Arrangements for diverting and removing spoil created when a microtrench is being cut. The disclosed arrangements divert the debris and dust away from the microtrench during the cutting process. In optional embodiments, a spoil vacuum system is used to remove the dust particles during the debris diversion process. In further optional embodiments, a microtrench slot cleaning tool and slot vacuum system may be used. The microtrencher can be mounted on a skid-steer loader or a similar support vehicle.

Provided are an agent for decreasing the fluidity of a solid-liquid mixture (agent), and a method for decreasing the fluidity of a solid-liquid mixture within a short time while preventing an increase in the volume of the solid-liquid mixture, regardless of the chemical composition of the solid-liquid mixture. The agent is a granular material having a structure formed by entangled fibers. In one embodiment of the agent, the granular material has an average particle diameter of 300 m or less and a specific surface area of 0.25 to 100 m2/g inclusive as measured by a BET method. In another embodiment of the agent, the granular material has a porosity of 50% or more and a specific surface area of 0.25 to 100 m2/g inclusive. It is preferred that each of the fibers contains a hydrophilic polymer; the hydrophilic polymer is preferably cellulose, the solid-liquid mixture is preferably mud.

A deep sea mining method includes providing a deep sea mining system for mining matter from a bottom of a body of water, the mining system including: a slurry line coupled with a pump system to transport the slurry from the bottom of the body of water; and a return line in fluid communication with the slurry line and distinguishable from the slurry riser, for transporting non valuable slurry part to the bottom of the body of water, the return line having a return line outlet proximate the bottom. The deep sea mining method further includes spreading the non valuable slurry part over the bottom of the body of water in a controlled manner.

A deep sea mining method includes providing a deep sea mining system for mining matter from a bottom of a body of water, the mining system including: a slurry line coupled with a pump system to transport the slurry from the bottom of the body of water; and a return line in fluid communication with the slurry line and distinguishable from the slurry riser, for transporting non valuable slurry part to the bottom of the body of water, the return line having a return line outlet proximate the bottom. The deep sea mining method further includes spreading the non valuable slurry part over the bottom of the body of water in a controlled manner.

The present invention relates to a system and its equipments to collect mineral ores on the seabed and to float them up to the sea surface by utilizing the buoyancy of a liquid having a specific gravity less than that of water at room temperature. It is an underwater navigator capable of autonomous navigation that descends at a specific gravity of around 1.0 with a ballast that cancels buoyancy when descending from the sea surface, and ascends at a specific gravity of around 1.0 by exchanging mineral ores with the ballast on the seabed. On the seafloor, it is accompanied by a device that collects seabed mineral ores for the underwater vehicle.

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.

A system and method of off shore mining for retrieval and extraction of heavy mineral concentrate from placer deposits or other suitable materials. The system comprises a dredge vessel and a barge, coupled in conjunction to the dredge vessel. The dredge vessel having thereon a dredging unit, at least one gravity separator and spiral separators for procurement of total heavy minerals from dredged sediment and debris. The barge is configured to acquire and process the total heavy minerals, wherein the barge has thereon at least one magnetic separator, electro-magnetic separators, and density separators for separation of desired minerals based on their physical properties. The system further comprises at least one discharge conduit for tailing of wastes, leftover after extraction and separation of desired minerals, back into water bodies.

The present invention relates to a device for laying pipes (1) in the ground, the device comprising a ploughshare (2) with a ploughshare shoe (3), wherein the ploughshare shoe (3) has at least one displacement element (5) protruding in a laying direction (4), a drill (6), which drill (6) is connected to the ploughshare (2) and comprises at least one drill head (7) arranged in a drill head housing section (7a) of a drill housing and a conveyor device (8) arranged in a conveyor housing section (8a) of the drill housing for removing drilled material, and a connection device (9) for connecting a pipe (1) to be laid to the drill (6), wherein the ploughshare (2) is arranged behind the drill (6) when viewed in the laying direction (4).

In some embodiments, a system may include a harvesting unit configured to operate under water to traverse and extract gas from clathrate hydrate deposits. The harvesting unit can include a housing defining an enclosure at least partially open along a bottom portion to receive a clathrate slurry associated with a selected one of the clathrate hydrate deposits. The harvesting unit may further include a separator chamber within the housing defining a negative pressure and configured to receive the clathrate slurry and a skirt coupled to the enclosure adjacent to the bottom portion and configured to form a flexible barrier between the enclosure and an external environment. The skirt may be formed from a plurality of elements configured to allow fluid flow therethrough.

The present invention relates to a system for collecting, lifting, and recovering seabed mineral resources, specifically, a device wherein hydrogen gas is evolved on the seabed, resources are lifted by the buoyancy of the gas to the sea surface, and the hydrogen gas which has become an excess buoyancy source during the lifting and recovering is absorbed into an organic substance including toluene, thereby yielding hydrogenated compounds including cyclomethylhexane to recover the energy required for hydrogen gas production.