From June 22 to 24, the 2,500-meter ultra-deepwater offshore hydraulic pile hammer, jointly developed with the participation of Sinomach Forging Jiangsu Co., Ltd., successfully completed its sea trials in the South China Sea. The sea trial site was the Lufeng 8-1 Oilfield in the eastern South China Sea, carried out with the coordinated support of the "Blue Whale" crane vessel, known as the "world's No. 1 single-lift," and the "Yongyu Heavy Cargo" vessel.

Under the coordination and witness of China National Offshore Oil Engineering Corporation, the participating research and test units, and the China Classification Society, the sea trial proceeded smoothly and efficiently, and the test data fully met the project requirements. The complete success of the sea trial marks that all tasks have entered the final stage, laying a solid foundation for full acceptance.

The ultra-deepwater offshore hydraulic pile hammer has an overall length of 16.1 meters, a maximum diameter of 3.85 meters, a total weight in air of 165 tons, a blow frequency of 25 blows per minute, a blow energy of 450 kJ, and an operating water depth of up to 2,500 meters.

The pile hammer uses high-precision sensors to monitor piling status in real time, and uses attitude sensors and a video surveillance system to monitor and perceive the hammer's attitude and position in real time, giving operators a full view of subsea construction.

The pile hammer relies on the coordinated operation of a generator, an air compressor, and an umbilical winch to ensure the smooth progress of the sea trial. The hammer's pressure-resistant, waterproof underwater power and control systems break through the limitations of deep-sea water pressure, using two 500-kilowatt generators to transmit power and signals to a depth of 2,500 meters through a 3,000-meter-long umbilical cable.

During piling, the hammer uses hydraulic transmission to drive a 33-ton "hammer core" in reciprocating up-and-down motion. With each "blow," the hammer core strikes the anvil at a speed of 100 km/h and transmits the impact force to a 100-meter-long steel pile, driving it into the seabed.

The ultra-deepwater offshore hydraulic pile hammer fills a gap in China's core equipment technology for deep-sea development.

At this point, Sinomach Forging has achieved a major breakthrough in tackling the key "bottleneck" technologies and in engineering application of oceangoing ultra-deepwater and offshore ultra-large hydraulic pile hammers, and has produced important results including deep-sea hydraulic pile hammer equipment and software and hardware systems.

In the future, Sinomach will focus on its main business to build a source of original technology, keep in mind the "top priorities of the country," deliver major national equipment, further enhance its R&D capabilities and verification support conditions, and continue to provide strong support for the high-quality development of major equipment in China's offshore engineering sector.