Study on a Green and Efficient Mining Mode for Seabed Minerals Based on Closed-cycle Lifting
5 affiliations
- 1China Ship Scientific Research Center, Wuxi 214082, China
- 2Taihu Laboratory of Deepsea Technological Science, Wuxi 214082, China
- 3College of Automation, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, China
- 4Zhongtian Technology Co., Ltd., Nantong 226000, China
- 5Zhejiang Heng'antai Petroleum Co., Ltd., Zhoushan 316000, China
Abstract
Deep-sea mineral resource exploitation constitutes a crucial component of marine development. Traditional hydraulic and pneumatic lifting technologies are confronted with prominent challenges, including plume pollution risks induced by tailwater discharge and economic limitations stemming from the restricted volumetric concentration of ore slurry. To address these bottlenecks, this study proposes a “closed-cycle lifting operation mode” oriented toward green and high-efficiency development requirements. The core influencing factors of deep-sea mining, such as environmental friendliness, economic efficiency and operational reliability, are systematically reviewed. Subsequently, a closed-cycle system scheme centered on dual-channel risers is proposed. Additionally, key technical challenges are analyzed in depth, covering the material and structural design of dual-channel risers, multiphase flow stability, system integrated control, as well as the pressure resistance and sealing performance of semi-enclosed relay stations. The research results demonstrate that the proposed mode establishes a closed circulation loop to realize the recycling of the lifting medium, thereby eliminating plume pollution caused by direct tailwater discharge. Meanwhile, the adoption of micro-foam medium effectively reduces the average density and flow resistance of ore slurry in pipelines, leading to a significant reduction in unit energy consumption for ore transportation. The closed-cycle lifting operation mode proposed in this paper can effectively meet both environmental and economic requirements of deep-sea mining, and represents a promising direction for the green and high-efficiency exploitation of deep-sea mineral resources in the future.
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BibTeX
@article{yongjun2026study,
title = {{Study on a Green and Efficient Mining Mode for Seabed Minerals Based on Closed-cycle Lifting}},
author = {WANG Yongjun and LI Wenbo and ZHANG Hao and HU Wentao and GAO Feinong and BIAN Xin and GE Jiuhao and PAN Pan and MENG Yu},
journal = {Haiyang Kaifa yu guanli},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.20016/j.cnki.hykfygl.2026.07.006},
url = {https://doi.org/10.20016/j.cnki.hykfygl.2026.07.006},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Study on a Green and Efficient Mining Mode for Seabed Minerals Based on Closed-cycle Lifting
AU - WANG Yongjun
AU - LI Wenbo
AU - ZHANG Hao
AU - HU Wentao
AU - GAO Feinong
AU - BIAN Xin
AU - GE Jiuhao
AU - PAN Pan
AU - MENG Yu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Haiyang Kaifa yu guanli
DO - 10.20016/j.cnki.hykfygl.2026.07.006
UR - https://doi.org/10.20016/j.cnki.hykfygl.2026.07.006
AB - Deep-sea mineral resource exploitation constitutes a crucial component of marine development. Traditional hydraulic and pneumatic lifting technologies are confronted with prominent challenges, including plume pollution risks induced by tailwater discharge and economic limitations stemming from the restricted volumetric concentration of ore slurry. To address these bottlenecks, this study proposes a “closed-cycle lifting operation mode” oriented toward green and high-efficiency development requirements. The core influencing factors of deep-sea mining, such as environmental friendliness, economic efficiency and operational reliability, are systematically reviewed. Subsequently, a closed-cycle system scheme centered on dual-channel risers is proposed. Additionally, key technical challenges are analyzed in depth, covering the material and structural design of dual-channel risers, multiphase flow stability, system integrated control, as well as the pressure resistance and sealing performance of semi-enclosed relay stations. The research results demonstrate that the proposed mode establishes a closed circulation loop to realize the recycling of the lifting medium, thereby eliminating plume pollution caused by direct tailwater discharge. Meanwhile, the adoption of micro-foam medium effectively reduces the average density and flow resistance of ore slurry in pipelines, leading to a significant reduction in unit energy consumption for ore transportation. The closed-cycle lifting operation mode proposed in this paper can effectively meet both environmental and economic requirements of deep-sea mining, and represents a promising direction for the green and high-efficiency exploitation of deep-sea mineral resources in the future.
SN - 1005-9857
ER -