DBM (De Beers Marine), a leading offshore diamond mining company, has developed a 3D volumetric imaging chirp SBP (sub-bottom profiler) system for AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle) deployment to improve mining efficiency. The aim is to provide subsurface geophysical data with comparable spatial resolution to the AUV-mounted side scan sonar and swathe bathymetry systems used to map exposed gravel deposits. The system delivers data of sufficient resolution and clarity to allow accurate identification of the footwall interface. The developments in high-resolution swathe bathymetry have enabled mining control systems to be designed for achieving a level of mining accuracy at a similar scale to the high-quality 3D data collected by the AUV systems. The advent of 3D SBP data acquisition has the potential to leverage considerable advances in many of the down-stream operations of the offshore mining business. The 3D data is expected to form the foundation of future marine mining productivity improvements.
High-resolution 3D geophysics in marine diamond mining
Dreidimensionale Tiefseemesstechnik mit hoher Auflösung beim Gewinnen von Diamanten aus dem Meer
Sea Technology ; 47 , 8 ; 10-15
2006
6 Seiten
Article (Journal)
English
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