CN-121976804-A - Fully-closed flexible isolation plume suppression device for deep sea mining operation and use method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of deep sea mining engineering, in particular to a fully-closed flexible isolation plume suppression device for deep sea mining operation and a use method thereof, wherein the fully-closed flexible isolation plume suppression device comprises a flexible isolation cover which is circumferentially connected with a counterweight skirt, and the flexible isolation cover is provided with a passage opening; the flexible channel structure is connected with the proximal end, the magnetic sealing structure is arranged between the channel opening and the flexible channel structure, the floating ball hoisting and posture control structure comprises a floating ball unit, the floating ball unit can be connected with the connecting joint in a releasing way through a hoisting cable, the floating ball unit comprises a floating ball and a pressure-resistant integrated unit, a variable pressure water carrying cabin, an electric water pump and a water level sensor are arranged in the floating ball, an electric winch is arranged in the pressure-resistant integrated unit, and the end part of the hoisting cable is connected with a lifting hook through a tension sensor. The invention can construct a totally enclosed submarine operation space which can be rapidly assembled and disassembled and is convenient to migrate and repeatedly use, and the space is completely and physically isolated from the peripheral marine environment, thereby fundamentally preventing the spread of plume.

Inventors

• GUO XINGSEN
• LIANG DONGFANG
• JIA YONGGANG
• FENG YAOHUI
• LAI YING
• YIN JIFU
• ZHENG HAO
• DENG YINAN
• WANG ZIYU
• XIU ZONGXIANG
• LI LEI

Assignees

• 中国海洋大学三亚海洋研究院
• 中国海洋大学
• 浙江大学
• 中交疏浚技术装备国家工程研究中心有限公司
• 长沙矿冶研究院有限责任公司
• 广州海洋地质调查局
• 自然资源部第一海洋研究所

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20260403

Claims (10)

1. 1. A fully enclosed flexible isolation plume suppression device for deep sea mining operations, comprising: The flexible isolation cover is provided with a connecting joint at the top and an annular counterweight skirt at the bottom along the circumferential direction, and is provided with a passage port for the mining vehicle to enter and exit; The flexible channel structure is coiled through ROV operation of an underwater robot, and the coiled state is kept by utilizing an electromagnetic lock buckle arranged on the outer wall of the flexible isolation cover; The floating ball hoisting and attitude control structure comprises at least one floating ball unit, wherein the floating ball unit is connected with a connecting joint in a releasable way through a hoisting cable system, the floating ball unit comprises a floating ball and a pressure-resistant integrated unit connected to the lower part of the floating ball, a ventilation valve is arranged at the top of the floating ball, a variable-pressure water carrying cabin, an electric water pump for adjusting the water quantity of the floating ball and a water level sensor for monitoring the water level in the cabin are arranged in an inner cavity of the floating ball, an electric winch for winding and unwinding the hoisting cable system and driven by a waterproof motor is arranged in the pressure-resistant integrated unit, and the end part of the hoisting cable system is connected with a lifting hook through a tension sensor.
2. 2. The fully-enclosed flexible isolation plume suppression device for deep sea mining operation according to claim 1, wherein the annular counterweight skirt is formed by connecting a plurality of counterweights end to end, and a bolt buckle type quick connecting mechanism is arranged between two adjacent counterweights and comprises a columnar male head with a spring reset button, a corresponding conical guide female groove and an inner clamping tongue.
3. 3. The fully enclosed flexible barrier plume abatement device for deep sea mining operations of claim 1 wherein the flexible barrier is composited with a layer of reinforcing mesh woven from high modulus fibers in the outer surface or sandwich of the peripheral edge of the passage opening.
4. 4. A totally-enclosed flexible isolation plume suppression device for deep sea mining operation is characterized in that a channel opening is connected with a rigid magnetic pressure plate serving as a sealing matrix in a reinforcing mesh, a high-performance permanent magnet array packaged in an anti-corrosion mode is embedded in the rigid magnetic pressure plate, flexible magnetic rubber sealing strips capable of being adsorbed and sealed with the rigid magnetic pressure plate are sewn inside edges of two sides of the channel opening in a flexible channel structure, and a distributed pressure sensing sheet for confirming the position and sealing state of the channel is embedded in the surface of the rigid magnetic pressure plate matched with the flexible magnetic rubber sealing strips.
5. 5. The fully enclosed flexible isolation plume suppression device for deep sea mining operations according to claim 1, wherein the flexible isolation cover and the flexible channel structure are both made of PVDF composite membrane material.
6. 6. The fully-enclosed flexible isolation plume suppression device for deep sea mining operations according to claim 1, wherein the distal bottom of the flexible channel structure is provided with independent weights, and when the flexible channel structure is unfolded, the underwater robot ROV carries the independent weights to straighten the channel and press the seabed by gravity.
7. 7. The fully-enclosed flexible isolation plume suppression device for deep sea mining operations according to claim 1, wherein the flexible isolation cover is provided with pressure balance valve groups which are respectively communicated with the inside and the outside of the flexible isolation cover, the inside and the outside of the flexible isolation cover are respectively provided with high-precision pressure sensors which are electrically connected with the pressure balance valve groups, and the high-precision pressure sensors are configured to trigger a pressure balance valve group switch when the pressure difference between the inside and the outside exceeds a set threshold value.
8. 8. The fully-enclosed flexible isolation plume suppression device for deep sea mining operation according to claim 1, further comprising a central control and guarantee unit integrated in the pressure-resistant integrated unit, wherein the central control and guarantee unit comprises an underwater programmable logic controller, a deepwater power battery pack, an underwater power distribution unit, a backup battery and a communication network, the deepwater power battery pack supplies power to the underwater programmable logic controller through the underwater power distribution unit, and the underwater programmable logic controller is electrically connected with the vent valve, the electric water pump, the water level sensor, the tension sensor and a waterproof motor for driving the electric winch through waterproof cables respectively.
9. 9. The fully enclosed flexible isolation plume suppression device for deep sea mining operations according to claim 8, wherein the underwater programmable logic controller is configured to receive command signals of the offshore platform through a communication module, and coordinate the electric water pump and the electric winch to execute buoyancy adjustment and cable retraction actions, and the communication module is an underwater sound communication module or a wired communication module.
10. 10. A method of using the fully enclosed flexible barrier plume abatement device for deep sea mining operations as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising the steps of: Spreading and unfolding a flexible isolation cover in a submarine operation area through an ROV (unmanned aerial vehicle), connecting ring-shaped counter weight skirt-like counter weights end to end, and pressing the edges of the cover body; When the mining vehicle needs to enter and exit, the underwater robot ROV expands the flexible channel structure and seals the channel opening, the mining vehicle operates in the closed space, and the plume is limited in the cover; And the disassembling and recovering step, namely after the operation is finished, the flexible channel structure is rolled up by the ROV of the underwater robot, the counterweight skirt is disassembled, the connection between the floating ball unit and the flexible isolation cover is released, and the modules are recovered respectively.

Description

Fully-closed flexible isolation plume suppression device for deep sea mining operation and use method Technical Field The invention relates to the technical field of deep sea mining engineering, in particular to a fully-closed flexible isolation plume suppression device for deep sea mining operation and a use method thereof. Background Deep sea mining plume abatement technology refers to a series of engineering techniques developed and applied during deep sea mining operations to reduce, control or eliminate particulate matter (i.e., plumes) suspended in a body of water as a result of agitation of submarine sediment by mining equipment (e.g., a mining machine, conveyor system). If not controlled, the plume will spread to a wide area under the action of ocean flow, causing serious and long-term impact on the marine ecological environment. Currently, prior art solutions attempt to inhibit plume spread by constructing a bubble barrier. For example, chinese patent publication No. CN119914294 a discloses a bubble barrier plume suppression device suitable for deep sea mining operations, which forms a square box-shaped bubble barrier by arranging a plurality of submarine bubble releasing units around a mining vehicle, wraps and guides plumes with rising bubble curtains to limit the spreading range thereof. However, this prior art based on open bubble barriers still has the following significant drawbacks: 1. The inhibition effect is not thorough, the escape risk exists, and the bubble barrier is essentially an air curtain wall and is not a physical closed structure. Under the impact of complex submarine dark current, vortex or disturbance of the mining vehicle, the plume can still penetrate through the weak links of the bubble curtain and spread outside the barrier, so that zero emission in a complete sense cannot be realized. 2. The system has high energy consumption and poor running economy, and in order to maintain an effective bubble curtain, the system needs a compressor on a water surface ship to continuously supply a large amount of compressed air and convey the compressed air through a long pipeline, so that the energy consumption is huge. Meanwhile, in order to cope with the changed plume, a complex monitoring and feedback control system is required to dynamically adjust each branch air valve, so that the complexity and the operation cost of the system are further increased. 3. The environmental disturbance has uncertainty that the bubble curtain can severely disturb local water body in the rising process, the physical and chemical properties of the peripheral water body can be changed, and a driving or attracting effect is generated on swimming organisms, and the secondary environmental disturbance caused by the inhibition means is an inherent disadvantage. 4. The deployment is limited, the adaptability is poor, the bubble release unit needs to be fixed on the seabed through a bracket, the deployment on soft, uneven or steep seabed topography is difficult, the formed barrier is fixed in shape, and the specific requirements of different mining areas are difficult to flexibly adapt. Disclosure of Invention Aiming at the defects of the prior art, the invention provides the totally-enclosed flexible isolation plume suppression device for deep sea mining operation and the use method thereof, which can be rapidly assembled and disassembled, are convenient to deploy and recycle, and realize the construction of a flexible operation chamber which is completely and physically isolated from the external environment in a deep sea mining area by combining the floating ball hoisting system with the counterweight structure around the membrane body, thereby fundamentally avoiding plume diffusion and simultaneously improving the reusability and the seafloor topography adaptability of the system. The invention is realized by the following technical scheme: Provided are a totally enclosed flexible isolation plume suppression device for deep sea mining operation and a use method thereof, wherein the device comprises the following components: The flexible isolation cover is provided with a connecting joint at the top and an annular counterweight skirt at the bottom along the circumferential direction, and is provided with a passage port for the mining vehicle to enter and exit; The flexible channel structure is coiled through ROV operation of an underwater robot, and the coiled state is kept by utilizing an electromagnetic lock buckle arranged on the outer wall of the flexible isolation cover; The floating ball hoisting and attitude control structure comprises at least one floating ball unit, wherein the floating ball unit is connected with a connecting joint in a releasable way through a hoisting cable system, the floating ball unit comprises a floating ball and a pressure-resistant integrated unit connected to the lower part of the floating ball, a vent valve is arranged at the top of the floating ball, a variable-pressure