An Innovative Approach to the Problem of Transporting Spoil from Great Depths in Deep-sea Mining

The article presents an innovative approach to one of the key challenges in offshore mining – transporting ore from the seabed to the surface. Traditional methods, such as CLB (with continuareline bucket), HP (hydraulic pumping), ALP (air-lift pumping) or hybrid techniques, are associated with high energy consumption and high operating and environmental costs. To adddress these limitations, the authors propose an alternative solution based on the use of physicochemical phenomena, which significantly reduces energy consumption. The starting point is the analysis of basic physical principles, such as potential energy or the buoyancy principle, in the context of the aquatic environment and high pressure conditions at great depths. The authors consider the use of the natural properties of the working medium as a source of power for the ascent process, as well as the potential for energy recovery, which enhances the energy balance and the transport system’s efficiency. The article presents the results of theoretical and simulation studies, which have laid foundation for numerous patents and scientific publications. The authors emphasize the practical potential of the proposed solutions, indicating at the same time the need for further work on their implementation in real-world conditions.