A brief review of recent progress on deep sea mining vehicle

Leng, Dingxin; Shao, Shuai; Xie, Yingchun; Wang, Honghui; Liu, Guijie

doi:10.1016/j.oceaneng.2020.108565

Cited by 88 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Predicting the dispersion of plumes originating from a future activity is challenging as there are still many uncertainties regarding the mining technologies to be used and the operations to be carried out (Atmanand and Ramadass, 2017;Sharma, 2017;Leng et al, 2021). Therefore, this study should be considered as a first assessment of the potential dispersal of deep-sea mining plumes generated during the exploitation of SMS deposits in the MAR.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling the Dispersion of Seafloor Massive Sulphide Mining Plumes in the Mid Atlantic Ridge Around the Azores

et al. 2022

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It is increasingly recognised that deep-sea mining of seafloor massive sulphides (SMS) could become an important source of mineral resources. These operations will remove the targeted substrate and produce potentially toxic plumes from in situ seabed excavation and from the return water pumped back down to the seafloor. However, the spatial extent of the impact of deep-sea mining is still uncertain because few field experiments and models of plume dispersion have been conducted. In this study, we used three-dimensional hydrodynamic models of the Azores region together with a theoretical commercial mining operation of polymetallic SMS to simulate the potential dispersal of plumes originating from different phases of mining operations, and to assess the magnitude of potential impacts. Although the model simulations presented here were subject to many caveats, they did reveal some important patterns. The model projected marked differences among sites making generalisations about plume-dispersal patterns in mid-ocean ridges difficult. Nevertheless, the models predicted large horizontal and vertical plume-dispersals above the thresholds adopted. Persistent plumes (temporal frequency >50%, i.e., 6 months out of 12 months) were projected to disperse an average linear distance of 10 to 20 km, cover an area of 17 to 150 km2, and extend more than 800 m in the water column. In fact, the model projected that plumes may disperse beyond the licensed mining areas, reach the flanks and summits of nearby topographic features, and extend into the bathypelagic, mesopelagic, and epipelagic environments. Modelled plume-dispersal overlaps with the predicted distribution of cold-water corals and with existing fishing activities. These potential impacts would be of particular concern in regions such as the Azores, where local populations are highly dependent on the sea for their livelihoods. The findings of this study are an important initial step towards understanding the nature and magnitude of deep-sea mining impacts in space and time.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling the Dispersion of Seafloor Massive Sulphide Mining Plumes in the Mid Atlantic Ridge Around the Azores

et al. 2022

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“…In the 1960s, the United States first proposed the subsea towed bucket mining system, Japan proposed the continuous chain bucket mining system, and France proposed the shuttle ship mining system. Then, in the 1980s, France, Korea, Russia, USA, China, India, Germany, and Italy proposed the pipeline lift mining system, as shown in Figure 4a [73]. Based on considerations of economy, mining efficiency, technology, environmental impact, etc.…”

Section: Mining Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since 1970, deep-sea polymetallic nodule simulation mining experiments have often focused on exploration in developed countries [73]. Over time, nodule mining simulation experiments have come to focus on issues of environmental impact.…”

Section: Mining Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Migration and Diffusion of Suspended Sediments on the Seabed Environment during Exploitation of Deep-Sea Polymetallic Nodules

Fan

Jia

Chu

et al. 2022

Water

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With the increase in demand for metal resources, research on deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining has been reinvigorated, but the problem of its environmental impact cannot be ignored. No matter what method is used for mining, it will disturb the surface sediments of the seabed, thereby increasing the concentration of suspended solid particles and metal ions in the water body, changing the properties of the near-bottom water body and sediments, and affecting biological activity and the living environment. Focusing on the ecological and environmental impacts of deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining, taking as our main subject of focus the dynamic changes in sediments, we investigated the environmental impacts of nodule mining and their relationships with each other. On this basis, certain understandings are summarized relating to the ecological and environmental impacts of deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining, based on changes in the engineering geological properties of sediment, and solutions for current research problems are proposed.

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“…Therefore, studying the sinkage mechanism of deep-sea sediment, and establishing the corresponding pressure-sinkage constitutive model, are of great significance for the analysis of the shear strength and traction force of the subsea mining vehicles, the prediction of the driving resistance, and the establishment of design guidelines. However, due to the difficulty in obtaining the deep-sea sediment in situ owing to the extreme environment and high cost, a reasonable simulated soil is widely used as an experimental sediment for studying the mechanical properties of deep-sea sediment and subsea mining vehicles [13][14][15]. To-date, many constitutive models have been proposed and applied to study the pressure-sinkage behaviors of deep-sea sediment, which can be divided into several categories, including empirical models, component models, fractional-order derivative models, and so on [17][18][19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on the Pressure–Sinkage Process and Constitutive Model of Deep-Sea Sediment

Wei

Cao

Xia

2022

JMSE

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The driving performance of subsea mining vehicles is greatly affected by the pressure–sinkage characteristics of deep-sea sediment. Therefore, it is of great importance to analyze the microscopic properties of deep-sea sediment and establish the corresponding pressure–sinkage model for the safe operation of subsea mining vehicles. Hence, the present paper focuses on the physical properties of deep-sea sediment to provide a preliminary understanding of its pressure–sinkage process and evolution according to the solid–liquid two-phase flow characteristics and particle flow mechanism. In addition, the stress loading time and the rheological theory are applied in order to introduce a four-element model that describes the various pressure–sinkage stages that correspond to each stage of deep-sea sediment evolution. On this basis, the parameters of the pressure–sinkage constitutive model are determined by a specific calculation method. Moreover, a new pressure–sinkage constitutive model of deep-sea sediment that considers the time-variable mechanical properties is established in order to describe the full sinkage process. Finally, research results from the existing literature and experimental data are used to verify the rationality and correctness of the model. The results show that the proposed pressure–sinkage constitutive model is in good agreement with experimental data and is effective in describing the evolution of the mechanical properties and the trend in the sinkage rate of deep-sea sediment at various stages. A comparison with the Kelvin model indicates that the proposed pressure–sinkage constitutive model provides superior accuracy with the use of fewer parameters. Consequently, this study can provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the design of subsea mining vehicles.

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A brief review of recent progress on deep sea mining vehicle

Cited by 88 publications

References 32 publications

Modelling the Dispersion of Seafloor Massive Sulphide Mining Plumes in the Mid Atlantic Ridge Around the Azores

Modelling the Dispersion of Seafloor Massive Sulphide Mining Plumes in the Mid Atlantic Ridge Around the Azores

Effects of Migration and Diffusion of Suspended Sediments on the Seabed Environment during Exploitation of Deep-Sea Polymetallic Nodules

Study on the Pressure–Sinkage Process and Constitutive Model of Deep-Sea Sediment

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