"Tiankun", the first dredging tool independently developed by China, completes performance tests
On Jan 9th, after nearly three months of dredging and rock excavation tests, the heavyweight "Tiankun" successfully returned to Qidong Shipyard in Jiangsu province.
During the dredging test, the Tiankun intelligent dredging control system proved to be a great success. This is the first application of the automatic dredging technology of the cutter suction ship in China, and another breakthrough in China’s dredging technology.
Tiankun is the largest heavy-duty self-propelled cutter in Asia and was independently developed by CCCC Tianjin Dredging Corporation.
The dredging tests took place on Oct 2, 2018. After nearly one month in commission, its maximum productivity reached 7,501 cubic meters per hour, far exceeding the design standard of 6,000 cubic meters per hour. Meanwhile, the excavation and transportation capacity of the ship's 15km long pitch was also verified.
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Tiankun, Asia's largest dredger, can carry out unmanned dredging and monitoring operations in ports and coastal waters, as well as deep-sea operations. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] |
Tiankun then went to Dalian to take the rock excavation test on Nov 23, 2018. The test was carried out around the requirements of high output and low energy consumption. Tiankun successfully completed the test excavating rock with a strength of 60 MPa, exceeding the design standard of excavating rocks as hard as 50 MPa.
According to reports, during the two tests the performance of key construction equipment such as the excavation system, delivery system and intelligent dredging system of Tiankun successfully passed the site construction tests, with its testing indexes meeting or exceeding the design standards.
It is also learned that after five years of research and development, CCCC Tianjin Dredging Corporation successfully applied its technology to Tiankun. Equipped with intelligent dredging systems, Tiankun can realize unmanned automatic dredging and can automatically adjust its range of motion according to actual conditions to ensure that production efficiency can be maintained.
Tiankun will now undergo a final dock inspection at the Qidong Shipyard in Jiangsu before being put into operation.
