Deep Water Locomotion Tests of Polymetallic Nodule Mining Machine

Abstract

India has been developing technology for deep sea mining for seabed exploration and exploitation of polymetallic nodules from the Central Indian Ocean (CIO). This is done using a crawler type underwater mining machine which collects the polymetallic nodules from the ocean floor. The locomotion of the deep sea mining system is done by a track based vehicle. The mining machine has to collect the nodules from the soft seabed which is less than 2kPa and the controlled locomotion of the mining machine is very challenging on the soft seabed. To estimate the traction parameters and behavior of the deep sea mining machine is pre-requisite for developing the Integrated Mining System for 6000 m depth operations. An experimental locomotion system (Varaha-I) was designed and developed for deep water locomotion test on soft seabed soil to measure the traction and system parameters during static and dynamic conditions.This paper presents an indigenously designed and developed remote controlled subsea mining system and preparation of the subsea mining machine for testing the locomotion on deep sea soil. It also brings out performance of the mining machine during locomotion in Central Indian Ocean (CIO) at 5270 m depth.