Proof of operational viability of the submerged mining concept

D5.4: Proof of operational viability of the submerged mining concept – BMT [M34] D5.4 will provide the necessary confidence to encourage market uptake by giving 1. Verification that submerged cutting of hard rocks is feasible at industrial rates in a wide range of in situ mining conditions and that state of the art cutting equipment can cope with hyperbaric conditions 2. Verification that a submerged mining machine and HROV can navigate successfully underwater, in the dark, and follow a pre-determined mine plan, minimising turbidity and overcoming reflection problems from the pit walls – using state of the art sensory and perception systems 3. Verification that the changing survey data (changing mine face) can be captured and used to update a mine’s block model for planning and enable real time pilot/operator response 4. Verification that ore grade can be measured quickly enough to enable informed and timely mine scheduling decisions 5. Verification that the equipment can cope with a wide range of typi