Recently, the first-phase research results of the major R&D project of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) "Beidou-based Deep-Sea Intelligent Comprehensive Survey System R&D and Application (Phase II)," led by CCCC Highway Consultants Co., Ltd., successfully passed expert panel review. This marks that China's another major national heavy equipment for maritime development—the 10,000-tonne deep-sea engineering comprehensive survey vessel—has successfully completed technical R&D, laying a solid foundation for the next phase of construction.
It is reported that the project brought together a strong research team composed of academicians, masters, and professional researchers. After two years of tackling key problems, the team achieved a batch of independent and controllable innovation results with outstanding highlights.
First, it independently developed a large-diameter multi-process coring top drive, a heave compensation system with a compensation stroke of ±3 meters and a load of 150 tonnes using a traveling block-type active-passive composite system, and a full-deck automated operation system, forming a complete set of equipment solutions for 5,000-meter-class deepwater drilling; second, it established new technical methods for deep-sea engineering survey basic measurement and control mapping, and built a Beidou high-precision spatiotemporal reference and measurement and control mapping system; third, it developed an integrated technology of downhole static cone penetration testing and bottom-hole static pressure sampling, forming an equipment solution applicable to a water depth of 1,500 meters and a penetration force of 100 kN; fourth, it formed a combination of deep-sea high-efficiency geophysical prospecting methods, equipment configuration, and integrated layout solutions based on mother ships and manned/unmanned boats; fifth, it formed deep-sea engineering hydrological and meteorological survey equipment configuration, selection, and integrated layout solutions, and developed an integrated fusion and graded early warning management platform; sixth, it formed a construction plan for the 10,000-tonne "CCCC Dragon" comprehensive survey vessel based on the design concept of "function, aesthetics, and human factors."
The project's "report card" is very impressive, having produced 2 hardware equipment items, 31 technical solutions, 14 software copyrights, 22 high-quality papers, and 39 invention patent applications. The overall technical level has reached the international advanced level, with some aspects reaching the international leading level. It has effectively solved key technical problems in deep-sea drilling, mapping, in-situ testing, geophysical prospecting, hydrology and meteorology, tested the core equipment principle model and independent software algorithms, explored the design, construction, and investment-construction-operation model of a 10,000-tonne comprehensive survey vessel, and provided strong support for China's marine survey equipment to advance into the deep sea.