Breakthrough in Deep-Sea Mineral Resources Technology in China
TapTechNews July 9th news, according to Xinhua News Agency, the Shanghai Municipal Government held a press conference to announce that significant breakthroughs have been made in the research and equipment development of key technologies for deep-sea mineral resources development in China. The engineering prototype of the deep-sea heavy-duty operation mining vehicle independently developed by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Pioneer II, has successfully completed the sea trial recently.
Pioneer II continuously completed 5 bottom mining operations and retrieved deep-sea polymetallic nodules and crusts, achieving the first breakthrough of the sea trial water depth of the deep-sea heavy-duty operation mining vehicle exceeding 13,123.36 feet (4000 meters), with the deepest reaching 13,460.96 feet (4102.8 meters), and pioneering multiple technologies in the field of deep-sea mining such as high-maneuverability progress in deep-sea complex seabed topography and deep-sea multi-mineral compound drilling and extraction in China.
TapTechNews learned from the Hainan Research Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University that Pioneer II is 19.7 feet long, 9.8 feet wide, and 8.2 feet high, weighing about 30,864.7 pounds (14.0 tons) in air, and designed for an operating water depth of 19,685 feet (6000 meters). It has taken the lead in breaking through key technologies such as adaptive four-track progress in complex seabed topography, integrated cutting and drilling and extraction of polymetallic sulfides, comprehensive acoustic/optical perception of deep-sea environment, intelligent control of deep-sea mining operations, and heavy-duty deployment and recovery of deep-sea non-metallic umbilical cables in China, and is equipped with comprehensive environmental monitoring equipment such as deep-sea plume and underwater noise. After the mid-term technical appraisal by the project expert group, the technical performance of Pioneer II has reached the international advanced level.
