Ocean Mining Techniques

Ocean Mining Techniques
K. Sandeep vamsi
M.Sc, M.Phil.
INTRODUCTION
Minerals have become very useful in our daily
life.
More consumption of these minerals is leading
to high demand.
In majority of the countries, lack of minerals or
depletion of minerals from the resources is
leading to high demand for particular minerals
during peace and also during the war time.
Lets take an example of India having high
demand for minerals, the last two wars
have caused depletion in resources in
petroleum, tin, lead and zinc.
Lead, zinc and tin supply is put at only
about 17-20 years from the known
sources.
Some of the critical minerals are
petroleum, petroleum products, S, Pb, Zn,
Cu, Ni, Hg, pt and minerals like industrial
diamond, graphite, cryolite, selenium.
Due to depletion of mineral resources,
researchers and scientists have found an
alternative, they have prospected minerals
resources in oceans. Many countries are
exploring and exploiting minerals from the
oceans.
we are going discuss what are the
minerals found in oceans and what are the
techniques used to mine minerals.
TYPES OF MINERALS FOUND IN
OCEANS
VMS volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits (metal
sulfide deposits)
Copper, zinc, lead, gold, silver
By-products include cobalt, sulfur, manganese,
barium, tin, cadmium, indium, tellurium
Formed by volcanic openings in ocean floor
Superheated water + sulfur borne metals wells out
forming a cone (black smokers / fumeroles)
Deposits the above metals
Very hot highly acidic local conditions while active
Petroleum deposits.
PROSPECTING
Acoustical devices
Optical systems
Navigation systems
Other devices and techniques

Acoustic techniques
1) Echo sounders operating at frequencies
between 3 and 35 kHz provide seabed and
subsurface profiles.
A 3.5 kHz profiler can penetrate the upper
50m of sediments and log irregularities
such as subsurface intrusions and surface
extrusions of basalt.
Bottom towed side scan sonars provide
information on obstacles and nodule
coverage. Echo sounders has sixteen narrow
beams each with an angle of 1.66 degree
giving detailed topographic data.
2) GLORIA, is another system towed 50m

below sea surface, maps the ocean floor in
swaths of 14,30 or 60km.
Optical systems
To make reasonably accurate estimates of
seabed minerals, analysts must have detailed
sample information on their type, volume,
density of distribution, and the amount of
sediments covering them.
Various large, still cameras with wide angle
lenses and a capacity for hundreds of frame
are used, as are small flashlight cameras
capable of only one shot. These units,
combined with boomerang sampling
devices, can take a photograph and then
return automatically to surface.
Other devices and techniques
1) Bathysonde, provide vertical profile
measurements of the water columns
pressure, temperature and salinity.
2) Geologists use various grabs, dredge
buckets, and corers. Seabed grab samples
taken at intervals can be analysed by
employing californium-252 radiation
source. The process works by measuring
gamma radiation given off by seabed
material after activation by neutrons.
Ocean mining methods
Mining manganese nodules
Mining polymetallic nodules using
continuous line bucket system
Continuous line bucket system (CLB)

consists of an 8 km cable on which
buckets were launched from the bow of a
former whaling ship.
In 1972 these CLB used to have only one
ship to collect the nodules, but only some
nodules were picked up, from the 1975
they used two ship to cover large area.
Hydraulic mining system
This system was conceptualized in 1988.
Its consisted of a semi-submersible surface
platform, a catamaran type; a 4800 m rigid steel
pipe string, and a flexible hose, 600m long and
with a 38 m centimeter internal diameter,
connecting the bottom of the pipe string to a
dredge on the seabed.
This hose would form an arc, allowing the
dredge to deviate from the route followed by the
surface platform so as to avoid obstacles.
The self propelled dredge would be 18 m
long, 15 m wide and 5 m high, weighing
330t.
crawling on the bottom, it would collect
nodules and condition them for pumping
through the flexible hose.
Thank You

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Ocean Mining Techniques

Other devices and techniques

2) GLORIA, is another system towed 50m

Continuous line bucket system (CLB)

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