US 4,368,923 AGranted

Nodule collector

AssigneeDirector-General of Agency of Industrial Science and Technology

InventorsKeiji Handa, Norio Yamakado

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A nodule collector for deep sea mining includes an outer sledge and an inner sledge disposed in and connected to the outer sledge for trailing movement therewith. The inner sledge is provided with a transversely extending cutting blade, a plurality of jet nozzles arranged along the cutting blade, and a longitudinally oriented duct. When the collector travels across the seafloor, the cutting blade cuts into the seafloor and raises it thereover. The water jets from the nozzles impinge upon the summit of the raised seafloor material so that nodules and sediments at the summit are carried away by the water jets and introduced through the duct into a collecting chamber provided in the outer sledge. The collecting chamber has a special design to prevent entrance of undesirably large sized nodules thereinto and residence of undesirably small sized nodules and sediments therein. The nodules collected in the collecting chamber are successively transported up to the mining ship for recovery.

Claims5

Dependent claims

An apparatus for recovering mineral nodules from the seafloor, comprising:

an outer frame having a bottom portion formed into a sledge so that said outer frame can travel on the seafloor;
an inner frame disposed within said outer frame and having a bottom portion formed into a sledge;
a joint member connecting the front end of said inner frame to a leading end portion of said outer frame so that said inner frame may be trailed by said outer frame on the seafloor;
a buoyant member provided on said inner frame to prevent said inner frame sinking into the seafloor;
a collecting chamber provided at the trailing end of said outer frame;
a transversely oriented cutting blade secured to said inner frame and projected from the bottom of said inner frame so that the seafloor surface may be raised by said cutting blade when said outer frame travels on the seafloor;
a longitudinally extending duct provided on said inner frame having one end open adjacent to said cutting blade and the other end open adjacent to said collecting chamber;
a plurality of transversely arranged jet nozzles secured to said inner frame and adapted to jet water therefrom;
said collecting chamber, cutting blade and jet nozzles being so arranged that the summit of the seafloor raised by said cutting blade may be scoured and introduced into said collecting chamber through said duct by water jetted from said nozzles;
and
a pump member mounted on said outer frame for feeding water to said jet nozzles.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/234,463Filed 17 Feb 1981
Granted: 18 Jan 1983
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

E02F 3/9212
Digging elements, e.g. suction heads: mechanical digging means, e.g. suction wheels, i.e. wheel with a suction inlet attached behind the wheel
E02F 3/92
Component parts , e.g. arrangement or adaptation of pumps: digging elements, e.g. suction heads
E02F 3/9218
Mechanical digging means, e.g. suction wheels, i.e. wheel with a suction inlet attached behind the wheel: with jets
E02F 3/94
Component parts , e.g. arrangement or adaptation of pumps: apparatus for separating stones from the dredged material , i.e. separating or treating…