# US 12,760,646 B2 · Water bottom resource collecting method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,760,646 B2 - Document ID: US12760646B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/280,106 - Filed: 2022-02-08 - Published: 2024-01-04 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-03-04 - Assignees: TOA Corporation; Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology - Applicants: Toa Corporation; Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology - Inventors: Tomohiro Morisawa; Shinya Omori; Yosuke Tanaka; Eigo Miyazaki; Keita Akiyama; Masanori Kyo; Ikuo Sawada; Yoshihisa Kawamura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12760646B2 ## CPC - E21C 50/00: 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) - E21C: MINING OR QUARRYING ## Abstract A mining riser pipe is extended toward a water bottom, 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 inside both pipes and stirring blades attached to a lower portion of the rotation shaft are rotated inside the insertion pipe, thereby drilling and dissolving mud inside the insertion pipe into a slurry. Then, the mud S is raised to an upper portion of the insertion pipe by a stirring flow generated by the stirring blades, and the raised mud slurry is lifted above the water through the mining riser pipe 2, and a rotation speed of the stirring blades is lower in an initial process at an early stage of the drilling than in a subsequent process. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A water bottom resource collecting method for drilling mud of a water bottom in an undrilled state which contains water bottom resources and lifting the mud above a surface of water covering the water bottom, the water bottom resource collecting method comprising: 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 and a stirring blade attached to a lower portion of the rotation shaft inside the insertion pipe, thereby drilling and dissolving the mud into a slurry form inside the insertion pipe by using the stirring blade; raising the slurry form mud 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 slurry form mud above the water surface through the mining riser pipe by using a pump, wherein a rotation speed of the stirring blade is lower in an initial process at an early stage of drilling than in a subsequent process after the initial process, the liquid is jetted from a jet nozzle provided on a tip end portion of the stirring blade obliquely frontward relative to a rotational direction of the stirring blade toward an inner peripheral surface of the insertion pipe, and the liquid is jetted from an ejection nozzle provided in the rotation shaft toward a surface of the stirring blade. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The water bottom resource collecting method according to claim 1, wherein in the initial process, the stirring blade is caused to penetrate from a surface of the water bottom to a predetermined depth that is shallower than a target depth, and in the subsequent process, the stirring blade is caused to penetrate from the predetermined depth to the target depth. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The water bottom resource collecting method according to claim 1, wherein in the initial process, the stirring blade is caused to penetrate from a surface of the water bottom to a target depth, and in the subsequent process, the stirring blade is reciprocated in the pipe axial direction within a predetermined depth range from the target depth up to the surface of the water bottom. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The water bottom resource collecting method according to claim 1, wherein an amount per unit time of the liquid to be supplied into the insertion pipe is made smaller in the initial process than in the subsequent process. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The water bottom resource collecting method according to claim 1, wherein a deepest penetration position of the stirring blade is set at a predetermined distance upward from a lower end of the insertion pipe, and a lower end opening of the insertion pipe is maintained in a state of being blocked by the mud of the water bottom, to prevent the slurry form mud from flowing out of the insertion pipe through the lower end opening. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The water bottom resource collecting method according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined distance is set based on a strength of the water bottom and a pressure inside the insertion pipe inserted in the water bottom. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The water bottom resource collecting method according to claim 6, wherein the strength is acquired in advance before the insertion pipe is inserted into the water bottom. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The water bottom resource collecting method according to claim 6, wherein the strength is acquired by using a strength sensor when the insertion pipe is inserted into the water bottom. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The water bottom resource collecting method according to claim 6, wherein the pressure is calculated and acquired in advance before the insertion pipe is inserted into the water bottom. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The water bottom resource collecting method according to claim 6, wherein the pressure is acquired by using a pressure sensor after the insertion pipe is inserted into the water bottom.