Sci-Tech

Scientific Research Vessel Returns after Sulphide Research in Indian Ocean

Chinese scientific research vessel Xiangyanghong 10 returned to China on July 9 after a voyage to the southwest Indian Ocean that lasted more than 200 days. The ship docked at a port in Zhoushan， East Chinas Zhejiang Province.

The voyage was to explore the polymetallic sulphide of a seabed ore covering 30，000 square meters， under a contract signed between China and the International Seabed Authority， said Li Huaiming， a scientist involved in the project.

Scientists used Chinese-developed， unmanned submersible Qianlong 2 to conduct eight dives， reaching a maximum of 3，320 meters at depth. Qianlong 2 spent 170 hours in operation， traveling 456 km for the research， proving that it was able to work on complicated terrains underwater， Li said.

Other advanced Chinese technologies in exploring polymetallic sulphide were also used， Li said.

Key Breakthrough Made in“Artificial Sun” Research

Scientists in China announced they have set a world record by achieving 101.2 seconds of steady-state H-mode operation of the tokamak， an experimental device designed to harness the energy of fusion.

The milestone meant Chinas Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak （EAST）， dubbed “an artificial sun，”became the worlds first tokamak device to achieve the 100-second-level， Hefei Institute of Physical Science under the Chinese Academy of Sciences said on July 5.

Last year， the EAST team in Hefei， capital of Anhui Province， set a record by achieving over 60 seconds of steady-state long-pulse H-mode discharge of the device.

EASTs steady-state H-mode operation has provided important experimental support for the operation of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor（ITER）， a large international scientific cooperation project.

More than 30 countries are participating in ITER to build the worlds largest tokamak， a magnetic fusion device designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy based on the same principle that powers the Sun and the stars.

China Completes Trial Exploration of Flammable Ice

On July 9， China completed the trial exploration of flammable ice in the South China Sea， which extracted more than 300，000 cubic meters after a 60-day nonstop mining operation.

Starting from May 10， the mining operation in waters about 320 kilometers southeast of Zhuhai City， Guangdong Province， has beaten previous expectations and set world records in both the length and total amount of extraction， according to the China Geological Survey Bureau.

The trial exploration saw an average daily extraction of more than 5，000 cubic meters of high-purity gas， with the highest daily output at 35，000 cubic meters. Meanwhile， 6.47 million sets of experimental data were recorded.

China declared its first success in collecting samples of flammable ice in the South China Sea on May 18， 2017. The ice usually exists in the oceans seabed or tundra areas， both with the strong pressure and low temperature necessary for stability. One cubic meter of flammable ice， a kind of natural gas hydrate， is equal to 164 cubic meters of regular natural gas. China began researching flammable ice in 1998， and has achieved a number of breakthroughs， ranging from extraction methods and technology to equipment.

China Develops Sea Launches to Boost Space Commerce

China has a clear plan to provide sea launches for commercial payloads to be carried by Long March rockets， according to an aerospace official.

Tang Yagang， vice head of the aerospace division of the No.1 Institute of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation （CASTC）， said that the technology is not difficult and a sea launch platform can be built based on modifying 10，000-tonne freighters.

China will use solid carrier rockets which rely less on launch facilities and feature mature technology， Tang said， adding that key technology for the carrier rockets will be tested at sea this year and the service is expected to be available for international users in 2018.

At that time， Long March launch vehicles will be able to send satellites weighing 500 kilograms into a 500-kilometer-high sun-synchronous orbit with an inclination of zero to 10 degrees， Tang said.

“The closer to the equator we launch a satellite， the less carrying capacity it will lose， and the lower the cost will be，” Tang said. Among Chinas four launch bases， Wenchang was specially selected for its low latitude： only 19 degrees north of the equator.