WO2015012719A1 - Method for lifting liquid media to the surface and apparatus for carrying out said method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to mining and can be used for extracting a lava mass from magmatic sources located in craters of dormant volcanoes. The invention ensures the possibility of controllable and safe lifting of volcanic lava from magma lakes and transporting same to a location for complex processing. The lava is extracted according to the gas lift principle with a dispersing agent. Non-combustible fumarole gases which escape from the liquid medium being lifted and are recoverable during the process of transporting same are used as the working gas. If necessary, a mixture of said gases with other non-combustible gases is used. The apparatus is equipped with a receiving tank which is hermetically closed by a heat-protective casing, the bottom of which is inclined in the direction of a transport chute. A gas separator is connected to a compressor for injecting the mixture of gases into the dispersing agent by means of a gas discharge pipe which is connected to an additional gas storage tank. The transport chute is equipped with sectioned heat-insulating covers, in which there are openings which are connected to tanks for collecting the gases which can escape during the process of transporting the liquid medium, and with expansion reservoirs for stabilizing the flow and the temperature thereof by forced heating from external sources.

Description

 The method of lifting liquid media to the surface and device for its implementation

 The invention relates to mining and can be used to extract lava mass from magmatic lakes located in or near active or dormant volcanoes craters, both with access to the surface and at a depth.

 A known method of lifting liquid media using airlift systems consisting of a lift and air pipe connected in its lower part by an air pipe and the upper part by an air separator

[one]. It allows you to raise to the surface almost any liquid medium with a fairly wide range of properties. In this case, after the mixture of liquid medium and air reaches the surface, they naturally separate, due to pressure equalization, all air (gas mixture) is released into the atmosphere. When lifting toxic or simply smelling liquids, this is unacceptable for safety and environmental reasons.

The closest technical solution to the claimed one is airlift for molten salts, characterized in that, in order to more thoroughly clean the melt from sludge and gas, a filter element is installed at the outlet of the riser pipe in the air separator, containing a flange that fixes the latter on the riser pipe [2]. The disadvantage of this device is the inability to use the gases released from the melt, which can be pumped back into the melt or may contain valuable components. In addition, when lifting very hot liquid media, it is possible that the oxygen contained in the air supplied to the air duct will burn out and, as a result, the formation of a gas-liquid mixture is impossible, and equipment failure may also occur. The purpose of the invention is the provision of a controlled and safe ascent of volcanic lava from magma lakes and its transportation to the place of complex processing.

 This technical result is achieved by the fact that in the known method of lifting liquid media according to the airlift principle, which uses a device equipped with an air separator mounted directly on the lifting pipe, according to the invention, non-combustible fumarole gases released from the raised liquid medium and trapped are used as working gas in the process of its transportation, and in case of their shortage, their mixture with other non-combustible gases is used, and the device is equipped with a receiving tank, tightly closed equipped with a heat-shielding casing, the bottom of which has a slope towards the transport tray, the gas separator is connected to a compressor forcing the gas mixture into the dispersant by means of a gas outlet pipe, while the gas outlet pipe is connected both to the dispersant and to an additional gas storage tank used to receive excess emitted gases or to cover their shortage, and the transport tray is equipped with sectional insulating covers, in which there are openings connected to containers for collecting gases emitted in otsesse conveying fluid and expansion pools to stabilize the flow and its temperature, by causing the heating from external sources.

 The set of features indicated in the claims includes all the features, each of which is necessary, and all together are sufficient to obtain a technical result.

The proposed method and device can be applied as follows. The first option is the extraction of lava from magmatic lakes directly in the crater of the volcano. For example, the lava lake of the Tolbachik volcano in Kamchatka, located directly at the western border of the crater and having the form of a round dip with a diameter of 300 meters and depth up to 50 meters. Lava in the lake is very liquid and saturated with volcanic gases. A diagram of the implementation of the method and the design of the device shown in figures 1 and 2.

To start lava mining, at least three supports 2 are installed at the edges of crater 1, on which cables 3 are fixed by means of which a platform 5 with a hole is lowered onto the surface of lava lake 4, through which two columns of pipes made of ceramic construction material that can withstand elevated temperatures are lowered into the lava lake ( more than 1500 ^{° C} ) connected by dispersant 6, one of a larger diameter, for lifting lava7 and smaller for pumping working gas 8. Moreover, the design of the columns and dispersant 9 can be any. After lowering the pipes to a depth of about 200 meters, the upper part of the column of the lifting pipe (about 60/70 meters) is closed with a sealed heat-shielding casing 10.

 Inside the casing, at the outlet of the riser pipe, a receiving tank 1 1 is installed, the bottom 12 of which has a slope towards the transport tray 13. The receiving tank is equipped with a gas separator 14 and a gas exhaust pipe system 15 connected to a gas separator, a discharge compressor 16 and an additional tank 17. In the tank, it is possible to initially inject a certain amount of non-combustible gas, which is necessary to start the stable operation of the system, for which a separate pipe with valve 18 is provided.

To install the transport tray 13, a ditch 19 with an upper bottom mark above the surface of the lava lake passes through the crater wall, and in the case of rocks that are resistant to collapse, an inclined adit is possible. The first section of the transport tray 20 is rigidly attached directly to the wall of the receiving tank of the airlift and connected to it using the drain hole 21. It does not have a removable cover. Subsequent sections are interconnected and stacked down

s the slope of the volcano 22 in the direction of the production site 23. At the same time, it is possible to separate the lava flow and direct it to various production sites for further processing of lava raw materials.

 After the device is installed and the airlift is started, the lava 24 is lifted into the receiving tank 1 1 and then flows over into the transport tray 13. Since the heat-shielding casing 10 is tight and the discharge compressor 16 continuously sucks fumarole gases released from the lava, the pressure is established in the receiving tank 1 1 below atmospheric, which further contributes to the rise of lava 24 and the release of fumarole gases 25. In order to exclude air leakage from the transport tray, the level of lava 26 in the receiving tank is maintained above the upper th edge of the drain hole 21.

 After flowing into the transport tray 13 from the lava 24 fumarole gases 25 continue to be released, which are collected in the gas storage tanks 26 through the assembly piping system 27 openings (not shown) in the lids of the transport trays 28 and are sent to the backup tank 17 as necessary air lift work or for recycling. The pumping of gases is carried out by pumps with the possibility of reverse movement (not shown in the drawing) and is regulated by valves 29.

Bibliography:

 one . Encyclopedia of Airlifts, Papayani F.A., Pashchenko, B.C., Kozyryatsky, L.N., Kononenko, A.P., 1995, M, InformSvyazIzdat, 592 p.

 2. SU 1 182203 A1, “Airlift for molten salts”, Yushin N. P., Vakatov N. E., Pikus A. P., published September 30, 1985 (prototype)

Claims

Claim 1. The method of lifting liquid media to the surface, including lowering into the liquid medium two columns of pipes connected by a dispersant and working on the principle of airlift, injecting gas or a mixture of gases into the liquid medium and transporting the raised liquid medium to the processing site under the influence of gravity, characterized in that when lifting volcanic lava from magma lakes of active or sleeping volcanoes, a mixture of fumarole gases released from the raised liquid medium and trapped in essays its transportation to the processing and use an additional source of non-combustible gas or mixture of gases to control the lifting process fluid at their lack gases. 2. A device for lifting liquid media to the surface, including a lifting and gas supply pipe string communicating with each other by means of a dispersant, a compressor for pumping a mixture of gases, providing control of the process of fluid outflow, a gas separator installed directly above the lifting pipe and a tray for transporting it raised to the surface liquid medium under the action of gravitational forces, to the place of its processing, characterized in that the liquid medium raised to the surface is first fed to a receiving tank, hermetically sealed with a heat-shielding casing, the bottom of which has a slope towards the transport tray, the gas separator is connected to a compressor forcing the gas mixture into the dispersant by means of a gas outlet pipe, while the gas outlet pipe is connected both to the compressor and to an additional gas storage tank used to receive excess emitted gases or to cover their lack, and the transport tray is equipped with sectional heat-insulating covers, in which through certain gaps there are openings connected to containers for collecting gases released during transportation of the liquid medium and expansion tanks to stabilize the flow and its temperature by means of forced heating from external sources.