Water bottom resource collecting system and collecting method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12012836-B2
Application number	US-202218280032-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2022
Priority date	Mar 4, 2021
Publication date	Jun 18, 2024
Grant date	Jun 18, 2024

Abstract

A mining riser pipe is extended from above water toward a water bottom containing water bottom resources, and a lower portion of an insertion pipe connected to a lower portion of the mining riser pipe is inserted into the water bottom. A liquid is supplied into the insertion pipe and a rotation shaft extends axially inside both of pipes is rotated to rotate stirring blades attached to a lower portion of the rotation shaft inside the insertion pipe, thereby drilling and dissolving mud S inside the insertion pipe into a slurry form by is raised to an upper portion of the insertion pipe by a stirring flow generated by the rotation of the stirring blades, and the raised mud is lifted above the water through the mining riser pipe by a lifting force.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A water bottom resource collecting system for drilling mud of a water bottom which contains water bottom resources and lifting the mud above water, the water bottom resource collecting system comprises:
a mining riser pipe that extends from above the water toward the water bottom;
an insertion pipe that is connected to a lower portion of the mining riser pipe;
a rotation shaft that extends inside the mining riser pipe and the insertion pipe in a pipe axial direction;
a stirring blade that is attached to a lower portion of the rotation shaft and disposed inside the insertion pipe; and
a liquid supply mechanism that supplies a liquid into the insertion pipe, wherein
in a state where at least a lower portion of the insertion pipe is inserted in the water bottom, the liquid is supplied into the insertion pipe by the liquid supply mechanism, the mud inside the insertion pipe is drilled and dissolved by the stirring blade which rotates together with rotation of the rotation shaft, the mud turned into a slurry form by the dissolving is raised to an upper portion of the insertion pipe by a stirring flow generated by the rotation of the stirring blade, and the raised mud in the slurry form is lifted above the water through the mining riser pipe by lifting means.

2. The water bottom resource collecting system according to claim 1 , wherein
the liquid supply mechanism is provided on a tip end portion of at least one of the stirring blade, and
the liquid supply mechanism includes a jet nozzle that jets the liquid toward an inner peripheral surface of the insertion pipe.

3. A water bottom resource collecting system for drilling mud of a water bottom which contains water bottom resources and lifting the mud above water, the water bottom resource collecting system comprises:
a mining riser pipe that extends from above the water toward the water bottom;
an insertion pipe that is connected to a lower portion of the mining riser pipe;
a rotation shaft that extends inside the mining riser pipe and the insertion pipe in a pipe axial direction;
a stirring blade that is attached to a lower portion of the rotation shaft and disposed inside the insertion pipe;
a liquid supply mechanism that supplies a liquid into the insertion pipe; and
shaft wobbling suppression means that is disposed inside the insertion pipe for suppressing shaft wobbling when the rotation shaft rotates, wherein
in a state where at least a lower portion of the insertion pipe is inserted in the water bottom, the liquid is supplied into the insertion pipe by the liquid supply mechanism, the mud inside the insertion pipe is drilled and dissolved by the stirring blade which rotates together with rotation of the rotation shaft in a state where shaft wobbling of the rotating rotation shaft is suppressed by the shaft wobbling suppression means, the mud turned into a slurry form by the dissolving is raised to an upper portion of the insertion pipe, and the raised mud in the slurry form is lifted above the water through the mining riser pipe by lifting means.

4. The water bottom resource collecting system according to claim 3 , wherein
the shaft wobbling suppression means includes an abutting portion that abuts on an inner peripheral surface of the insertion pipe.

5. The water bottom resource collecting system according to claim 4 , comprising:
an elastic member that extends from a tip end portion of the stirring blade to the inner peripheral surface of the insertion pipe as the abutting portion.

6. The water bottom resource collecting system according to claim 4 , comprising:
a shaft wobbling suppression unit including a bearing portion that is rotatably supported on the rotation shaft, an arm group that includes a plurality of arms radially extending from the bearing portion toward the inner peripheral surface of the insertion pipe in plan view, and the abutting portion provided on a tip end portion of each of the arms, as the shaft wobbling suppression means.

7. The water bottom resource collecting system according to claim 6 , wherein
the shaft wobbling suppression unit is disposed at a position above the stirring blade, and
the shaft wobbling suppression unit moves in the pipe axial direction together with the stirring blade relative to the insertion pipe.

8. The water bottom resource collecting system according to claim 3 , wherein
the liquid supply mechanism is provided on a tip end portion of the stirring blade, and
the liquid supply mechanism includes a jet nozzle that jets the liquid toward an inner peripheral surface of the insertion pipe.

9. A water bottom resource collecting method for drilling mud of a water bottom which contains water bottom resources and lifting the mud above water, the water bottom resource collecting method comprises: in a state where a mining riser pipe is extended from above the water toward the water bottom and at least a lower portion of an insertion pipe connected to a lower portion of the mining riser pipe is inserted in the water bottom, supplying a liquid into the insertion pipe and rotating a rotation shaft that extends inside the mining riser pipe and the insertion pipe in a pipe axial direction to rotate a stirring blade attached to a lower portion of the rotation shaft inside the insertion pipe, thereby drilling and dissolving the mud inside the insertion pipe; raising the mud turned into a slurry form by the dissolving to an upper portion of the insertion pipe by using a stirring flow generated by the rotation of the stirring blade; and lifting the raised mud in the slurry form above the water through the mining riser pipe by using lifting means.

10. The water bottom resource collecting method according to claim 9 , comprising:
causing the stirring blade to penetrate from a new surface of the water bottom to a predetermined depth to drill the mud inside the insertion pipe, and then reciprocating the stirring blade several times in the pipe axial direction inside the insertion pipe to repeatedly dissolve the mud.

11. The water bottom resource collecting method according to claim 10 , comprising:
making a speed of moving the stirring blade in the pipe axial direction at the time of reciprocating the stirring blade several times in the pipe axial direction inside the insertion pipe higher than a speed of moving the stirring blade in the pipe axial direction at the time of drilling by causing the stirring blade to penetrate from the new surface of the water bottom to the predetermined depth.

12. A water bottom resource collecting method for drilling mud of a water bottom which contains water bottom resources and lifting the mud above water, the water bottom resource collecting method comprises: in a state where a mining riser pipe is extended from above the water toward the water bottom and at least a lower portion of an insertion pipe connected to a lower portion of the mining riser pipe is inserted in the water bottom, supplying a liquid into the insertion pipe and rotating a rotation shaft that extends inside the mining riser pipe and the insertion pipe in a pipe axial direction to rotate a stirring blade attached to a lower portion of the rotation shaft inside the insertion pipe in a state where shaft wobbling of the rotation shaft is suppressed by shaft wobbling suppression means disposed inside the insertion pipe, thereby drilling and dissolving the mud inside the insertion pipe; raising the mud turned into a slurry form by the dissolving to an upper portion of the insertion pipe; and lifting the raised mud in the slurry form above the water through the mining riser pipe by using lifting means.

13. The water bottom reso

Assignees

• Toa Corp
• Japan Agency Marine Earth Sci

Inventors

• Morisawa Tomohiro
• Omori Shinya
• Murakami Ryutaro
• Iida Hiroshi
• Miyazaki Eigo
• Akiyama Keita
• Kyo Masanori
• Sawada Ikuo
• Kawamura Yoshihisa

Classifications

• E21C50/00 Primary

  Obtaining minerals from underwater, not otherwise provided for (suction dredgers or component parts thereof E02F3/88; equipment for conveying or separating excavated material E02F7/00; dippers G01N1/12) · CPC title

• E21B21/001

  specially adapted for underwater drilling (dual gradient drilling E21B21/082) · CPC title

• E21B17/01

  Risers · CPC title

• E21B43/28 Primary

  Dissolving minerals other than hydrocarbons, e.g. by an alkaline or acid leaching agent (E21B43/241 takes precedence) · CPC title