China completes 537-day deep-sea material corrosion test

BEIJING (ANTARA) – China State Shipbuilding Corporation announced on Saturday, 23 May, that its researchers have recently completed a 537-day deep-sea material corrosion test at a depth of 10,000 metres. The test, which set a new duration record, was conducted in an extremely harsh environment characterised by high pressure, low temperatures, high salinity, and very low dissolved oxygen, the company said. By overcoming various challenges, the research team successfully developed an effective and highly energy-efficient power management system, along with deep-sea corrosion protection technology. This enables accurate placement, reliable mooring, and complete retrieval of equipment in deep-sea environments, the shipbuilder added, noting that data recording is complete and samples were successfully retrieved intact. Liao Zhiqian, a senior researcher at the company, said the data obtained from this long-term test is extremely rare globally. The success of this test is expected to support various missions including deep-sea exploration, mining, and oil and gas development.