METHOD OF EXTRACTING MINERALS FROM BOTTOM OF ARCTIC SHELF Russian patent published in 2024 - IPC E21C50/02 E21C45/00 

FIELD: mining.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to offshore mining and enables to develop alluvial deposits from the bottom of the continental shelf in sub-zero temperatures. Method of extracting minerals from the bottom of the Arctic shelf involves development of a productive deposit, formation of ice-ground bodies with specific weight less than the specific weight of water and their entrapment. Productive deposit is developed along a spiral trajectory from the centre to its outer boundaries. Next cut is made with a pitch equal to the ripper pass width from the beginning of the previous cut. Ice-ground bodies are formed by mechanical ripping of productive deposit and supply of cooling agent to the bottom of the water area. Ice-ground bodies are caught on the surface of the water area by a boom trap and a floating ground pump with subsequent transportation via a floating pipeline to an ice-class vessel. Mechanical ripping is carried out by an underwater plough driven by a traction force of a cable connected to an ice-class vessel, and supply of cooling agent from ice-class vessel to jet system of underwater plough is carried out via pressure pipeline.

EFFECT: increasing the efficiency of mining from the bottom of the Arctic shelf.

1 cl, 2 dwg