07.03.2014 Views

standardization of environmental data and information - International ...

standardization of environmental data and information - International ...

standardization of environmental data and information - International ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

nodules to be collected was limited to 80 mm <strong>and</strong> they would be crushed to<br />

less than 30 mm, the maximum size that would leave the crusher. The<br />

crusher moved from side to side <strong>and</strong> delivered into the pump.<br />

As fewer parameters would be transmitted during the test in situ, a<br />

simpler umbilical could be used. Special hose joints had been devised so<br />

that the crawler could be lifted by the hose if the umbilical failed. As these<br />

joints would be strong enough to raise the crawler, it was less likely to be<br />

lost at sea. There was a contingency plan for h<strong>and</strong>ling the system.<br />

The existing crawler had mobility in all directions, with its rear<br />

chassis limited to one point about which the entire axle could move. Each<br />

wheel on the tracks was connected to a bearing that could move<br />

independently <strong>of</strong> the wheel in front -- a nice arrangement for uneven<br />

topography.<br />

For the deep-sea mining test, an in situ geotechnical test would first<br />

be done at 6000 m to design specifications for the varying requirements<br />

<strong>and</strong> weight combinations <strong>of</strong> the crawler. As the Sagar Kanya, a<br />

government-owned ship, did not have a dynamic positioning system, mining<br />

time would be limited, because if the weather turned bad there would be a<br />

large wind change. Therefore, the crawler could not be kept down for more<br />

than eight hours, <strong>and</strong> launching <strong>and</strong> retrieving took a lot <strong>of</strong> time. Indian<br />

researchers wanted to mount a dynamic positioning system on the ships, so<br />

that they could work under more comfortable conditions <strong>and</strong> do more tests<br />

per cruise.<br />

The system was ready, except that it had to be encapsulated for the<br />

6000-m test. Before they were put down into the sea, the main<br />

components would be tested in a hyperbaric chamber capable <strong>of</strong> testing at<br />

6000 m. The entire system had been tested at 50 m to prove that it<br />

worked.<br />

The first in situ test would be completed in 2002. Then, in 2002-<br />

04, the collector-crusher qualifications would be worked out, <strong>and</strong> finally the<br />

crawler would be fabricated after 2004. India expected to conduct the<br />

nodule mining experiment in 2007-08.<br />

INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 181

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!