Development and Testing of Underwater Mining Systems for Long Term Operations using Flexible Riser Concept

摘要

An underwater mining system using flexible riser concept was demonstrated for operations in the Indian seas at 410 metres water depth in 2000 for short duration. Based on the tests, enhancements were done on the mining system for long term operations in areas pertaining to distribution of buoyancy packs, sealing and heat dissipation arrangements. The mother ship was also equipped with Launch and Recovery System and Dynamic Positioning System. The modified system was tested for long term maneuverability and pumping operations at 451 m depth in 2006. The paper discusses the enhancements carried on the mining system and the mother vessel and the results from the sea tests.