Design and research on a variable ballast system for deep-sea manned submersibles

Variable ballast systems are necessary for manned submersibles to adjust their buoyancy.In this paper,the design of a variable ballast system for a manned submersible is described.The variable ballast system uses a super high pressure hydraulic seawater system.A super high pressure seawater pump and a deep-sea brushless DC motor are used to pump seawater into or from the variable ballast tank,increasing or decreasing the weight of the manned submersible.A magnetostrictive linear displacement transducer can detect the seawater level in the variable ballast tank.Some seawater valves are used to control pumping direction and control on-off states.The design and testing procedure for the valves is described.Finally,the future development of variable ballast systems and seawater hydraulic systems is projected.

Adaptive Neural Network Control with Control Allocation for A Manned Submersible in Deep Sea

This paper thoroughly studies a control system with control allocation for a manned submersible in deep sea being developed in China. The proposed control system consists of a neural-network-based direct adaptive controller and a dynamic control allocation module. A control energy cost function is used as the optimization criteria of the control allocation module, and weighted pseudo-inverse is used to find the solution of the control allocation problem. In the presence of bounded unknown disturbance and neural networks approximation error, stability of the closed-loop control system of manned submersible is proved with Lyaponov theory. The feasibility and validity of the proposed control system is further verified through experiments conducted on a semi-physical simulation platform for the manned submersible in deep sea.

Path Following Control of A Deep-Sea Manned Submersible Based upon NTSM

In this paper, a robust path following control law is proposed for a deep-sea manned submersible maneuvering along a predeterminated path. Developed in China, the submersible is underactuated in the horizontal plane in that it is actuated by two perpendicular thrusts in this plane. The advanced non-singular terminal sliding mode （NTSM） is implemented for the design of the path following controller, which can ensure the convergence of the motion system in finite time and improve its robustness against parametric uncertainties and environmental disturbances. In the process of controller design, the close-loop stability is considered and proved by Lyapunov＇ s stability theory. With the experimental data, numerical simulations are provided to verify the control law for path following of the deep-sea manned submersible.

Target Deployment and Retrieval Using JIAOLONG Manned Submersible in the Depth of 6600 m in Mariana Trench

China＇s 7000 m manned submersible JIAOLONG carried out an exploration cruise at the Mariana Trench from June to July 2016. The submersible completed nine manned dives on the north and south area of the Mariana Trench from the depth of 5500 to 6700 m, to investigate the geological, biological and chemical characteristics in the hadal area. During the cruise, JIAOLONG deployed a gas-tight serial sampler to collect the water near the sea bottom regularly. Five days later, the sub located the sampler in another dive and retrieved it successfully from the same location, which is the first time that scientists and engineers finished the high accuracy in-situ deployment and retrieval using a manned submersible with Ultra-Short Base Line （USBL） positioning system at the depth more than 6600 m. In this task, we used not only the USBL system of the manned submersible but also a compound strategy, including five position marks, the sea floor terrain, the depth contour, and the heading of the sub. This paper introduces the compound strategy of the target deployment and retrieval with the practical diving experience of JIAOLONG, and provides a promising technique for other underwater vehicles such as manned submersible or Remote Operated Vehicle （ROV） under similar conditions.

Multi‑Crack Interaction and Influence on the Spherical Pressure Hull for a Deep‑Sea Manned Submersible

This study investigates the interaction and influence of surface cracks on the spherical pressure hull of a deep-sea manned submersible.The finite element model of the spherical hull is established,and a semi-elliptical surface crack is inserted in the welding toe of the spherical hull as the main crack.Considering the combined effect of external uniform pressure and welding residual stress at the weld toe,the stress intensity factor(SIF)is obtained based on the M-integral method.Inserting disturbing cracks at different positions on the spherical hull surface,the interaction and influence between multi-cracks are revealed by numerical calculation.The results show that the existence of the disturbing crack has a great influence on the stress intensity factor of the main crack,and the influence is different with the different location of disturbing crack.The study of the interaction of multiple cracks under different interference factors and the influence of disturbing cracks on the main crack can provide some reference for future engineering applications.

Metallic Reserves of Submarine Manganese Nodules to be Estimated and Harnessed Prudently: Evidence from China's Jiaolong Manned Submersible

Since the discovery of oceanic manganese nodules during the expedition of the British ocean-going ship Challenger from 1872 to 1876, research and development for seabed manganese nodules have never ceased owing to the huge economic inducements. Manganese nodules are the black or dark brown, spherical or massive Mn-bearing ores, deposits of which are found on the sea bottom. The nodules are a mixture of silicate and insoluble potassium permanganates （also with sub-Ti, Fe and Na permanganates） that contain more than 30 kinds of metallic elements, among which those of greatest economic interest are Mn （27-30%）, Ni（1.25-1.5%）, Cu（1- 1.4%）, Co（0.2- 0.25 %）, Fe, Si, and AI, with minor amounts of Ca, Na, K, Ti, B, H and O.

载人潜水器支持母船水下辐射噪声评估和试验分析研究

This study investigates the underwater radiated noise(URN)of a manned submersible support mother ship.To this end,a detailed finite element model of the hull and outflow field is established,and the vibration wet mode of the scientific research ship is calculated.A combination of finite element and boundary element methods is used to analyze the spectral features of ship low-frequency URN.The URN source is comprehensively analyzed,the vibration energy is considered the basic parameter to describe the vibration,and the medium-and high-frequency URN of the ship are calculated using the statistical energy analysis.To obtain the full frequency-band URN of the ship,the risk position of exceeding the standard is determined,and the contribution of each main noise source in the ship to the URN is analyzed.The URN level of the ship is comprehensively measured in the free navigation state.The accuracy of the URN control evaluation model,and the method of the ship are verified.The data support for the ship to apply for the classification society certificate provides a scheme reference for the URN control of other scientific research ship in the future.

Assessment of acoustic backscatter intensity surveying on deep-sea ferromanganese crust: Constraints from Weijia Guyot, western Pacific Ocean

Near-bottom observation data from the manned deep submersible Jiaolong with high-precision underwater positioning data from Weijia Guyot,Magellan Seamounts in the Western Pacific Ocean are reported.Three substrate types were identified:Sediment,ferromanganese crust,and ferromanganese crust with a thin cover of sediment.The ferromanganese crusts show clear zoning and their continuity is usually disturbed by sediments on areas of the mountainside with relatively gentle slope gradients.The identified substrate spatial distributions correspond to acoustic backscatter intensity data,with regions of high intensity always including crust development and regions of low intensity always having sediment.Therefore,acoustic backscatter intensity surveying appears useful in the delineation and evaluation of crust resources,although further more work is needed to develop a practicable methodology.

Non-linear buckling analysis of imperfect thin spherical pressure hull for manned submersible

Thin spherical pressure hulls are used as a human occupancy in deep water applications.DNV and other standards specify the imperfection allowed for pressure hulls.Numerical analyses are carried out to find the buckling pressure for both perfect and imperfect thin spherical pressure hulls,considering the geometric and material non-linearities.It is observed that there is a huge variation in the elastic and inelastic buckling pressure in perfect spherical pressure hulls.Moreover,if the manufacturing imperfections are considered in the inelastic numerical analysis,still there is a reduction in the buckling pressure.Design criteria,for deep water pressure hulls,is that both buckling pressure and yield pressure must be greater than the design pressure.In the elastic analysis,if t/D>0.006 buckling pressure is always greater than the yield pressure whereas in the inelastic analysis,the buckling pressure is falling below the yield pressure for all t/D ratios.Hence,inelastic numerical analysis with manufacturing imperfection has to considered in the design of deep water spherical pressure hulls of manned submersibles.

Signal processing in underwater acoustic communication system for manned deep submersible "Jiaolong"

For the first time in the world, underwater acoustic transmission of images, human voice, data and texts between vehicle under 7000 m depth and surface ship was accomplished by underwater acoustic communication system of manned deep submersible Jiaolong＇. In this paper, signal processing in underwater acoustic communication system for manned deep submersible ＂Jiaolong＂ is introduced. （1） Four communication methods are integrated to meet different needs： 1） coherent underwater acoustic communication, with a variable transmission rate from 5 kbps to 15 kbps, to transmit images. 2） Non-coherent underwater acoustic com- munication, with a transmission rate 300 bps, to transmit texts, instructions, and sensor data. 3） Spread spectrum underwater acoustic communication, with a transmission rate 16 bps, to transmit instructions. 4） Underwater voice communication, using single sideband modulation to transmit hmnan voice. （2） Signal processing method in coherent communication mainly consists of concatenation of decision feedback equalizer and Turbo decoder, and wavelet based image compression with fixed length coding. In the equalizer, Doppler compensation, multi- channel combining and equalizer coefficients updating are all using fast self-optimized adaptive algorithm. （3） A linear hydrophone array is lowered from the mother ship to certain depth, and spatial diversity combining technology is adopted. （4） Diving trials of ＂Jiaolong＂ were carried out in Pacific Ocean. The communication range can cover nearly all ocean depth. One optical/acoustic image can be transmitted in 7 or 14 seconds.

Use of the Jiaolong manned submersible for accurate mapping of deep-sea topography and geomorphology

High-resolution bathymetric side-scan sonar(BSSS) performs the functions of traditional side-scan sonar, while also providing a depth-sounding function that allows simultaneous measurement of seafloor topography and geomorphology. Submarine microtopography and microgeomorphology detection ability and advanced underwater acoustic digital communication are important technical capabilities of the Jiaolong manned submersible. High resolution BSSS achieved accurate detection of seafloor topography and geomorphology at a depth of 7000 m, and successful mapping of local microtopography and microgeomorphology in the Mariana Trench.

Research progresses on equipment technologies used in safety inspection,repair,and reinforcement for deepwater dams

China’s many dams are increasingly facing safety problems resulting from the natural aging of the dam hydraulic structure and geological disasters such as earthquakes under the operating condition of holding a vast amount of water.Problems such as dam leakage and concrete cracking and erosion seriously affect the normal operation and effectiveness of a reservior.It is impossible to empty a large reservoir with a high dam for many reasons,such as serious environmental consequences,and it is thus difficult to detect the working conditions of the underwater part of the facility.There is an increasingly urgent demand for detection and repair technologies that can be used in the deepwater environment.Indeed,there are cutting-edge deepwater detection and processing technologies for hidden dangers in dam engineering.The core technologies include underwater detection equipment,diving technologies,and underwater operation technologies.This paper analyzes safety-oriented detection equipment recently used in unmanned detection,manned detection,and deepwater diver detection from the viewpoint of practical application.The paper further reviews 100-m-depth-class technologies and applications of safety inspection,repair,and reinforcement equiment in the deepwater environment of reservoir dams.An outlook is provided on technology trends of deepwater detection,repair,and reinforcement and critical problems.

Geology, environment, and life in the deepest part of the world’s oceans

The hadal zone,mostly comprising of deep trenches and constituting of the deepest part of the world’s oceans,represents the least explored habitat but one of the last frontiers on our planet.The present scientific understanding of the hadal environment is still relatively rudimentary,particularly in comparison with that of shallower marine environments.In the last 30 years,continuous efforts have been launched in deepening our knowledge regarding the ecology of the hadal trench.However,the geological and environmental processes that potentially affect the sedimentary,geochemical and biological processes in hadal trenches have received less attention.Here,we review recent advances in the geology,biology,and environment of hadal trenches and offer a perspective of the hadal science involved therein.For the first time,we release highdefinition images taken by a new full-ocean-depth manned submersible Fendouzhe that reveal novel species with an unexpectedly high density,outcrops of mantle and basaltic rocks,and anthropogenic pollutants at the deepest point of the world’s ocean.We advocate that the hydration of the hadal lithosphere is a driving force that influences a variety of sedimentary,geochemical,and biological processes in the hadal trench.Hadal lithosphere might host the Earth’s deepest subsurface microbial ecosystem.Future research,combined with technological advances and international cooperation,should focus on establishing the intrinsic linkage of the geology,biology,and environment of the hadal trenches.