【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】From 2025 to 2051, China’s independently developed intelligent monitoring equipment for deep-sea pipeline laying, named “Haiwei”, completed its sea trials

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Let’s give praise and encouragement to the achievements made in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment; your participation in discussions is the greatest encouragement. **********************【Ten Years of Progress in Chemical Engineering Equipment】A continuously updated summary post is available – feel free to join the discussions: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** The domestically developed intelligent monitoring system for deep-sea pipeline laying, named “Haiwei”, has completed its sea trials. On May 15th, it was reported by Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd. that the “Haiwei” system met all the design requirements in terms of key technical parameters such as its high-stability unmanned vessels, underwater autonomous robots, and optical communication systems. This system employs an internationally original intelligent monitoring technology for deep-sea pipeline laying, which combines unmanned vessels, underwater autonomous remote-controlled robots, repeaters, and optical communication; it holds great significance for promoting the intelligent and unmanned development of deep-sea oil and gas equipment in China. According to Wei Jiaguang, the project leader for CNOOC Engineering’s “Intelligent Monitoring System for Deep-Sea Pipeline Laying,” the “Haiwei” system consists of unmanned vessels, underwater autonomous remotely operated robots, repeaters, and optical communication equipment, and is designed to operate at depths of up to 1,500 meters. Among them, the country’s first 18-meter-class unmanned vessel for deep-water pipeline laying monitoring, the “Guardian,” serves as an aerial base station, providing power and control signals to the underwater repeaters and optical communication systems. China’s first domestically developed 1,500-meter-class deep-water autonomous remotely operated underwater vehicle, the “Pilot”, has a current resistance capacity equivalent to that of a vessel with 3 engines; its operational range extends up to 10 days. It is capable of automatically identifying and tracking high-definition targets on the seabed, and transmits the relevant data to the command center via wireless optical communication. Undersea pipelines are known as the “lifelines of offshore energy” and represent the core infrastructure for the development of marine oil and gas resources. In deep-water submarine pipeline laying operations, the point where the initial section of the submarine pipeline makes contact with the seabed is known as the touchdown point, and its movement directly affects the structural integrity and safety of the pipeline. Therefore, mud spot monitoring is one of the key aspects of the entire operation; it plays an important role in accurately locating the position of the submarine pipeline and detecting any bending in it, providing reliable data support for safe and efficient pipeline laying. In traditional pipeline laying operations, when the water depth exceeds 200 meters, reliance is placed on multi-functional support vessels to deploy remotely operated underwater vehicles for sediment monitoring. This approach not only increases the risk of simultaneous operations by different vessels but also significantly raises the costs of pipeline laying. Over a period of 5 years, this project overcame numerous technical challenges related to unmanned boats, underwater autonomous remote-controlled robots, repeaters, and optical communication, achieved the independent development of key components, and established a complete system of independent intellectual property rights. The key components of this system have undergone multiple high-pressure tests, and the accuracy rate of mud spot detection in submarine pipelines is as high as 95%, providing valuable insights for the automation of marine engineering and the use of domestic equipment in this field. Next, CNOOC Engineering will optimize and improve the monitoring system based on nearshore joint testing, sea trial data, and identified issues, continuously iterating and expanding the functions of the product to lay a solid foundation for the subsequent practical application of this equipment in engineering projects.