S/F Double-wall Fuel Tank,Underground Fuel Tanks,Diesel Fuel Storage Tank,Gasoline Storage Tank Hebei aoliande Chemical Equipment Co., Ltd , https://www.aoliandechemical.com
Cobalt-rich crust mining technology
Cobalt-rich crusts (also known as manganese crusts, iron, manganese crusts) mineral resources is one of the most attractive bottom of the ocean, there is depth of 500 ~ 4000m Fu seamount, the slope of the island, rich in cobalt, platinum, nickel, manganese, copper, iron, phosphorus, Chin, zinc, lead and other metals, the average cobalt content highest grades of up to 0.8% to 1.2%, up to 2%, generally greater than 0.5%, the cobalt content is in the polymetallic nodules It is four times higher than the terrestrial primary ore, and the average platinum content is 80 times higher than that of the corresponding land deposit. According to the survey results, there are a large number of cobalt crust deposits in the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. The potential resources of the cobalt-rich crust deposits may reach 1 billion tons and the cobalt metal content reaches several million tons.
Developed countries such as the United States, Germany, Japan, and Russia have invested heavily in technical research on exploration, mining, and smelting of cobalt crust resources, and great progress has been made. In 1998, during the fourth session of the International Seabed Authority, Russia formally submitted to the Authority the requirements for the development of relevant regulations for the development of seabed cobalt crusts. A few developing countries such as China and South Korea have also actively carried out research work on cobalt crust mining technology in the past decade.
   I. Investigation of cobalt-rich crusts
In 1981, Peter Halbach led the "German Midpac I" cruise ship to conduct a first systematic survey of the Line Islands in southern Hawaii, and found that the Pacific Ocean ranged from 800 to 250 ohms. Potential resources for cobalt crusts with great economic value. Subsequently, a series of voyage surveys were carried out to systematically study the distribution of cobalt crust resources, geophysical and chemical properties and genesis of the deposits in the Pacific Ocean.
The United States Geological Survey conducted a series of voyage surveys in the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean from 1983 to 1984 and found the equatorial Pacific Ocean in the exclusive economic zone of the Pacific Island countries (including the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and the Commonwealth of Kiribati). There are many cobalt-rich crust deposits with mining value in the exclusive economic zone of the United States (Hawaii, Johnston Islands) and the seamounts of 800 to 2400 m deep in the Central Pacific International Sea. Only the Hawaiian Johnston Atoll Economic Zone 5 The amount of cobalt crust in the target area of ​​10,000 km 2 reached 300 million tons. According to estimates at the time, this resource was mined for tens of thousands of years in the United States.
Since 1986, Russia has planned to carry out geological exploration of cobalt crusts. Between 1986 and 1993, 23 voyages were surveyed in the northern equatorial northern equatorial zone. The survey area was 2 million km 2 . The regional survey was conducted in Magellan Seamount, South Marcus-Wick Seamount, Marshall Islands Seamount, and Lane Island. A cobalt crust ore belt was drawn from the seamount area, and the first two seamount areas were surveyed.
In 1994, the “Technical and Economic Plan for the General Survey of Cobalt Crust Exploration in the Magellan Seamount†was proposed, and the boundaries of some deposits were delineated. The ore reserves of the crusts in the detailed inspection section and the experimental mining area and the predicted resources of the entire deposit were calculated. The working methods and specifications of the exploration stage were formulated, and the cobalt crust test mining design was compiled to find hydrological, ecological and environmental conditions.
In 1986, Japan collected samples of cobalt-rich crusts in the area of ​​the Minami Torisima Islands and established the Cobalt Crust Investigation Committee. In July-August 1987, the State-owned Metal Mining Association conducted a survey in the waters of the Mino-Wake Islands with a water depth of 550 to 3700 m. Some cobalt-crusted ore layers with an average thickness of 3 cm were found, and the cobalt content of the land was More than 10 times. In 1991 for the Western Pacific seamounts No. 5 Takuyou conducted a survey and found that memory in the range of less than 1500m depth of the flat terrain of 3000km 2 in abundance> a large number of cobalt-rich crusts 4 kg / m 2, the total reserves of about 096 million t. In addition, a large amount of cobalt crusts were found under seabed sediments, and the resources of cobalt crusts far exceeded previous estimates.
Since 1983, the Korea Ocean Development Research Institute (KORD I), funded by the Korea Ministry of Science and Technology and the Korea Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has started deep sea mining research. From 1989 to 1991, the Korea Ocean Development Research Institute and the US Geological Survey conducted joint exploration of the Clarion-Klimpatton fault zone and the Western Pacific Region. Since 2000, South Korea has implemented a cobalt knot for about one month each year. Shell survey, located in the Magellan Seamounts and the Central Pacific Ocean. The 2001 survey was conducted in an international area in the northern Marshall Islands, with a total of six seamounts selected. Preliminary results show that the cobalt crust is thicker at the depth of less than 2000m, including 0.5%-0.8% cobalt, 0.4%-0.5% nickel, and 20%-22% manganese.
Since 1997, China has officially started a planned preliminary survey of the Central Pacific Seamounts (located on the northern edge of the Central Pacific Basin, west of the Hawaii-Tianhuang Seamount Chain, and the international waters between the US Wake Exclusive Economic Zone and the Hawaii Special Economic Zone). The analysis of the survey results of five seamounts shows that the cobalt crusts are mainly distributed on the tops and slopes of Pingdinghai with a water depth of 1700-3500m. The Co grade of the shallower crusts is between 0.7% and 0.9%. The Co grade of the water depth is between 0.5% and 0.6%, the average thickness is 3cm, and the thickest is up to 13cm. The thickness of the top edge is the largest and the cobalt grade is also high. Wherein an area of 3 seamounts 153,965,000 km 2, the amount of cobalt metal 2,410,000 t, nickel equivalent 1413.31 million t.
  Second, the research status of cobalt-rich crust mining technology
Since the early 1980s, after the German scientific research vessel conducted a special investigation on the cobalt-rich crust of the Central Pacific Ocean, the cobalt-rich crust has been highly valued by governments around the world and closely followed by oceanographers. Developed countries such as the United States, Japan, and Russia have carried out a series of development studies on cobalt-rich crust deposits in their exclusive economic zones, and proposed corresponding cobalt-rich crust mining methods, including those proposed by American experts. “Self-propelled mining machine-cobalt-crusted cobalt crust mining methodâ€, “Trail-type mining machine-pipe-lifting cobalt crust mining method†proposed by Japanese experts and “Winding traction flexible spiral drum cutting mining†proposed by Russian experts Three mining methods, such as machine-pipeline lifting cobalt crust mining method, are currently in the research stage.
(1) Self-propelled mining machine - pipeline raised cobalt crust mining method
A cobalt crust mining system for "self-propelled mining machines - pipeline lifting" proposed by American experts. The self-propelled seabed cobalt crust mining vehicle equipped with multiple mechanical arms cuts the cobalt crust and its bedrock, and the broken cobalt crust and its bedrock are sucked into the storage bin by the hydraulic suction device, and then crushed and divided. After the selection, it adopts the pneumatic lifting method to be upgraded to the surface support ship by the lifting pipe, and has five functions of mining, stripping, large-scale crushing, sorting, lifting and transportation. The mining system is well adapted to the complex micro-topography, but it must address the technique of the cutting head floating with micro-topography.
The requirements for commercial mining of this method are shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Conditions for commercial mining of self-propelled mining machines - pipeline lifting methods
condition
index
condition
index
Depth of deposit
Sea bottom inclination
Deposit area
Crust deposit coverage
800~2400m
Average 100° (maximum 20°)
10~50km 2
60%
Production scale
Crust thickness
Ore metal grade
Continuous operation time
1 million t/a
Average 4cm (maximum 10cm)
Co0.9%, Ni0.5%, Mn28%, Pt0.4ppm
225d
The cobalt crust mining vehicle is driven by 8 triangular walking tracks to adapt to the changing terrain. The driving speed is 0.2m/s, the working power is 900kW, the length is 13m, the width is 8m, and the air is 100t. Equipped with 6 robotic arms with cutting heads, the working height of the collecting head is adjusted by the up and down movement of the robot arm. The crust block broken by the cutting head is sucked into the storage bin by a hydraulic suction device installed behind the boom.
Latimer John R and Halard et al. carried out experimental research on the crushing method, and studied and designed the crushing method, lifting method and the adaptability of the cutting tool to the ground. Professor Winard, Larson, Tandanand et al. The physical and mechanical properties of the shell and its bedrock were tested and a comprehensive basic technical preparation was carried out for the commercial mining of cobalt crusts.
(2) Towed mining machine - pipeline raised cobalt crust mining method
The towed mining machine-pipeline raised cobalt crust mining system proposed by Japan, the sea surface mining vessel pulls the seabed mining machine through the mining pipe to collect the cobalt crust, after the whole grain, separation and gradually remove the sediment, the air Lifting the way to transport. The main body of the test miner is supported by a slide-like gantry and towed on the bottom surface. It is 13m long, 5m wide and 5m high. The weight in the water is about 10t. It is collected by pressure water jet.
The mining method was tested in the seamounts of 4,300 to 4,900 m in the southeast of the Hawaiian Islands in 1985. It was continuously mined for 4 h, and 4 t was produced. The average sample was about 75 kg per bucket. In 1993, actual mining tests were carried out on the western Pacific Ocean at a depth of 1500 m, north latitude 23 and west diameter 153 seamounts, with an average of 100 kg of ore samples collected per bucket. In 1997, after improving the mechanism of spherical roller winch and bucket automatic unloading, the actual mining test was successfully carried out on the Takuyou seamount of 2200m in the western Pacific.
The test found that the towing type mining machine-pipe lifting cobalt crust mining method can not effectively control the running track of the bucket, can not adapt to the changes of the seabed topography and crust, the recovery rate is low, the production capacity fluctuates, and the design ability is not guaranteed. It is not suitable for large-scale mining. Therefore, the research on the mining method of the self-propelled-hydraulic lifting method was carried out, and the cobalt crust mining method was proposed. The mining system collects and cuts the crust by a submarine mining or concentrating vehicle, and uses a submersible pump to pipe to the surface support vessel. Among them, submarine mining vehicles or mining vehicles are self-propelled vehicles, self-propelled vehicles including mechanical cutting, crushing, hydraulic mining systems, sediment separation devices, feeding devices and collecting heads, weight and power, structure and control The system is complex; the pipeline includes steel pipes and hoses.
According to the mining method of the cobalt crust, the mining vehicle patent based on the spiral cutting type crushing method is applied, and the mining efficiency is improved by changing the position and structure of the drum type cutting head and the drum type mining head of the mining machine.
(III) Winch traction flexible spiral drum cutting mining machine-pipeline lifting cobalt crust mining method
Since 1987, Russia has carried out a 6-day cobalt crust exploration study on the Magellan Seamount in the Central Pacific Ocean. Based on the physical and mechanical properties of the crust and its bedrock, the “Electric Cobalt Crust Mining Vehicle Method†was proposed. During the operation, the mining vehicle is lowered to the bottom of the sea via the diving platform, and the mining vessel retreats a certain distance, and an anchored winch seat connected with the diving platform is installed. The motor is started, the screw drum shaft is driven by the reducer, the cutting knife and the pick on the drum cut the crust, the pump blade rotates, and the crust is evenly sucked, and the lift pump is lifted to the water support ship through the vertical riser.
The flexible spiral drum of the mining machine is composed of two parts, the left and right spirals, and the two ends of each spiral are placed in the bearing seat, and the two spiral drums are respectively driven by the motor at the outer bearing seat through the reducer. The outer surface of the spiral drum is provided with a cutting knife and a pick, and the inside is provided with a blade to constitute an axial flow pump. The outer surface of the spiral drum cutter and the pick is provided with two elastic outer covers in the axial direction. The outer cover is reinforced with rubber, and is hinged together by a metal skeleton. The spiral roller shaft is connected with the elastic outer cover wall by a tie rod at regular intervals. The shafts at both ends of the drum include a suction hose connected to the floating frame, supported on the traveling wheel, and connected to the traction wire through a plurality of cable chains.
The ore lifting adopts two schemes: pump lifting and rope lifting. The former upgrades the ore in the cabin and separates it into the cabin. The ore pumped into the pipeline is deposited in the in-tube screen hopper hanging on the vertical steel wire rope. Lift, the empty section goes down the pipe.
The mining method has a simple mechanism and is promising for mining cobalt crusts with unpredictable microtopography.