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Issue link: http://sea-technology.epubxp.com/i/571837
www.sea-technology.com September 2015 / st 21 F or a long time, underwater gold min- ing has been a very labor-intensive and often low-yielding process. Divers are put into freezing-cold, dangerous waters in order to pump gold-rich sands to make their fortunes. Currently, the biggest issues stem from the inability to operate at depths greater than 25 ft., the dependency on divers, in- effciency of pumps, and environmental impacts and conditions. Recently, Eddy Pump Corp., based in San Diego, California, was asked to come out to Nome, Alaska, in order to showcase its gold-mining solution to these challenges on one of the most- watched television shows on the Discov- ery Channel, "Bering Sea Gold." The Sub-Dredge For the past 25 years, Eddy Pump has been engineering the development of state-of-the-art pump and dredging tech- nology. The technology has been utilized in a vast number of industries, ranging from the U.S. Navy to oil, mining, dredging, wastewater, chemical and many others. With such a diverse industry background, Eddy Pump stepped up to the challenge of gold mining via dredging in Nome by sending out the Sub-Dredge. This remote-operat- ed submersible dredge is the answer to pre-existing issues and restrictions that currently plague the underwater gold- mining industry. It was developed in order to go where con- ventional dredging equipment would often fall short, due to depth restrictions, high operation and mobilization costs, inability to run remotely, environmental impact and lack of suffcient pumping capability. The Sub-Dredge operates at depths exceeding 125 ft. while safely being controlled by an operator on the surface. Weighing less than 5,000 lb. and being 172-in. long by 62- in. wide and 60-in. tall, the submersible is easily deployable in most applications at a low cost. The weight of the Sub- Dredge is dispersed over large rubber tracks that make it very rugged and able to deal with diverse conditions, while only creating 3.3 psi of ground pressure. This design en- ables operation in applications with potentially delicate lin- ers, such as concrete-lined canals and clay and poly-lined holding ponds. With such a low ground pressure, the Sub- Dredge is perfect for operation on the ocean foor, without sinking too far into the sand and getting stuck. Utilizing a remote control, the operator can precisely maneuver and operate the dredge with the utmost accuracy from a safe area on the surface. This is possible with the as- sistance of GPS and acoustical positioning located on the Sub-Dredge along with high-resolution cameras and high- powered lights. All of this is integrated into an RTK position- ing software package. Through this software, the operator Remote-Operated Submersible Gold Dredge Sub-Dredge Becomes First of its Kind as it Mines for Gold in Bering Sea By Ben Weinrib The Sub-Dredge being flmed before going into the Bering Sea to begin gold mining.