Advances and challenges in deep-sea mining pumps: A review on solid–liquid two-phase flow characteristics, wear mechanisms, and design optimization

Deep-sea mineral resources have garnered significant international attention in recent years, driven by increasing global demand for critical metals and the depletion of terrestrial reserves. The deep-sea mining pump, as a core component of deep-sea mining systems, plays a vital role. Its comprehensive performance, encompassing high-pressure resistance, anti-clogging capability, high capacity, wear and corrosion resistance, and operational reliability, is essential for system efficiency and stability. Complex multiphase flows under extreme conditions within these pumps necessitate elucidating internal flow mechanisms to overcome design limitations. This paper systematically reviews the research and development of deep-sea mining lifting systems, emphasizing key challenges in pump internal flow. It synthesizes findings from visualization experiments and numerical methods on internal flow and wear, analyzing hydraulic characteristics and solid–liquid two-phase flow dynamics under various factors and wear patterns in pump components. This comprehensive review reveals that achieving high-performance deep-sea mining pumps critically depends on advancing multi-scale turbulence–discrete element method coupling models and high-fidelity experimental validation to accurately predict complex flow dynamics and particle–turbulence interactions. Furthermore, it highlights the imperative for advanced pump design methods that integrate artificial intelligence-based optimization strategies to balance hydraulic performance with wear resistance under extreme deep-sea conditions. By integrating these insights, this study aims to enrich the theoretical and methodological foundation for designing solid–liquid interaction flows within mining pumps, providing theoretical guidance and practical engineering support for deep-sea mining technology.