Method and apparatus for the in situ analysis of marine ore concretions

#The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for an in situ analysis of ore concretions which lie on the sea floor and which are raised therefrom for performing the analysis.

#The great demand for nickel and copper makes necessary the mining of even those deposits that are accessible only with difficulty, such as manganese lumps embedded in the sea floor at a depth of from 3,000 to 6,000 m. A decision whether these lumps are worth mining depends upon the precise knowledge of their content of usable metals. Large investments required for the necessary conveying equipment make mining appear profitable only where the fields have a size of several 10,000 km.sup.2. No method of analysis is known, however, which would permit verification of a sufficiently dense measuring grid on such sea floor surfaces with a justifiable expenditure of time.

#In order to be able to make manganese lump analyses, for example, it is the practice to bring these manganese lumps from great depths (such as 6,000 m) and lift them on board ships by means of dredges. The time required to obtain a sample amounts to several hours, and further, the sample cannot be accurately associated with the sea floor coordinates. The lumps are then analyzed on board (and also in land-based laboratories) with wet chemical processes and by X-ray fluorescence methods, for which the samples must undergo extensive preparations.

#FIG. 1 is a schematic, fragmentary side elevational view, partially in section, of a first embodiment of the invention.

#FIG. 2 is a schematic top plan view, partially in section, of the first embodiment.

#FIG. 3 is a section along line A-B of FIG. 1.

#Turning now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a carrier body constituted by a torpedo-shaped floating hull structure 1. It is moved at a distance over the sea floor by a ship through a tow line 2 which may simultaneously serve as the supply cable for parts inside the floating body 1. One end of a drag line 4 is secured to the lower portion of the floating hull body 1 to move a sled 5 including two parallel skids 6 (only one shown). The manganese lumps 9 disposed on the sea floor 3 are hydraulically aspirated into the suction opening 7 between the two skids 6 through a suction hose 8 fastened to the sled 5 or the lump pickup.

#The suction hose 8 is connected with a pump 10 which is fastened inside the floating body 1 and hydraulically sucks in the manganese lumps 9. The pump 10 forwards the managanese lumps through a line 11 to a horizontal diffusor 12.

#The diffusor 12 is funnel-shaped; its lower portion 13 ends at the opening 14 of a sample container 15 designed as a measuring vessel. The diffusor 12 serves to separate the manganese lumps 9 from undesirable substances such as mud, silt and the like. This separation is effected substantially by virtue of the different speeds at which the manganese lumps 9 and the undesirable substances sink. It is readily observable in FIG. 1 that the relatively heavier (faster sinking) ore concretions will settle in the sample container 15, while the relatively lighter, undesired particles will be carried in a greater arc and thus will avoid the container 15. In order to increase the efficiency of the diffusor 12, an additional line 16 opens into the diffusor bottom 13 and is oriented in the direction of the material flow in the diffusor 12. The line 16 leads to the front end of the floating body 1 and is provided there with an entrance opening 17 through which environmental sea water is introduced. At the height of the sample container 15, the diffusor 12 widens and at the lower portion of the floating body 1 it is again in communication with the sea through an exit opening 18. The undesirable substances as well as the manganese lumps 9, upon completion of the measurement, are ejected through the opening 18.