Commitment to Technological Innovation
A composite material composed of a polymer resin matrix and two types of phase components: hollow microspheres or inorganic lightweight microbeads.
With optimized material formulations and advanced molding processes, OCB's two-phase solid buoyancy materials achieve a relative density that is 0.01–0.05 g/cm³ lower than that of commonly available market products.
Under long-term pressure tests conducted at 1.05–1.25 times the working water pressure, the water absorption of OCB's products remains ≤1%, ensuring long-term reliability and stability.
OCB possess integrated capabilities including material production, structural simulation, machining, surface polyurea spraying, and product performance testing, providing customers with a turnkey solution.
Considering the application scenarios of buoyancy materials, OCB's products can also serve as mechanical structural components.
Resins, additives, and hollow glass microspheres are all sourced domestically, and production equipment is jointly customized with domestic manufacturers, ensuring control over raw materials and the production process.
OCB can develop suitable two-phase solid buoyancy materials based on customer requirements, taking into account specific needs such as relative density and bulk modulus.
Specific Applications: Manned/Unmanned Submersibles, Underwater Robots (ROV/AUV), Underwater Gliders, Subsea Cable-Laying Machines, Diving Bells, Remote Operated Vehicles. Key Role of Materials: Provide static buoyancy, ensure equipment stability and operational capability, achieve balance between gravity and buoyancy, and reduce energy consumption.
Specific Applications: Marine drilling risers, deepwater pipeline deployment buoys, floating barriers, buoyancy spheres, umbilical cable buoys, mooring buoys, pipeline bend restrictor buoys, submarine cable and pipeline protection, wellhead protection cover buoys, platform buoys, etc. Key Role of Materials: Provide buoyancy support and protection for various pipelines, cables, and equipment, reduce overall system weight, and enhance safety and stability.
Specific Applications: Subsurface Buoy Systems (e.g., deep-sea observation subsurface buoys, oceanographic survey subsurface buoys), Surface Buoys, Seafloor Observatories, Remote-Controlled Seafloor Vehicles, Seafloor Crawlers, Ocean Monitoring Instruments (e.g., ADCP platform systems), Towed Acoustic Arrays, Floating Cables, etc. Key Role of Materials: Enable monitoring equipment to remain suspended stably at specific water layers or locations for long-term, continuous observation and data acquisition of marine environmental parameters.
Specific Applications: Subsea Mineral Collectors, Lifting Subsystems. Key Role of Materials: Provide essential buoyancy for deep-sea mineral resource collection and transportation equipment, withstand high-pressure deep-sea environments, and ensure operational efficiency.
Specific Applications: Life-saving Devices, Rescue Chambers. Key Role of Materials: Provide emergency buoyancy for personnel and equipment in critical situations.
Building upon two-phase solid buoyancy materials, a three-phase system is formed by incorporating large-diameter inorganic lightweight spheres or hollow, large-diameter fillers with low density and high strength, thereby optimizing performance.
The successful application of porous foamed macrospheres to the field of solid buoyancy materials through technological adaptation represents a pioneering achievement, with no prior reports found in domestic or international literature.
Compared to traditional resin-encapsulated composite macrospheres, OCB's inorganic macrospheres exhibit superior mechanical properties, including high resistance to uniaxial lateral pressure and strong isostatic pressure resistance.
Featuring a closed-cell structure with excellent uniformity, the material avoids the risk of structural collapse inherent in traditional resin-encapsulated composite macrospheres—a key factor limiting their application in deep-sea environments.
The inorganic macrospheres can be produced from inorganic non-metallic mineral powders via specific processes, effectively transforming waste into valuable resources. Unlike traditional resin-encapsulated composite macrospheres, they do not release plastics or other substances harmful to the marine environment during service.
Compared to resin-encapsulated composite macrospheres, the raw materials for inorganic macrospheres are widely available, and the production process offers higher yield and efficiency per batch, resulting in a clear cost advantage.
Particle size and density can be tailored according to customer requirements to develop suitable three-phase solid buoyancy materials.
Specific Applications: Manned/Unmanned Submersibles, Underwater Robots (ROV/AUV), Underwater Gliders, Subsea Cable-Laying Machines, Diving Bells, etc. Key Role of Materials: Provide static buoyancy, ensure equipment stability and operational capability, achieve a balance between gravity and buoyancy, and reduce energy consumption.
Specific Applications: Marine Drilling Risers, Deepwater Pipeline Deployment Buoys, Floating Barriers, Buoyancy Spheres, Umbilical Cable Buoys, Mooring Buoys, Pipeline Bend Restrictor Buoys, Submarine Cable and Pipeline Protection, Wellhead Protection Cover Buoys, Platform Buoys, etc. Key Role of Materials: Provide buoyancy support and protection for various pipelines, cables, and equipment, reduce the overall system weight, and enhance safety and stability.
Specific Applications: Subsurface Buoy Systems (e.g., Deep-Sea Observation Subsurface Buoys, Oceanographic Survey Subsurface Buoys), Surface Buoys, Seafloor Observatories, Remote-Controlled Seafloor Vehicles, Seafloor Crawlers, Ocean Monitoring Instruments (e.g., ADCP Platform Systems), Towed Acoustic Arrays, Floating Cables, etc. Key Role of Materials: Enable monitoring equipment to remain suspended stably in specific water layers or locations for long-term, continuous observation and data acquisition of marine environmental parameters.
This is a system comprised of multiple small buoyancy units that work together to provide adjustable buoyancy support for underwater structures. The system utilizes materials with a density lower than water (such as hollow glass microsphere composite foam, polyurethane, etc.) to generate upward thrust. The buoyancy units are distributed strategically to optimize force distribution and reduce reliance on a single large buoy. Each buoyancy unit can independently control its buoyancy level, enabling adaptation to different water depths, loads, and dynamic environmental conditions (e.g., waves, currents). The buoyancy modules feature a standardized design, supporting rapid assembly and flexible addition or reduction in quantity, significantly enhancing engineering efficiency. This system is primarily applied in marine engineering, effectively ensuring the safety and stability of underwater pipelines and equipment.
Ultra-Low-Density Materials: Utilizing hollow glass microsphere composite foam or polyurethane, with densities as low as 0.2–0.5 g/cm³, providing high-efficiency buoyancy while maintaining high mechanical strength capable of withstanding kilometer‑level deep‑sea hydrostatic pressure. Corrosion‑Resistant Sealing: Materials such as polyurethane exhibit strong resistance to seawater, oil contamination, and chemicals, with a tightly waterproof structure ensuring long‑term stability.
Rapid Installation and Adjustment: Featuring standardized interfaces (e.g., T‑shaped protrusions/grooves) and bolted connections, enabling installation of a single module in just 3–4 minutes, supporting on‑site addition or reduction of modules at sea, and adaptation to different line configurations (e.g., "S‑type", "lazy wave"). High‑Efficiency Production: Small modules are cast‑molded quickly, avoiding the time‑efficiency issues associated with batch‑casting large buoyancy structures, thereby reducing production costs by over 30%.
Dynamic Environmental Response: Integrated sensors and control systems enable real‑time buoyancy adjustment to counteract disturbances from waves and currents, maintaining structural position and posture stability. Fault‑Redundant Design: Distributed units operate independently; failure of a single point does not affect overall functionality. Composite foam material retains over 85% of its buoyancy even if the outer shell is damaged.
Recyclable materials comply with marine environmental protection requirements while reducing the use of large steel structures, thereby lowering carbon emissions. Modular design shortens offshore operational time, resulting in a 20%–40% reduction in overall operation and maintenance costs.
Floating Wind Turbine Foundations: Provide a "lazy-wave configuration" for dynamic submarine cables, reducing the tensile stress on cables caused by floating platform displacement and extending their service life. Global floating wind power is projected to meet 11 times the world's electricity demand by 2040.
Umbilical Cable and Riser Protection: Distributed modules support subsea oil and gas transmission pipelines, ensuring line stability in deep-water areas (>1000 meters) and resisting ocean current impacts.
Intelligent Monitoring Platforms: Used for buoyancy compensation in subsurface buoy systems and underwater robots (ROV/AUV), maintaining precise hovering and positioning accuracy of equipment.
Marine Ranching: Provides buoyancy for aquaculture net pens, enhancing their resistance to wind and waves. Deep-Sea Mining and Mineral Collectors: Supports operational stability of equipment in high-pressure environments.