Recently, a novel polymetallic sulfide mining vehicle independently developed by the Taihu Laboratory of Deep Sea Science and Technology successfully completed a 1,000-meter-deep sea trial. The trial conducted by the "Xiangyanghong 31" take two dive tests, and achieves all test objectives. Meanwhile the trial markes a significant breakthrough in the development of deep-sea mining equipment.
The deep-sea polymetallic sulfide mining vehicle utilized in this sea trial weighs 23 tons, has a power output of 265 kilowatts, and achieves a production capacity of 10 cubic meters per hour. It has successfully broken through multiple key technologies, including rotary cutting and water jet mining, high-power gear transmission in deep-sea environments, adaptive track walking, integrated underwater navigation and positioning, virtual-reality combined digital twin control, and heavy-load hydraulic power in deep-sea operations.
During this sea trial, the sea trial team successfully completed the entire operational process under challenging high-sea conditions, including deployment and recovery. The mining vehicle withstood the rigorous deep-sea environment, and achieve a cumulative 15 hours of uninterrupted fault-free seabed operation. All performance metrics met or exceeded the design specifications.
Subsequently, the Taihu Laboratory will continue to expedite the industrialization of deep-sea resources, thereby helps the advancement of China's marine industry to new heights.