Justification of Possibility to Use CassetteHType Minesweeper for Prospecting and Sampling of Nodule Fields

A.S. Kashirskiy, Yu.V. Kirichenko, E.A. Kuzin, A.E. Adigamov

Prospecting and exploration of ferromanganese nodule fields, which are a valuable source of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, is characterized with a large number of unresolved problems. A particular attention should be paid to the detailed exploration phase which defines the site boundaries, as well as density, volumes and conditions of nodule deposition. The paper reviews equipment and process flows of bulk sampling and recognizes positive experience in application of the box-type dragharrow. A cassette-type minesweeper developed by the authors is offered aiming to improve sampling reliability, accuracy and efficiency. Engineering calculations of the minesweeper have been made and the efficiency of its application has been compared with other known types of sampling equipment as applied to various methods of nodule field sampling. It was established that the use of the cassette-type minesweeper improves the performance and decreases the sampling time.

Key words: ferromanganese nodules, geological prospecting and exploration of mineral deposits, deep sea sampling, bulk samples; dragharrow, cassette-type minesweeper, improvement of sampling efficiency

Mining Industry Journal №3 (145) 2019, p.65–68