A Simulation-Based Approach to Design a Dry Bulk Transshipment Terminal for Polymetallic Nodule Collection: A Discrete Event Simulation Study

There is a growing demand of various metals originating from the sustainable energy transition. The current supply and investments plans for these critical minerals are insufficient to enable this green energy transition. Other problems are the dependency of third countries and multiple drawbacks of land-mining. Deep-sea mining could be a great...

Preliminary Powerplant concepts of a DSM production support vessel

An extended multiphase drift-flux model with a discretized form of population balance equations for flocculation and settling process of cohesive sediment in deep-sea mining plumes

To meet energy demand towards a low-carbon future, the global market demand is growing for metals such as cobalt and nickel which are major elements in batteries. Polymetallic nodules, which are formed on abyssal plains at depths ranging from 4 to 6 kilometres and are distributed in high abundance on the top of the seabed, contains several times...

Plume dispersion of low-density clayey suspension turbidity currents created by deep-sea mining

Due to the increased demand for materials like cobalt and nickel, there is an interest to mine polymetallic nodules from the deep-sea. These nodules are abundantly distributed along the abyssal plains, e.g., the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the North East Pacific. These nodules lay spread on top of a seabed consisting of very fine clayey...

Small scale testing of crawler outlet diffusers for plume reduction of offshore mining

Over recent years, there has been an increase in demands for rare and precious minerals worldwide. Mostly this is due to the rise of the world’s population and the drive towards a green energy transition and low carbon economy. Prices are rapidly increasing, and there is an identifiable risk of an increasing supply shortage of raw materials,...

Numerical Simulation of Deep-Sea Minings Plume Using Arbitrary, Non-Orthogonal Mesh

In recent years, the demand for minerals and rare-earth elements are escalating due to rapid technological advancements and developments. This condition raises the importance of Deep-Sea Mining (DSM) as an option to fulfill the global demands, for the sake of future ambitious projects. On the other hand, DSM still faces some drawbacks and...

Technical feasibility study for slurry transport of the Atlantis II deep-sea mining field

Deep-sea mining is becoming more popular. The Atlantis II Deep is a deep sea mining field of metalliferous muds in the Red Sea. This field could be exploited by transporting the sediments through a pipeline laid from shore onto the sea bed to the field. From determined concentrations with their shear stress-shear rate relation, parameters for...

Deep-sea nodule mining: Vertical transportation of collected manganese nodules by means of mechanical lifting

With a rapidly growing population and subsequent technological developments, an increase in demand of rare-earth metals evolves. Land-based deposits seem to be insufficient and shortage impends within the coming decades. Mineral resources from the deep ocean are considered as a possible complement. These minerals occur in various forms. One of...