Key Core Component Breakthrough! China’s Independently Developed "Heart" of Piling Vessel Achieves Multiple Global Firsts

On January 16, the world’s largest piling vessel hoisting cylinder was successfully rolled off the production line in Jiangsu. As the "heart" of the piling vessel, this domestically developed cylinder features a bore diameter of 1.6 meters, a piston stroke of 21 meters, and a total length of nearly 50 meters (equivalent to about 17 stories) when fully extended. With a rated thrust of 5,000 tons—capable of lifting 3,500 passenger cars in one go—it ranks first globally in terms of weight, diameter, length, and thrust. The cylinder is set to be installed on the world’s largest 156-meter dynamic positioning piling vessel currently under construction.

As the core actuator of hydraulic systems, a cylinder efficiently converts hydraulic energy into mechanical energy for linear reciprocating motion. Its performance directly determines the operational reliability, precision, and efficiency of equipment, making it a critical core component in various industrial equipment.

  DMS Seals, a pioneer in domestic substitution, participated in the entire process of seal design and material selection. Specially filled PTFE heavy-duty seals—boasting impact resistance, high pressure resistance, seawater/salt spray resistance, anti-aging properties, low friction, and long service life—provide critical technical support for the cylinder.

 Independent R&D: The "Super Heart" Beats with Chinese Strength. The 156-meter dynamic positioning piling vessel is invested and constructed by China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau. During R&D, the bureau joined hands with Hengli Hydraulic and renowned universities to form a industry-university-research-application system. In manufacturing, the project team overcame a series of technical challenges, including precision control of ultra-large component machining, anti-deformation of ultra-long piston rods, and coating cladding of ultra-large rods, ensuring the "super cylinder" maintains extremely high reliability and durability at extreme dimensions.

   Green and Intelligent: World’s First Closed-loop Energy Recovery System. For the first time globally, the cylinder integrates a closed-loop energy recovery system, which converts the potential energy of the pile frame during lowering or tilting into electric energy, achieving an energy recovery rate of up to 40%. The system can intelligently switch between "energy-consuming" and "regenerative" modes based on the actual load of piling operations, optimizing the energy efficiency of the working cycle, significantly reducing overall operating energy consumption, and driving large piling vessels toward greener and smarter development.

  An expert panel review concluded that all technical performance indicators of the piling vessel’s main cylinder and core components have reached or exceeded those of imported counterparts. This successful development of major equipment marks another important breakthrough for China in the field of high-end marine engineering core components. It will provide strong support for China’s future deep-sea engineering, cross-sea bridge, and offshore wind power construction, further consolidating China’s independent equipment capability and international discourse power in this sector.