Chapter 1148 Dynamic Positioning

With the development of the marine industry, more and more offshore operations are being carried out, including deep-sea drilling platforms, submarine pipeline and cable laying, and offshore vessels. The demand for reliability in offshore work is becoming increasingly high. How can offshore platforms be stably and accurately controlled at the operating point? The key is the dynamic positioning system.

The International Maritime Organization divides dynamic positioning systems into three levels: DP1, DP2 and DP3. The highest level is DP3, which has the most accurate accuracy, strong ability to resist wind and waves and good results.

For centuries, there has been a magical legend in the ocean. According to the legend, there are "mad dog waves" that suddenly appear in the sea. These "mad dog waves" are several times or even dozens of times higher than the surrounding waves, and can directly hit the ship to the bottom of the sea!

There have been rumors about this "rogue wave" around the world, but no one has ever found any evidence: almost everyone who has seen a "rogue wave" has died at the bottom of the sea. So for a long time, people thought it was just a legend.

It wasn't until 1995 that a semi-submersible oil drilling platform in Norway encountered a rogue wave. The oil platform's laser rangefinder detected a 23-meter rogue wave hitting the drilling platform. This was the first time in human history that a "rogue wave" was detected, proving that this "killer wave" does exist.

These rogue waves typically destroy whatever they encounter, as was the case in 1981 when a drilling platform was suddenly destroyed by a wave off eastern Canada, killing all 84 people on board. However, this Norwegian oil rig survived the rogue wave unscathed, thanks to its dynamic positioning system.

Most modern drilling platforms rely on dynamic positioning systems. The most advanced of these is Daxia's "Haiyang Shiyou 981 Drilling Platform." Designed based on a 200-year wave event combined with South China Sea internal waves, this system is equivalent to a Category 17 typhoon. Eight fully automated thrusters beneath the platform automatically position themselves based on currents and wind speeds, ensuring they remain stable on the surface regardless of wind and waves.

Absolutely awesome!

However, Daxia did not have this technology before, which had a great impact on Daxia's shipbuilding and marine industries: it had to spend a huge price to purchase other people's ship power systems.

There is nothing we can do about it. The technological blockade is there.

The one who solved this problem is Harbin Engineering University, one of the 985 universities and the top expert in the field of shipbuilding in China.

Harbin Engineering University has been involved in dynamic positioning systems since 1988, starting with independent research and development of DP1 and completing the evolution from DP1 to DP3. How long did this process take?

About thirty years!

And because everything started from scratch, Daxia has forged its own path. Currently, Daxia's ship dynamic positioning system is the best in the world.

While both utilize a DP3-level dynamic stabilization system, the difference between the Calypso and the Ifrit is truly remarkable. For the Calypso, a two-meter swell is practically impossible, while for the Ifrit, positioning itself in swells exceeding one meter becomes a challenge.

In fact, in the ship-related industry, many of Daxia's technologies are world-class, relying on the efforts of generations of technicians. As a result, they are still despised by some public intellectuals all day long.

It is really not easy for Daxia. In the eyes of some Daxia people, there are only two countries on this planet, one is 'Daxia' and the other is 'foreign': the national strength should be compared with that of the United States; the environment should be compared with that of Canada; the manufacturing industry should be compared with that of Japan and Germany; the welfare should be compared with that of Northern Europe... There are a group of people complaining there all day long. In their eyes, Daxia is not good at this or that, and they call it 'self-analysis to promote progress'.

What the hell are you doing to urge national development? Besides talking heads, what other contributions have you made? How many things in China were built from scratch to get to where we are today? Just one dynamic positioning system took countless engineers and engineers thirty years to develop! And almost every other technology in every industry was born this way!

Daxia was once backward, but we cannot always focus on the times when it was poor. That's what the public intellectuals do: others have grown up, but they only remember when they wore open-crotch pants as children and mention this to everyone they meet.

What a psycho!

We keep shouting about learning from foreign countries, but the question is what should we learn? Should we learn about India's caste system? Should we learn about how they prioritized saving cows over saving people during the pandemic? Should we learn about how capitalist countries influence the capital market? Should we learn about how to profit from scams?

Well, the last one is pretty good...

After 40 years of reform and opening up and 20 years of joining the WTO, the country has achieved today's achievements, relying on the scientific researchers who have made silent contributions, and never on the public intellectuals who talk big but do nothing!

Take the dynamic positioning system for example. As someone who sails at sea, you have the most say. The 'Calypso' uses the Daxia dynamic positioning system, while the 'Ifrit' uses the Dutch dynamic positioning system. Although both are DP3 level, as the captain, Chen Cheng can best appreciate the difference.

Xiao Peng asked, "Will it affect your work?"

Chen Cheng thought for a moment and replied, "Boss, I'm actually a little unsure. The fence-type drum on this ship is too underpowered. It has two 200-kilowatt motors and a 100-kilowatt variable-luffing motor. The lifting capacity is only 200 tons, and the fully loaded pulling speed is less than two meters per second. Even if we can find the exact position directly, it will take an hour for the hydraulic hook to pull once. If we want to complete the work in one night, not counting the time for positioning, we can only have four salvage operations at most. The time is too tight! We have never salvaged like this before."

Hua Chong kicked the wall and said, "This broken boat is older than Lao Zhou. When have we ever used such a broken boat?"

Xiao Peng pointed at Hua Chong and said, "Be careful, you might crush the boat with one foot. Chen Cheng, don't worry, four salvage operations will be enough. The Vikings' ships were not large, only about 15 meters long and two meters wide, with no cabins. You can think of them as large dragon boats. Moreover, this ship has been on the seabed for about 1,200 years, and it will basically fall apart with the slightest touch. So this time, we'll use a violent salvage operation. We'll just grab a handful or two and leave!"

"Boss, how do we locate it?" Chen Cheng asked. "Although the English Channel is very shallow, with the deepest point only a little over a hundred meters, a ship that has been here for over a thousand years without being discovered must be difficult to find. I'm afraid we don't have enough time. After all, this time we're stealing...ah, slyly, scavenging a shipwreck. You're asking so much, but we only have one night. How are we going to search for the shipwreck? What if someone finds it?"

Xiao Peng waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, this boat has been buried in the mud. No one can find it."

"Under the mud?" Everyone looked at Xiao Peng. Hua Chong couldn't help but ask, "Boss, how did you know?"

Xiao Peng raised his middle finger: "Are you planning to usurp the throne?"