Theoretical design and dynamic simulation of new mining paths of tracked miner on deep seafloor

With comprehensive considerations of the operational safety and collection efficiency for the tracked miner collecting the seafloor poly-metallic nodules, two new improved mining paths for the miner on the deep seafloor were proposed. Compared to the conventional mining path, the design principles and superiorities of the two new paths are that the miner turning with relative long radius should avoid large sinkage and high slip, so as to ensure its operational safety, while the space between its straight-line trajectories before and after the turning is optimum, which is designed as the total width of the miner, and collect nodules as more as possible, so as to ensure its collection efficiency. To realize the new mining paths, theoretical designs and quantitative calculations were carried out to determine the exact positions for the speed controls of the miner during its whole operation process. With the new dynamic model of the miner, and through regulations of the speeds of the left and right tracks of the miner on the exact motion positions according to the theoretical calculations, the two new improved mining paths for the miner on the seafloor were successfully simulated, thus the turning radius of the miner in the simulation is about 21.8 m, while the distance between the straight-line trajectories before and after the turning is about 5.2 m. The dynamic simulation results preliminarily prove the feasibility of these two new mining paths, and further can provide important theoretical guidance and useful technical reference for the practical tracked miner operation and control on the seafloor.

An Integrated Dynamic Model of Ocean Mining System and Fast Simulation of Its Longitudinal Reciprocating Motion

An integrated dynamic model of China＇s deep ocean mining system is developed and the fast simulation analysis of its longitudinal reciprocating motion operation processes is achieved. The seafloor tracked miner is built as a three-dimensional single-body model with six-degree-of-freedom. The track-terrain interaction is modeled by partitioning the track-terrain interface into a certain number of mesh elements with three mutually perpendicular forces, including the normal force, the longitudinal shear force and the lateral shear force, acting on the center point of each mesh element. The hydrodynamic force of the miner is considered and applied. By considering the operational safety and collection efficiency, two new mining paths for the miner on the seafloor are proposed, which can be simulated with the established single-body dynamic model of the miner. The pipeline subsystem is built as a three-dimensional multi-body discrete element model, which is divided into rigid elements linked by flexible connectors. The flexible connector without mass is represented by six spring-damper elements. The external hydrodynamic forces of the ocean current from the longitudinal and lateral directions are both considered and modeled based on the Morison formula and applied to the mass center of each corresponding discrete rigid element. The mining ship is simplified and represented by a general kinematic point, whose heave motion induced by the ocean waves and the longitudinal and lateral towing motions are considered and applied. By integrating the single-body dynamic model of the miner and the multi-body discrete element dynamic model of the pipeline, and defining the kinematic equations of the mining ship, the integrated dynamic model of the total deep ocean mining system is formed. The longitudinal reciprocating motion operation modes of the total mining system, which combine the active straight-line and turning motions of the miner and the ship, and the passive towed motions of the pipeline, are proposed and simulated with the developed 3D dynamic model. Some critical simulation results are obtained and analyzed, such as the motion trajectories of key subsystems, the velocities of the buoyancy modules and the interaction forces between subsystems, which in a way can provide important theoretical basis and useful technical reference for the practical deep ocean mining system analysis, operation and control.

Design and implementation of model test installation of heave compensation system of deepsea mining

In order to validate the simulation model and develop heave compensation control strategy,heave compensation model tests were performed.The model test installation includes themining ship motion simulator,the heave compensation system,the lifting pipe simulator,the buffer simulator and the water pool.The tests ofmining ship motion simulator show that it is able to perform under the predetermined attitude path smoothly and can meet the requirements of themining ship motions.The heave compensation effect is more than 60% under random wave and the goal is set to be 50%.The model test results indicate that this heave compensation system is effective and feasible.

Some Characteristics of Niobium Mineral Resources of Low and Medium Grade Oxide Ores in the Main and Eastern Mining Areas at the Bayan Obo Mine

Since the low and medium grade oxide ores in the Main and Eastern Mining Areas at the Bayan Obo Mine have a high grade of Nb_2O_5 and large ore reserves and are rich in many elements,they are of greater value to use in development and recovery than other kinds of niobium minerals resources.The dissemination characteristics and processing properties of four types of niobium minerals are summarised and methods and results of niobium mineral processing are also described.

Influence of aluminium and lead on activation of magnesium as anode

Mg-6%Al, Mg-5%Pb and Mg-6%Al-5%Pb （mass fraction） alloys were prepared by induction melting with the protection of argon atmosphere. Their electrochemical activations in different electrolyte solutions were investigated by galvanostatic test. The microstructures of these alloys and their corroded surfaces were studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry and emission spectrum analysis. The results show that the activation of magnesium is not prominent when only aluminum or lead exists in the magnesium matrix, but the coexistence of the two elements can increase the activation. The activation mechanism of Mg-Al-Pb alloy is dissolving-reprecipitating and there is a synergistic effect between aluminium and lead： the precipitated lead oxides on the surface of the alloy can facilitate the precipitation of Al（OH）3, which can peel the Mg（OH）2 film in the form of 2Mg（OH）2AI（OH）3 and activate the magnesium matrix.

Corrosion behavior of Mg-Al-Pb and Mg-Al-Pb-Zn-Mn alloys in 3.5% NaCl solution

Mg-6%Al-5%Pb and Mg-6%Al-5%Pb-0.55%Zn-0.22%Mn(mass fraction) alloys were prepared by induction melting with the protection of argon.The corrosion behaviors of these alloys were studied by electrochemical measurements and immersion tests.The results show that at the corrosion onset of Mg-Al-Pb anode there is an incubation period that can be shortened with 0.55%Zn and 0.22%Mn additions in the magnesium matrix.The corrosion rate of Mg-Al-Pb anode is mainly determined by the incubation period.Short incubation period always leads to high corrosion rate while long incubation period leads to low corrosion rate.The corrosion rates based on the corrosion current density by the electrochemical measurements do not agree with the measurements evaluated from the evolved hydrogen volume.

Analysis on Shock Wave Speed of Water Hammer of Lifting Pipes for Deep-Sea Mining

Water hammer occurs whenever the fluid velocity in vertical lifting pipe systems for deep-sea mining suddenly changes. In this work, the shock wave was proven to play an important role in changing pressures and periods, and mathematical and numerical modeling technology was presented for simulated transient pressure in the abnormal pump operation. As volume concentrations were taken into account of shock wave speed, the experiment results about the pressure-time history, discharge-time history and period for the lifting pipe system showed that： as its concentrations rose up, the maximum transient pressure went down, so did its discharges; when its volume concentrations increased gradually, the period numbers of pressure decay were getting less and less, and the corresponding shock wave speed decreased. These results have highly coincided with simulation results. The conclusions are important to design lifting transporting system to prevent water hammer in order to avoid potentially devastating consequences, such as damage to components and equipment and risks to personnel.

Dynamic Analysis of the Seafloor Pilot Miner Based on Single-Body Vehicle Model and Discretized Track-Terrain Interaction Model

In order to achieve the complex dynamic analysis of the self-propelled seafloor pilot miner moving on the seafloor of extremely cohesive soft soil and further to make it possible to integrate the miner system with some subsystems to form the complete integrated deep ocean mining pilot system and perform dynamic analysis, a new method for the dynamic modeling and analysis of the miner is proposed and developed in this paper, resulting in a simplified 3D single-body vehicle model with three translational and three rotational degrees of freedom, while the track-terrain interaction model is built by partitioning the track-terrain interface into discrete elements with parameterized force dements built on the theory of terramechanics acting on each discrete dement. To evaluate and verify the correctness and effectiveness of this new modeling and analysis method, typical comparative studies with regard to computational efficiency and solution accuracy are carried out between the traditional modeling method of building the tracked vehicle as a multi-body model and the new modeling method. In full consideration of the particMar structure design of the pilot miner, the special characteristics of the seafioor soil and the hydrodynamic force of near-seafloor currnt, the dynamic simulation analysis of the miner is performed and discussed, which can provide useful guidance and reference for the practical miner system in design and operation. This new method can not only realize the rapid dynamic simulation analysis of the miner but also make possible the integration and rapid dynamic analysis of the complete integrated deep ocean mining pilot system in further researches.

Removal of Co(Ⅱ) from aqueous solution by complexation-ultrafiltration and shear stability of PAA-Co complex

Removal of Co(Ⅱ) from aqueous solutions by complexation-ultrafiltration was investigated using polyacrylic acid sodium(PAAS) as complexing agent with the help of rotating disk membrane,and the shear ability of PAA-Co complex was studied. The effects of the mass ratio of PAAS to Co(Ⅱ)(P/M) and pH on the rejection of Co(Ⅱ) were studied,and the optimum conditions were P/M=8 and pH=7. The rejection of Co(Ⅱ) was over 97% when the rotating speed of the disk(n)was less than 710 r/min at the optimum P/M and pH. The distribution of the forms of cobalt on the membrane surface was established by the membrane partition model, and the critical shear rate,the smallest shear rate at which the PAA-Co complex begins to dissociate,was calculated to be1.4×10^4 s^-1,and the corresponding rotating speed was 710 r/min.The PAA-Co complex dissociated when the shear rate was greater than the critical one. The regeneration of PAAS and recovery of Co(Ⅱ) were achieved by shear-induced dissociation and ultrafiltration.

Physicochemical and environmental characteristics of alkali leaching residue of wolframite and process for valuable metals recovery

Physicochemical and mineralogical characteristics of an alkali leaching residue of wolframite were studied by XRD,SEM−EDS,chemical phase analysis,mineral liberation analyzer(MLA),and TG−DSC methods.Batch leaching tests,toxicity characteristic leaching procedure(TCLP)tests and Chinese standard leaching tests(CSLT)were conducted to determine the environmental mobility of toxic elements.The results show that,due to the high contents of W,Fe,Mn,Sn,and Nb,the residue is with high resource value,but the content of a toxic element,As,is also high.The existing minerals of the investigated elements mainly occur as monomer particles,but it is difficult to extract these valuable metals by conventional acid leaching due to their mineral properties.The release of As increases over time in acidic environment.The leaching concentration of all investigated harmful elements through TCLP is within the limiting value,while the leaching concentration of As through CSLT exceeds the limiting value by more than 4 times,so the residue is classified as hazardous solid waste based on the Chinese standard.A process for valuable metals recovery from this residue was proposed.Preliminary experimental results indicated that the main valuable metals could be extracted effectively.

Selective flotation of chalcopyrite from pyrite via seawater oxidation pretreatment

The flotation separation of chalcopyrite from pyrite has attracted increasing attention due to the consumption of vast water resources and depressants.This study proposed the seawater oxidation pretreatment for non-depressant flotation separation of chalcopyrite from pyrite,as an effective and environmentally friendly strategy.Without the addition of depressants,seawater oxidation for 3 d effectively depressed pyrite flotation,with the highest recovery difference greater than 70%and a selectivity index greater than 6 between chalcopyrite and pyrite.The surface investigation showed that pyrite surface was more readily oxidized to form hydrophilic Fe oxidants/oxyhydroxides,as compared to that of chalcopyrite.Further UV-visible spectrophotometer and Fourier transform infrared spectrum(FTIR)results indicated that xanthate was less adsorbed onto the treated pyrite surface,resulting in un-floatable particles.Chalcopyrite surface was changed slightly due to seawater oxidation,thereby insignificantly affecting its flotation.The coordination theory was further used to reveal the combination mechanisms between xanthate and pyrite or chalcopyrite.This study therefore provides a promising strategy to effectively separate chalcopyrite from pyrite,especially in the freshwater-deficient area.

Multi-Objective Optimization for an Industrial Grinding and Classification Process Based on PBM and RSM

The grinding and classification process is one of the key sub-processes in mineral processing, which influences the final process indexes significantly and determines energy and ball consumption of the whole plant. Therefore, optimal control of the process has been very important in practice. In order to stabilize the grinding index and improve grinding capacity in the process,a process model based on population balance model(PBM) is calibrated in this study. The correlation between the mill power and the operating variables in the grinding process is modelled by using the response surface method(RSM), which solves the problem where the traditional power modeling method relies on some unobservable mechanism-related parameters. On this basis, a multi-objective optimization model is established to maximize the useful power of the grinding circuit to improve the throughput of the grinding operation and improve the fraction of –0.074 mm particles in the hydrocyclone overflow to smooth the subsequent flotation operation. The elite non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II(NSGA-II) is then employed to solve the multi-objective optimization problem. Finally, subjective and objective weighting methods and integrated multi-attribute decision-making methods are used to select the optimal solution on the Pareto optimal solution set. The results demonstrate that the throughput of the mill and the fraction of –0.074 mm particles in the overflow of the cyclone are increased by 3.83 t/h and 2.53%, respectively.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Approach to the Effect of Mixing and Draft Tube on the Precipitation of Barium Sulfate in a Continuous Stirred Tank

The effect of mixing on the precipitation of barium sulfate in a continuous stirred tank is simulated nu- merically with different feeding location, feed concentration, impeller speed and residence time through solving the standard momentum and mass transport equations in combination with the moment equations for crystal population balance. The numerical method was validated with the literature data. The simulation results including the distribu- tion of the local supersaturation ratio distribution in the precipitator, mean crystal size and coefficient of variation under different operating conditions compared well with experimental data in the literature. The effect of the pres- ence of a draft tube on precipitation were also investigated, and it is suggested that the installation of a draft tube increased the mean crystal size, in general agreement with experimental work in the literature.

Influence on the Solid−Liquid Two-Phase Flow from Cross-Section Area of Slurry Pumps for Deep-Sea Mining

To explore the mechanism of solid-liquid two-phase flow in deep-sea mining pumps,this paper investigates the influences of the impeller cross-section area on the multi-phase flow in the slurry pump.Experimental and numerical results are presented for two-phase flow in four impellers with different cross-section areas.They show that the degree of vortex strength and the passing capacity of particles increase as the cross-section area of the impeller.In addition,the correlations between the two-phase flow and cross-section area have been revealed by a mathematical model taking the force of the flow field into account.The simulation results confirm the theoretical analysis,while the experimental pump performances validate the numerical calculation.The influence of the cross-section area on two-phase flow and pump performance could provide theoretical support for the design of high-performance deep-sea mining slurry pumps.

Kinetics study of leaching arsenic from Ni-Mo ore roasting in dust mixture of hydrochloric and sulfuric acids

The kinetics of leaching arsenic from Ni-Mo ore roasting dust was investigated. The effects including leaching temperature, particle size of the smelter dust, stirring speed, the coefficient β（the molar ratio of sodium chlorate to arsenic in the smelter dust） and the initial H＋ concentration on leaching arsenic were studied. The results indicate that the leaching of arsenic increases sharply with the decrease of particle size. The orders of reaction with respect to H＋ concentration and particle size are determinted to be 1.136 and 1.806, respectively. The leaching of arsenic reaches 99% under experimental conditions, the apparent activation energy is determined to be 11.157 kJ/mol, which is consistent with the values of activation energy for diffusion model The kinetics equation of leaching arsenic from the roasting dust could be expressed by a semi-empirical equation as 1-2/3η （1 -η）^2/3 = k0（c[H＋]）^1.136ro^-1.806 exp[（-11157 /RT）t].

Experimental investigation of clam water impact on flatted-bottom seafloor mining tool

A test rig for constant velocity water entry experiments was developed that drives a flatted-bottom section attached on six degree of freedom(6-DOF) platform to enter the water vertically at near constant velocity.The experiment system,which consists of drive and actuation system,water pool,model test sections,load cell,and control system,was presented.Water entry forces of different velocities were measured during impact process,and for each test case,three runs were performed with the same motion program to check the repeatability of the force readings.The experiment results are compared with two-dimensional(2D) CFD simulation methods for flatted-bottom rigid bodies with constant entry velocity.Experimental results indicate that the impact forces mainly depend on water entry velocities.It is concluded that the feasibility and accuracy of simulation methods has been validated.

External-to-internal synergistic strategy to enable multi-scale stabilization of LiCoO_(2)at high-voltage

High-voltage LiCoO_(2)(LCO)offers a prelude to breaking the bottleneck of the energy density of lithium-ion batteries,however,LiCoO_(2)is subject to serious structural and interfacial degradation above voltages>4.55 V(vs.Li/Li^(+)).Herein,an in-situ Li_(6.25)La_(3)Zr_(2)A_(l0.25)O_(12)(LLZAO)layer is constructed on the LCO surface to achieve operating voltage at 4.6 V.The detailed characterizations(ex-situ XRD,ex-situ Raman,DFT,etc.)reveal that the LLZAO layer greatly enhances Li+conductivity attributed to the ionconducting layer on the surface/interface,and closely combines with LiCoO_(2)particle to ensure stable cathode/electrolyte interface,thus suppressing the highly reactive Co^(4+)and O^(-)triggered surface side reactions at high-voltage.Moreover,the introduction of La^(3+)/Zr^(4+)/Al^(3+)with a larger ionic radius(La^(3+)/Zr^(4+)are larger than Co^(3+))and weaker electronegativity(La/Zr/Al are weaker than Co)into Co^(3+)sites readjusts the electron cloud density between Co–O–Li,which reinforces the Co–O bond and widens the band-center gap of Co 3d and O 2p,thus restraining the detrimental phase transition(from H3 to H1-3 phase)and the formation of Co_(3)O_(4)spinel phase(attributed to lattice oxygen release),subsequently alleviating the particle cracking and structural collapse during repeated Li^(+)de/intercalation.Therefore,after 100 cycles at 3.0–4.6 V,LCO@1.0LLZAO exhibits a superior discharge capacity of 188.5 m A h g^(-1),with a capacity retention of 85.1%.The above research has brought about meaningful guidance for the evolution of cathode materials with high voltage.

Suppressed Internal Intrinsic Stress Engineering in High-Performance Ni-Rich Cathode Via Multi layered In Situ Coating Structure

LiNi_(x)Co_(y)Al_(z)O_(2)(NCA)cathode materials are drawing widespread attention,but the huge gap between the ideal and present cyclic stability still hinders their further commercial application,especially for the Ni-rich LiNi_(x)Co_(y)Al_(z)O_(2)(x>0.8,x+y+z=1)cathode material,which is owing to the structural degradation and particles'intrinsic fracture.To tackle the problems,Li_(0.5)La_(2)Al_(0.5)O_(4)in situ coated and Mn compensating doped multilayer LiNi_(0.82)Co_(0.14)Al_(0.04)O_(2)was prepared.XRD refinement indicates that La-Mn co-modifying could realize appropriate Li/Ni disorder degree.Calculated results and in situ XRD patterns reveal that the LLAO coating layer could effectively restrain crack in secondary particles benefited from the suppressed internal strain.AFM further improves as NCA-LM2 has superior mechanical property.The SEM,TEM,XPS tests indicate that the cycled cathode with LLAO-Mn modification displays a more complete morphology and less side reaction with electrolyte.DEMS was used to further investigate cathode-electrolyte interface which was reflected by gas evolution.NCA-LM2 releases less CO_(2)than NCA-P indexing on a more stable surface.The modified material presents outstanding capacity retention of 96.2%after 100 cycles in the voltage range of 3.0-4.4 V at 1C,13%higher than that of the pristine and 80.8%at 1 C after 300 cycles.This excellent electrochemical performance could be attributed to the fact that the high chemically stable coating layer of Li_(0.5)La_(2)Al_(0.5)O_(4)(LLAO)could enhance the interface and the Mn doping layer could suppress the influence of the lattice mismatch and distortion.We believe that it can be a useful strategy for the modification of Ni-rich cathode material and other advanced functional material.

Numerical Study of Solid-Liquid Two-Phase Flow in StirredTanks with Rushton Impeller(Ⅱ) Prediction of Critical Impeller Speed

Three-dimensional solid-liquid flow is mathematically formulated by means of the 'two-fluid' approach and the two-phase k-ε-AP turbulence model. The turbulent fluctuation correlations appearing in the Reynolds time averaged governing equations are fully incorporated. The solid-liquid flow field and solid concentration distribution in baffled stirred tanks with a standard Rushton impeller are numerically simulated using an improved 'inner-outer'iterative procedure. The flow pattern is identified via the velocity vector plots and a recirculation loop with higher solid concentration is observed in the central vicinity beneath the impeller. Comparison of the simulation with experimental data on the mean velocities and the turbulence quantities of the solid phase is made and quite reasonable agreement is obtained except for the impeller swept volume. The counterpart of liquid phase is presented as well.The predicted solid concentration distribution for three experimental cases with the average solid concentration up to 20% is also found to agree reasonably with the experimental results published in the literature.

Numerical Simulation of Macroscopic Mixing in a Rushton Impeller Stirred Tank

The macroscopic mixing in a stirred tank with different tracer injection locations, impeller speeds and impeller positions is simulated numerically by solving the transport equation of the tracer based on the whole flow field in the baffled tank with a Rushton disk turbine numerically resolved using the improved inner-outer iterative procedure. Predicted mixing time is compared well with the literature correlations. The predicted residence time distribution of the stirred tank is very close to the present experimental results. The effect of the installation of a draft tube on the mixing time and residence time distributions is addressed.