Session: 04-05-02 Subsea Structures & Equipment II

Submission Number: 182226

Optimization of Tail Liquid Emission Methods in Mining Vehicles: A Numerical and Experimental Study 

Tail liquid emissions from subsea mining vehicles can lead to significant environmental consequences, including marine pollution and habitat disruption. Improper discharge of these liquids may introduce harmful substances into the ocean, jeopardizing marine ecosystems. Therefore, optimizing tail liquid emission methods is essential for minimizing environmental impact and ensuring the long-term sustainability of subsea mining operations.

This paper investigates the plume emission from mining vehicles, with a focus on validating numerical simulations through experimental data. Experiments were conducted in a circular tank, where turbidity sensors and cameras were used simultaneously to monitor the plume diffusion process, ensuring accurate and comprehensive data collection. An Euler-Euler two-fluid model was employed to simulate the emission process, and the numerical results were rigorously compared with experimental observations to validate the simulation approach.

The study examines the effects of various exhaust port configurations, including a novel momentum-reducing counterflow emission design, as well as the influence of wake Reynolds number (Re) on plume dispersion. The experimental results demonstrate that the emission method significantly influences the initial diffusion pattern, particularly the plume morphology and velocity distribution at the moment of emission. However, its impact diminishes in the later stages of diffusion and settling. These findings not only provide strong validation for the numerical simulations but also offer valuable insights into optimizing tail liquid emission strategies and predicting plume diffusion behaviors in subsea mining operations.

Keywords: Mining vehicle, plume emission, Euler-Euler two-fluid model, wake Reynolds number, momentum reduction

Presenting Author: Baiyuan Zhang State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Presenting Author Biography: Zhang Baiyuan, Ph.D. candidate at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, specializes in the design of mining equipment and fluid machinery for deep-sea mining. His research focuses on the development and optimization of technologies related to subsea resource extraction.

Authors:

Baiyuan Zhang State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Guocheng Zhao State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Longfei Xiao State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Lixin Xu Jiangsu Marine Technology Innovation Center