Design and Validation of Thermal Insulation for Deep-sea Fluid Sampler of Jiaolong Human Occupied Vehicle

Abstract

In this paper, a thermal insulation structure with silica aerogel felt as filler material was designed for the requirements of deep-sea fluid thermal insulation sampling technology for Jiaolong human occupied vehicle. Simulation analysis of thermal insulation performance was carried out and an experimental prototype was developed for the thermal insulation structure. Experimental study on thermal insulation performance was conducted with the variation characteristics of the operation environment for Jiaolong human occupied vehicle being taken into account. Results show that the silica aerogel felt with a thickness of 30 mm filled in the radial space between the inner and outer cylinders can achieve the expected thermal insulation effect during the diving-sampling-transferring process, with maximum temperature rise of 8.5 °C, and can meet the requirements of deep-sea fluid thermal insulation sampling technology.