Key points
- Allseas designed a diffuser system that slows and concentrates the flow of sediment-laden water exiting the collector vehicle, promoting a gravity current that hugs the seafloor.
- The gravity current causes the discharged flow to behave like a current moving over the seabed, preventing most sediment from lofting into the water column and spreading via advection.
- Over 95% of the discharged sediment stays within the gravity current, following the seabed’s contours and remaining within a couple of meters of the bottom.
- The goal is to keep the benthic gravity current as slow and localized as possible so the sedimentation footprint outside the direct mining area is minimized.
