A mining riser pipe is extended from above water toward a water bottom containing water bottom resources, and a lower portion of an insertion pipe connected to a lower portion of the mining riser pipe is inserted into the water bottom. A liquid is supplied into the insertion pipe and a rotation shaft extends axially inside both of pipes is rotated to rotate stirring blades attached to a lower portion of the rotation shaft inside the insertion pipe, thereby drilling and dissolving mud S inside the insertion pipe into a slurry form is raised to an upper portion of the insertion pipe by a stirring flow generated by the rotation of the stirring blades, and the raised mud is lifted above the water through the mining riser pipe by lifting force.

A mining riser pipe is extended from above water toward a water bottom containing water bottom resources, and a lower portion of an insertion pipe connected to a lower portion of the mining riser pipe is inserted into the water bottom. A liquid is supplied into the insertion pipe and a rotation shaft extends axially inside both of pipes is rotated to rotate stirring blades attached to a lower portion of the rotation shaft inside the insertion pipe, thereby drilling and dissolving mud S inside the insertion pipe into a slurry form is raised to an upper portion of the insertion pipe by a stirring flow generated by the rotation of the stirring blades, and the raised mud is lifted above the water through the mining riser pipe by lifting force.

A method of pumping material from a sea floor to a vessel on a sea surface, including the steps of collecting material from the sea floor using a production tool, connecting the production tool to the vessel with a riser including a riser transfer pipe, and pumping the material from the production tool to the vessel using a subsea slurry lift pump positioned between the production tool and the vessel and attached to the production tool by the riser transfer pipe. The method further includes backflushing the riser transfer pipe by running seawater through the slurry lift pump into the riser transfer pipe toward the production tool.

A method of pumping material from a sea floor to a vessel on a sea surface, including the steps of collecting material from the sea floor using a production tool, connecting the production tool to the vessel with a riser including a riser transfer pipe, and pumping the material from the production tool to the vessel using a subsea slurry lift pump positioned between the production tool and the vessel and attached to the production tool by the riser transfer pipe. The method further includes backflushing the riser transfer pipe by running seawater through the slurry lift pump into the riser transfer pipe toward the production tool.

Amines and amine derivatives that improve the buffering range, and/or reduce the chelation and other negative interactions of the buffer and the system to be buffered. The reaction of amines or polyamines with various molecules to form polyamines with differing pKa's will extend the buffering range, derivatives that result in polyamines that have the same pKa yields a greater buffering capacity. Derivatives that result in zwitterionic buffers improve yield by allowing a greater range of stability.

Amines and amine derivatives that improve the buffering range, and/or reduce the chelation and other negative interactions of the buffer and the system to be buffered. The reaction of amines or polyamines with various molecules to form polyamines with differing pKa's will extend the buffering range, derivatives that result in polyamines that have the same pKa yields a greater buffering capacity. Derivatives that result in zwitterionic buffers improve yield by allowing a greater range of stability.

A method and equipment for harvesting natural gas from seabed hydrates are disclosed. The preferred equipment includes a mobile riser, a water injection nozzle, a gas collector, a gas separator, a gas compressor, a water pump, and a water boiler. A fraction of produced gas is used to heat water which is in turn injected to seafloor for dissociating gas hydrates. The preferred method of the invention comprises producing natural gas from seabed hydrates using a production ship with a moving riser installed. This method eliminates the need of drilling wells and thus cuts cost of gas production tremendously.

Provided is an undersea mining base capable of corresponding with slopes and undulations of seabed ore deposits. The undersea mining base includes a seabed mineral mining device configured to form a pit in a seabed ore deposit and a platform equipped with the seabed mineral mining device and capable of self-traveling in at least one of an X direction and a Y direction.

A mining riser pipe is extended from above water toward a water bottom containing water bottom resources, and a lower portion of an insertion pipe connected to a lower portion of the mining riser pipe is inserted into the water bottom. A liquid is supplied into the insertion pipe and a rotation shaft extends axially inside both of pipes is rotated to rotate stirring blades attached to a lower portion of the rotation shaft inside the insertion pipe, thereby drilling and dissolving mud S inside the insertion pipe into a slurry form by is raised to an upper portion of the insertion pipe by a stirring flow generated by the rotation of the stirring blades, and the raised mud is lifted above the water through the mining riser pipe by a lifting force.

A mining riser pipe is extended from above water toward a water bottom containing water bottom resources, and a lower portion of an insertion pipe connected to a lower portion of the mining riser pipe is inserted into the water bottom. A liquid is supplied into the insertion pipe and a rotation shaft extends axially inside both of pipes is rotated to rotate stirring blades attached to a lower portion of the rotation shaft inside the insertion pipe, thereby drilling and dissolving mud S inside the insertion pipe into a slurry form by is raised to an upper portion of the insertion pipe by a stirring flow generated by the rotation of the stirring blades, and the raised mud is lifted above the water through the mining riser pipe by a lifting force.