) Suction Body
Letter (f) Spud
Letter (g) Fingers
The current methods of recovering gold from the ocean floor varies from divers operating a suction hose and sluicing to mechanical bucket excavators, trommel and sluicing. These methods are limited by human exhaustion, operating under calm seas in shallow water while avoiding freezing temperatures. In addition to the prior art, a Provisional Patent application was made by Galen Merrell, this present inventor. Provisional Patent application No. 61/690,893 filing date Jul. 9, 2012, which this utility patent application will now claim priority.