A variable buoyancy system and a recovery system developed for a deep-sea AUV Qianlong I

As a new generation of deep-sea Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Qianlong I is a 6000m rated glass deep-sea manganese nodules detection AUV which based on the CR01 and the CR02 deep-sea AUVs and developed by Shenyang Institute of Automation, the Chinese Academy of Sciences from 2010. The Qianlong I was tested in the thousand-isles lake in Zhejiang Province of China during November 2012 to March 2013 and the sea trials were conducted in the South China Sea during April 20-May 2, 2013 after the lake tests and the ocean application completed in October 2013. This paper describes two key problems encountered in the process of developing Qianlong I, including the launch and recovery systems development and variable buoyancy system development. Results from the recent lake and sea trails are presented, and future missions and development plans are discussed.