Industry

Deep-sea sampling undeniably has an impact on sensitive deep-sea ecosystems. (Image source: Adobe stock)

BAUER Maschinen GmbH and the Harren & Partner Group has signed an agreement to establish a joint venture, Seabed Mineral Services GmbH to determine the economic viability and, in particular, the environmental compatibility of the “Vertical Approach”

Seafloor massive sulfides are a valuable mineral raw material found at the bottom of the deep sea. The “Vertical Approach” is a method for extracting seafloor massive sulfides using the trench cutter method, an established technique in specialist foundation engineering that is operated and supported in the deep-sea environment from a ship on the open sea.

The approach was conceived in discussions between BAUER Maschinen GmbH and the Harren & Partner Group concerning opportunities to combine the expertise of both companies and to develop new strategies for sustainable mining approaches in accordance with the standards of the International Seabed Authority (ISA).

“We are thrilled to have found an expert partner in Bauer who is willing – just like us – to seize opportunities and take on a pioneering role in the field of deep-sea mining. Ourjoint approach for this venture is based on a combination of established technologies. This enables us to minimize the technological risk while at the same time keeping costs down,” said Heiko Felderhoff, managing director of Harren & Partner. 

Leonhard Weixler, head of the diaphragm wall equipment division at BAUER Maschinen GmbH, added, “The chemistry between us is very good; we share a similar spirit. This partnership is an ideal union of specialist knowledge and experience in the afield of offshore technologies and services with expertise in the development and production of specialist foundation engineering equipment for onshore and offshore customers around the world.”

The concept behind the “Vertical Approach”

Deep-sea sampling undeniably has an impact on sensitive deep-sea ecosystems.

Nevertheless, the “Vertical Approach” makes the utmost effort to minimise the ecological footprint. A serious concern when it comes to deep-sea mining is the stirring 2 up of sediment and the potential impact on sensitive deep-sea species. To prevent fine material from escaping the cutting area, a protective collar is positioned around the cutting wheels at the start and the actual cutting process is protected by the surrounding ore. 

The separation process is carried out within the ore container to separate the particles from the sea water via sedimentation. After this treatment, the water is fed back to the cutting wheels and reused in the cutting circuit. This closed system minimises the volume of sea water that is impacted by the cutting process.

Sampling is selective: the template and trench cutter are lowered using a cable winch instead of being initially positioned then moved horizontally along the seafloor. This restricts the sphere of influence to the base area of the template feet and trench cutter. Zones with ore can be clearly separated from zones without ore.

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The subscription model enables simplicity in license purchasing, usage and management – aiding organisational digital transformation. (Image source: Adobe stock)

AVEVA, a specialist in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability, has announced that it will be making its Operations Control solutions available as a single subscription for the first time

This redefines the industrial software experience, going beyond HMI and SCADA, enabling industrial organisations of all sizes to develop collaborative workforces, scale effectively, and optimise operations for agility and efficiency.

From IIoT architectures and cloud-driven remote edge management to multi-site supervisory control, AVEVA Operations Control software will be available via a flexible user-centric model, through the AVEVA Flex subscription programme in three core packages: Edge, Supervisory and Enterprise. These core solutions provide all the necessary tools for plant, field, control room, and enterprise teams to drive actionable information, collaborate effectively, and accelerate operational excellence. AVEVA’s new Operations Control software subscriptions allows end customers to use all of its products, the way they want to use them.

AVEVA Operations Control offers an infinite range of possibilities for companies to connect operations and workers via the cloud, web and mobile to drive efficiency through collaboration and standardisation. It delivers supervisory, visualisation, collaboration, and analytics software in a single combined subscription providing unlimited access to actionable information. 

AVEVA offers the first single subscription program on that market that spans edge-to-cloud solutions for plant operations. The AVEVA Flex subscription programme is designed to provide access to the entire AVEVA portfolio – enabling customers to flexibly drive sustainable growth. The subscription model enables simplicity in license purchasing, usage and management – aiding organisational digital transformation.

Craig Resnick, vice-president at ARC Advisory Group commented, “ARC anticipates that the subscription model growth rate will be significantly higher than the traditional licensing model growth rate for purchasing HMI/SCADA solutions going forward. This shift towards the subscription model is driven by a number of factors, including the market seeking single converged solutions, such as HMI/SCADA and asset performance management, that deliver great flexibility together with edge-to-cloud integration, a capability that AVEVA can deliver today as part of its AVEVA Flex subscription programme.”

Rashesh Mody, senior vice-president monitoring and control, AVEVA, said, “Our solution is enabling teams in different physical locations to organise their operations, collaborate, and leverage vast internal knowledge. Most importantly, customers can now accelerate their digital transformation journey through one simple, agnostic subscription package.”

“With AVEVA Operations Control available via the AVEVA Flex subscription program, channel partners can now offer outcome-based solutions and services to their customers. AVEVA’s offering is unique because it enables simple and flexible pricing – allowing our channel partners to differentiate themselves in the market and stay ahead of the competition,” commented Kerry Grimes, head of global partners at AVEVA.