Apparatus for removing nodular material from the seabed and for separating said material
AssigneeSoil Machine Dynamics Limited
InventorRoger WHITE
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle (6) apparatus for removing material from the seabed is disclosed. The vehicle comprises first thrusters (10) for moving the vehicle vertically and second thrusters (12) for moving the vehicle horizontally. A collector unit removes material from the seabed, and a latching mechanism (42) is adapted to be connected to a riser to enable removed material to be transported to a vessel on the surface. The separator comprises tines that in some embodiments comprise ridges. The separator comprises a water jet configured to move material towards the inlet and to remove smaller material.
Claims15
An apparatus for removing nodular material from a floor of a body of water, the apparatus comprising:
- moving means for moving the apparatus relative to a floor of a body of water;
- material removing means for removing nodular material from the floor of the body of water;
- wherein the material removing means comprises at least one inlet and, floor engaging means for engaging the floor of the body of water, wherein the floor engaging means comprises a plurality of protrusions.
A method of separating nodular material from non-nodular material comprising the steps of:
- engaging the floor of the body of water with a separator wherein the separator comprises a plurality of protrusions;
- moving the separator, at an inclined angle relative from the floor of the body of water, through a portion of the floor of a body of water such that the plurality of protrusions protrude in a forward direction to the direction of travel;
- whereby the forward movement of the separator through the floor of the body of water pushes the nodular material up the inclined upper surface of the separator towards an inlet, wherein the inlet is in communication with a container, further comprising the step of moving the nodular material along the plurality of protrusions towards an inlet by using a water jet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.