SEA BOTTOM MINERAL RESOURCE MINING SYSTEM

摘要

PURPOSE: To make it possible to efficiently mine mineral resources at the bottom of the sea. ;CONSTITUTION: The system includes a mining control device 12 mounted on a self-propelled truck 11, a nuclear reactor 13, and a TV camera, and includes further a sea bottom base 10 comprising a plurality of mining machines 14 which are movable over the surface 18 of the bottom of the sea by the control from the device 12. The device 12 is connected to a control center at the nearest island by means of an optical fiber cable 15, whereby the truck 11, machines 14, and reactor 13 are controlled under a remote control from the control center. Each of the machines 14, while monitoring the sea bottom using the TV camera, moves within an area having a width of about 500 m as the truck 11 moves to mine and correct manganese nodules 17 scattered over the surface 18, thereby successively storing the nodules in storing places 19 disposed on the opposite ends of the aforementioned area.;COPYRIGHT: (C)1994,JPO&Japio