Multipurpose Offshore Mining System (MOMS) For Sulfur Recovery In The Gulf Of Mexico

The bulk of America's sulfur is found in the limestones which caps saltdomes buried along the coast of Gulf of Mexico, and Offshore. Two-thirds of U.S. sulfur production from this region is accounted by the Frasch process. Essentially the Frasch technique of mining involves forcing hot water(163\degC)down and the sulfur up using three concentric pipes. The hot water is pumped doom the space between the 20.4 cm. and 10.2 cm. pipes. Also, compressed air is pumped down to facilitate recovery of sulfur. The sulfur deposits melt (at114\degC) and brought up with the help of pressurized steam and air. At present in a typical mining, one well can recover sulfur from about an half acre of dome area. In other words, new well must be drilled on a continuous basis and new pipelines laid to bring water and air, and carry off molten sulfur. So, the current mining practice, especially for sulfur is rather slow and therefore quite expensive. The proposed multi-purpose offshore mining system (MOMS) for sulfur recovery emphasizes deployment of solar-power panels aboard a drillship and keeps the principle of Frasch process virtually intact. The solar power would desalinate seawater using distillation technique, thereby making fresh water and salts as bye-products available on one hand, and electricity to turn fresh-water so obtained into steam for the Frasch-style mining on the other. The drillship would use dynamic positioning to warrant a continuous operation instead of a conventional "oil field style" fixed drilling from a production platform. The drill pipes would retain the three concentric pipes design. The multi-purpose mining system would be more economical and much more efficient than current mining, since it reduces cost stemming from laiding new pipelines for water, by recovering salts and fresh water as bye-products, and by eliminating the use of fossil-fuel as energy-source. And, most of all, the multi-system is mobil, so the mining operation can be virtually continuous from dome to dome. The proposed system would be most efficient in summer months.