A conveyance system includes a conveyance device including a first conveyance mechanism configured to convey freight supplied from a loader, and a second conveyance mechanism configured to convey the freight supplied from the first conveyance mechanism, a weight detection device configured to detect weight of the freight loaded on the second conveyance mechanism, and a control apparatus. The control apparatus includes a first conveyance control unit configured to control the first conveyance mechanism. The first conveyance control unit controls the first conveyance mechanism based on a detection value of the weight detection device.

A piece of submarine mining equipment comprises an equipment body, a plurality of adaptive submarine mining collectors and respective mineral delivery pipes. The equipment body and the adaptive submarine mining collectors are connected through the mineral delivery pipes. The lengths, stretching out of the equipment body, of the mineral delivery pipes can be adjusted under control. The adaptive submarine mining collectors are provided with tracked traveling mechanisms and can autonomously travel under control. An underwater detector is used for detecting the submarine topography and mineral distribution in the vicinity of an operation area, and the traveling path of the submarine mining collectors and a mineral storage vehicle is reasonably planned according to detected information. The multiple adaptive submarine mining collectors simultaneously and independently work and are made light and small, thus reducing damage of mining operations to the submarine ecological environment. The equipment body can travel along flat submarine paths and avoid rough paths. Horizontal vortexes induced by the mining collectors can enhance the mining effect and improve the collecting power under unit power consumption so that fewer water pumps with smaller sizes can be configured, and the mining collectors have a smaller principle dimension, thereby greatly reducing energy consumption and being more environmentally friendly.

Systems and methods for recovering and concentrating rare earth elements from seabed sediment deposits using seabed excavators and shipboard processing systems.

A multi-stage seafloor mining system that has at least concentration stage, a reclamation stage, and a haulage stage. The system includes a concentrating system (50) that processes seafloor materials, a reclaimer machine (300) that collects the processed seafloor materials, and a mechanical haulage system (40) that receives the processed seafloor materials collected by the reclaimer machine (300) and conveys discrete parcels of the processed seafloor materials to a surface vessel (100).

An offloading vacuum system. The system has a tank to capture debris from an excavation site. The debris is pulled into the tank due to a blower pulling air into an attached hose. An internal conveyor within the tank conveys material to an offloading hub. The offloading hub has a ground-facing door which opens to deposit debris into an external conveyor. The external conveyor, when deployed, can move debris from below the tank to a dump container with a wall greater than a height of the tank.

An offloading vacuum system. The system has a tank to capture debris from an excavation site. The debris is pulled into the tank due to a blower pulling air into an attached hose. An internal conveyor within the tank conveys material to an offloading hub. The offloading hub has a ground-facing door which opens to deposit debris into an external conveyor. The external conveyor, when deployed, can move debris from below the tank to a dump container with a wall greater than a height of the tank.

A material handling apparatus may be employed to transfer discrete loads of excavated waste from an excavator or other excavation equipment to a dumping location beyond the reach of the excavator. The material handling apparatus may include a mobile bridge supported by two or more crawlers that enable movement of the mobile bridge. The material handling apparatus may further include a conveyance mechanism that transfers material between first and second ends of the mobile bridge. The conveyance mechanism may transfer material to haul trucks at the second end of the mobile bridge, which may be disposed above the first end of the mobile bridge. The conveyance mechanism may receive material from an intermediate transfer mechanism at the first end of the mobile bridge.

A material handling apparatus may be employed to transfer discrete loads of excavated waste from an excavator or other excavation equipment to a dumping location beyond the reach of the excavator. The material handling apparatus may include a mobile bridge supported by two or more crawlers that enable movement of the mobile bridge. The material handling apparatus may further include a conveyance mechanism that transfers material between first and second ends of the mobile bridge. The conveyance mechanism may transfer material to haul trucks at the second end of the mobile bridge, which may be disposed above the first end of the mobile bridge. The conveyance mechanism may receive material from an intermediate transfer mechanism at the first end of the mobile bridge.

A vacuum-assisted hole digger includes a central vacuum tube extending at an upper end from a handle assembly to a digger head assembly attached at a lower end, the digger head including a scraper blade assembly within a housing formed of an orifice plate and saw blade. The orifice plate attaches to the central vacuum tube, an extraction aperture formed in the orifice plate opening into the tube. Air entry apertures formed in the orifice plate outside of the vacuum tube have a total area smaller than the area of the evacuation aperture, which obtains enhanced airflow rates through the digger housing upon connection of the upper vacuum tube opening with a vacuum source. The blade edges of the scraper blade assembly abrasively engage the soil face when digging in a manner that obtains reduction in soil particle size and enhances soil particle airflow entrainment.

A vacuum-assisted hole digger includes a central vacuum tube extending at an upper end from a handle assembly to a digger head assembly attached at a lower end, the digger head including a scraper blade assembly within a housing formed of an orifice plate and saw blade. The orifice plate attaches to the central vacuum tube, an extraction aperture formed in the orifice plate opening into the tube. Air entry apertures formed in the orifice plate outside of the vacuum tube have a total area smaller than the area of the evacuation aperture, which obtains enhanced airflow rates through the digger housing upon connection of the upper vacuum tube opening with a vacuum source. The blade edges of the scraper blade assembly abrasively engage the soil face when digging in a manner that obtains reduction in soil particle size and enhances soil particle airflow entrainment.