Authors: N.A. Tsimbalyuk, V.E. Kislyakov, P.V. Katyshev, R.R. Tagirov, A.K. Kirsanov

Title of the article: Perspectives of cold energy utilisation for extraction of solid shelf minerals taking into account environmental aspects

Year: 2025, Issue: 5, Pages: 147-162

Branch of knowledge: 2.8.8 Geotechnology, mining machines

Index UDK: 622.271.5:551.321(211-17)

DOI: 10.26730/1999-4125-2025-5-147-162

Abstract: The mining industry is one of the sources of negative impact on the environment, both during the immediate operations and after the completion of operations. The assessment of negative impacts on flora and fauna is also mandatory for the development of solid mineral deposits located on the seabed, which entails restrictions for this type of activity. In addition, the maximum possible depth of development of existing technologies and the possibility of their application in harsh climatic conditions characterised by low temperatures and prolonged ice cover act as limitations. In this paper the authors proposed a promising technology for the development of such deposits on the Arctic shelf using cold energy, which allows to organise the process of extraction and transportation of minerals with the help of soil-ice bodies, which in comparison with already known methods entails a smaller number of factors that have a negative impact on the environment. Justification of the possibility of application of this technology on an industrial scale consists in determination of conditions of its operability and efficiency in those or other conditions, for what purpose the experiment with modelling of the process of surfacing of soil-ice bodies from the bottom to the water surface was made. Based on the results of this experiment, a mathematical model was developed to determine the necessary amount of ice in the soil-ice body to organise the surfacing process. The performed researches bring closer the possibility of practical application of the proposed technology, which makes it possible to use the negative ambient temperature as a technological medium to reduce the specific costs of transport and provides for the reduction of environmental impact

Key words: Subsea mining Arctic shelf ecology deep-sea ecosystems negative factors soil-ice body refrigerant mathematical model

Receiving date: 23.01.2025

Approval date: 22.09.2025

Publication date: 23.10.2025

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