Method and apparatus for collecting mineral aggregates from sea beds
AssigneeN.V. Union Miniere S.A.
InventorVsevolod Obolensky
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A dragged or self-propelled unit has drag shoes or other means to dislodge nodules from the sea bed into a duct which may be associated with nozzles to project fluid against the nodules. The duct increases substantially in cross-section, thereby slowing the velocity of a stream formed by the nodules, accompanying silt and water. The slowed nodules and silt are caused to follow divergent separate paths within the unit, the nodule path being relatively below the silt path, and the nodules are removed from the duct upstream of the final outlet by which silt and water depart the unit.
Claims48
Apparatus for collecting mineral aggregates from sea beds, including:
- means to transport said apparatus across and to support it at the surface of the sea bed;
- means for dislodging aggregates and accompanying silt from the sea bed;
- adjacent said dislodging means, an inlet leading into a duct including a slowing passage which undergoes a substantial increase in cross-sectional area in the direction in which nodules, silt, and water pass through said duct;
- means downstream of the slowing passage for separating nodules from the aforementioned stream by causing divergence of silt and nodules into separate paths in which the nodule path is relatively below the silt path;
- a final outlet by which silt and water depart said apparatus;
- and means for causing the nodules to depart from the duct upstream of said final outlet.
Apparatus for collecting mineral aggregates from sea beds, comprising:
- means for supporting said apparatus at the surface of the sea bed for transport across the surface of the sea bed;
- a drag shoe member having a leading edge for contacting nodules at a predetermined depth in the sea bed and an upwardly and rearwardly directed inclined surface positioned for lifting said nodules above the sea bed surface;
- an enclosed duct including upper, lower and side wall means;
- an inlet at the forward end of said duct positioned for direct communication with the water above the sea bed and for receiving a stream including nodules, silt and water elevated by said inclined surface as said apparatus is transported across the sea bed;
- turbulence imparting means for inducing said stream to flow turbently in said duct;
- a nodule outlet in said duct;
- a slowing passage extending downstream of said turbulence imparting means and comprising a portion of said duct which is upstream of said nodule outlet, said slowing passage including divergent walls which provide a cross-sectional area in said duct at said nodule outlet which is substantially larger than the cross-sectional area of said duct at the commencement of said slowing passage;
- and
- a silt and water outlet in said duct, downstream of said nodule outlet.
A method for collecting mineral aggregates from sea beds, including dislodging the aggregates and accompanying silt from the sea bed, introducing a stream of nodules, silt, and water into a duct which undergoes a substantial increase in cross-sectional area in the downstream direction, substantially slowing the velocity of said stream by passing it downstream in said duct, separating nodules from the stream paths in which the nodule path is relatively below the silt path, and causing said nodules to depart from said duct upstream of the final outlet for said silt and water.
A method for collecting mineral aggregates from sea beds, comprising;
- contacting nodules at a predetermined depth in the sea bed and lifting said nodules above the sea bed surface;
- introducing said nodules into the inlet of an enclosed duct having an inlet in direct communication with the water above the sea bed;
- forming a stream including said nodules, silt and water which flows in said duct while transporting said duct across the sea bed;
- causing said stream to flow turbently in said duct;
- removing nodules from said duct through a nodule outlet;
- imparting to said stream, in a slowing passage defined by a portion of said duct, a substantially larger cross-sectional area at said nodule outlet than the cross-sectional area of said stream at the commencement of said slowing passage;
- and
- removing silt and water from said duct downstream of said nodule outlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.