Buffer system for mining deep seafloor mineral resource

• Main Authors: YEU TAE-KYEONG, HONG SUP, KIM HYUNG-WOO, CHOI JONG-SU, MIN CHEON-HONG
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 10.05.2016
• Subjects: DREDGING; EARTH DRILLING; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; FOUNDATIONS; HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLIDMATERIALS OR FLUIDS; MINING; MINING OR QUARRYING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POSTAL SORTING; SEPARATING SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATICTABLES OR JIGS; SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS; SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATICTABLES OR JIGS; SOIL SHIFTING; SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTEDPIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING; TRANSPORTING

Disclosed is a buffer system for mining a deep seafloor mineral resource. The buffer system includes a hopper part that introduces and stores a crushed mineral resource to discharge the crushed mineral resource upward, a first pipe that communicates with an upper portion of the hopper part to introduce the mineral resource, a feeder part provided under the hopper part to discharge the mineral resources upward, a second pipe that communicates with the feeder part and lifts the mineral resource, a hydraulic part provided under the hopper part to convert power received from a surface boat into hydraulic power to operate at least one actuator and a driving motor to introduce the mineral resource into the first pipe, and a structure frame coupled to a lifting pipe to transmit an external load applied to the buffer system, and constituting an external frame of the buffer system to protect internal units.