Fluid Flow And Particle Motion Behaviors During Seabed Nodule Pickup: An Experimental Study

In this study, two nodule pickup device models were designed and tested, based on the suction effect and Coanda effect. The collection flow fields were measured using a particle image velocimetry system. The nodule motions were captured utilizing the visual object tracking method based on the open-source computer vision library OpenCV. Similarities and differences between the suction effect-based and Coanda effect-based hydraulic-type collection methods are revealed. The results show that the Coanda effect-based model requires a smaller flow rate but causes a larger flow field disturbance to achieve a comparable nodule collection rate. This study aims to provide a clearer understanding of the hydraulic collection mechanism and to aid in optimizing the design of nodule pickup devices.