Development and Application of Petrel Serialized Underwater Glider Technologies

Abstract

Underwater gliders are unmanned undersea vehicles that utilize hydrodynamic principles to glide through water. They rely on a range of technologies, including overall design principles such as hydrodynamic shape and pressure-resistant hull, specific unit technologies such as buoyancy-driven propulsion, attitude adjustment, energy management, intelligent control, and sensor integration, as well as application technologies such as path planning and collaborative networking. The deep-sea intelligent equipment team at Tianjin University has made significant advancements in the development of underwater gliders in China, having spent over 20 years since 2002 designing and refining their flagship model, the Petrel. This vehicle has achieved a high level of performance in critical areas such as working depth, endurance, and sensor integration. This review presents an overview of the key technologies, advanced methods, and innovative theories that have been used in the development of the Petrel series, including its overall design, buoyancy-driven propulsion system, energy management, collaborative networking, and sea trial applications. Additionally, we explore the potential of bionic technology to inform the future development of underwater glider technology. This review seeks to afford valuable insights that will inform the continued rapid advancement of unmanned undersea vehicle technology in China.

Keywords

• underwater glider
• petrel
• overall design
• serialized development
• buoyancy-driven
• energy and power
• networking observation