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US 2022/0178108 A1Published application
Methods for Reducing Sediment Plume in Deepsea Nodule Mining
AssigneeDeep Reach Technology, Inc.
InventorsJohn Halkyard, Michael Rai Anderson, James Wodehouse
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for generating a slurry from the surface of the subsea floor, separating that slurry into multiple slurries, and pumping the desired slurry to the surface.
Claims20
An apparatus for recovering seafloor minerals comprising:
- a collecting apparatus for recovering nodules, sediment and water from the seabed using a hydraulic pickup head;
- a pipe connecting a pickup head to a diffuser and an inlet of a gravity separator, the gravity separator having a fine screen, a fine screen output;
- a first pump with an inlet coupled to the fine screen output and an output coupled to a diffuser and discharge pipe leading to the surrounding environment, a second pump with an inlet and an outlet;
- and
- wherein the inlet is exposed to the outside environment and an outlet which is connected to the bottom of the separator and to a subsea pipe.
2 more elements
An apparatus for recovering seafloor minerals comprising:
- a collecting apparatus for recovering nodules, sediment and water from the seabed using a hydraulic pickup head;
- a pipe connecting a pickup head to a diffuser and an inlet of a gravity separator, the separator having a fine screen, a fine screen output;
- and
- the fine screen output coupled to a diffuser and an electrocoagulator and the outlet of the electrocoagulator coupled to a discharge pipe leading to the surrounding environment.
1 more element
An apparatus for recovering seafloor minerals comprising:
- a collecting apparatus for recovering nodules, sediment and water from the seabed using a hydraulic pickup head;
- and
- a pipe connecting a pickup head to a diffuser and an inlet of a gravity separator, the separator having an opening at or near the top of the separator allowing water and fine particles to flow through the opening into a pipe outlet to a discharge pipe leading to the surrounding environment.
A method for mining the subsea floor comprising:
- generating a first slurry by removing a surface layer of the subsea floor and mixing it with water;
- flowing the first slurry into a separator;
- flowing the first slurry through an opening at or near the top of the separator to form a second slurry;
- and
- collecting particles from the first slurry, that do not pass through the opening, at the bottom of the separator and allowing them to enter a stream of water from the surrounding environment to create a third slurry that is passed to a subsea pipe for pumping to the surface.
2 more elements
A method for mining the subsea floor comprising:
- generating a first slurry by removing a surface layer of the subsea floor and mixing it with water;
- flowing the first slurry into a separator;
- flowing a portion of the first slurry through a fine particle screen to form a second slurry;
- flowing the second slurry to be discharged into the ocean proximate to the subsea floor;
- and
- collecting particles from the first slurry, that do not pass through the fine particle screen, at the bottom of the separator and allowing them to enter a stream of water from the surrounding environment to create a third slurry that is passed to a subsea pipe for pumping to the surface.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.