The person in charge

Leszek Matuszewski PhD, DSc, Eng.
building IOiO room 218
phone 58 347 14 59
leszekma@pg.edu.pl

Office

Dorota Okoń MSc, ME
building IOiO room 121
phone 58 347 17 93, 58 347 15 48
dokon@pg.edu.pl

Research Area Overview

The Department of Deep Sea Technology was established in 1990, and since 2020 it still remains as the Department within the structure of the faculty divided into institutes. At the beginning Department consisted two teams of the Department of Ship Technology: The Laboratory of the Applied Polymer Resins and The Technological Laboratory headed by Dr. J. Madej. Moreover, the Department contains a teams dealing with the design and testing of steering and braking units (including the Doerffer Rudder). The head of the Department was then prof. J.P. Kozłowski and after he passed away in 1995, the duties of the manager were performed by PhD. M. Wilczopolski. Since 1998, until the department was transformed into a department connected into the Department of Ship Theory and Design, and the head was PhD L. Rowiński prof. PG.

The department provided lectures on four areas. Since the initial years there were master's and engineering studies, classes on materials science in particular of non-metallic materials. Within the next years, classes were provided on the construction and technology of vessels made of polymer composites. The last area included into the courses were underwater robotics. The basic forms of classes are lectures, exercises, laboratory exercises and apprenticeships. In addition, the Department conducts regular training for the crews of Polish Navy on the construction and operation of deep-sea systems. The Department implements NCBR and Polish Navy projects. The latest conceptual works and a feasibility study will include participation in the Autonomous Navigable Platforms (APN) project. The project will be implemented under the program "Unmanned Sea Surface and Underwater Platforms (BMPNiP) supporting the activities of dedicated ships (OPM) and non-dedicated ships for mine countermeasures. All under the supervision of prof. L. Rowiński.

Knowledge transfer from The Gdańsk University of Technology is the only institutional unit in which research and development, design and limited serial production, service and repairs of complete deep-sea systems for mine control and other inspection and manipulation works are carried out. Over the years, the works were financed by CPBR, KBN, NCBR and responsible ministries by the form of grants for research and development projects. The durability of the team dealing within the presented activity depends to a large extent on the parallel running of production activities and services related to the operation of the delivered products. The projects of the relevant services of the DPZ MON and the Navy made it possible to continue research work for many years up to fully integrated construction as well as technological and commercial knowledge. The importance of continuity of well experienced team work enabled an obtaining a practical results as illustrated in the table below. It presents the flow of information between the main projects implemented by the team of the Department of Deep Technology over the period of over 40 years. The illustration does not include many related projects, such as the Drop Rescue Capsule, the "Burzyk" anti-mine vehicle, the divers' tugboat for the "Formoza" unit and many research projects related to the development of components and software for underwater technology. As an example would be the development of the design and technology of hermetic electrical connectors that are successfully used by the Navy, coal miners, as well as radars’  auxiliary devices. The names of the systems are listed chronologically below.

The know-how transfer between vehicle designs, operational experience and support of others  constitute the basis for offering to the Polish Navy an integrated OPM system, optimized for the anticipated new tasks and possibilities. The continuity of work shown in the table directly explains the results of the analyzed period, i.e. 2017-2021. It is about implementations which are a proven impact of previous research on the economic environment.

Laboratory Base

Laboratory of Deep Sea Technology (unit excluded from the Department) - Construction and Service of Underwater Vehicles

Selected achievements in recent years

Projects
  • "Development of a system for the identification and research of the marine environment with the usage of a self-propelled deep-sea vehicle".
  • "Implementation of an underground mine fighting system", 1996.
  • "Trainer for underground system operators pk. UKWIAŁ," 1999.
  • "Self-propelled remotely controlled explosive for destroying sea mines with a control and release system", 1999.
  • "Production of large-size elements of ship hulls with newest polymer composites", 1999.
  • Research project of the State Committee for Scientific Research "Research on the power supply and propulsion system of an underwater vehicle in terms of the possibility of performing anti-mine tasks in the presence of strong sea currents", 2003.
  • Research and development project financed by The Ministry of Science:  "Development and construction of a prototype of an autonomous submersible vehicle - a platform for devices for the reconnaissance of the tactical environment against sea forces and for the detection of sea mines and other dangerous objects on the bottom surface", implemented in 2006-2009.
  • Research joined project of The Ministry of Science and  Department of Research for State Security and Defense: "Theoretical and experimental studies of phenomena during the explosion of a shaped cumulative load in an aquatic environment at different hydrostatic pressure", carried out in 2008-2011.
  • Research project, co-financing from the Ministry of Science: "Local net cleaning system in fish farms", implemented in 2007-2009.
  • Research project, co-financing from the Ministry of Science "Building" an intelligent fish tank for a profitable fish farm by controlling the water quality in each tank on the farm ", carried out in the years 2006 - 2008.
  • Development grant of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education "Active unmanned system for detection and identification of hazardous materials in water areas", implemented in 2010 - 2012.
  • "Research on critical technologies for a high-power underwater mobile robotics with a multisensoric reconnaissance set", 2012.
  • "Self-propelled Underwater Explosive Anti-Mine System, pk. GŁUPTAK ", execution of the second prototype series with the system environment, 2006.
  • A contract for the performance of an implementation work entitled "Deepwater mine defense system pk. Głuptak ", 2011.

Agreement for research works under the project entitled "Conducting research and creating the structure of an underwater and aquatic facility for scientific purposes" under the Operational Program Innovative Economy 2007.

European projects
  • The project under the VI EC FP, codenamed "WaterWingPower" entitled "Enabling renewable energy SMEs to develop submersible and cost-effective vertical axis turbines for energy exploitation in ultra-head streams", carried out in 2005 - 2007.
  • The project under the VI FP EC code name "IntelFishTank" entitled: "Development an .intelligent fish tank. for cost effective aquaculture production through control of water quality in each different fish tank in an aquaculture plant ", carried out in 2006 - 2008.
  • Project under the VI EU FP EC code name "NetWash" entitled: "In-situ Net Cleaning System in Aquaculture", implemented in the years 2006 - 2009.
  • Project under VII FP EC codenamed “SmartCatch”, “The Development of a Novel Remote Stress Sensing System to Incrase Safety, Efficiency and Reduce Enviromental Effects in Fishing and Mooring applications”, implemented in 2008-2011.
  • Development of an innovative, cost-effective environmentally friendly closed cage for sea-based fish farming. Acronym: "ClosedFishcage", project carried out in 2009-2011.

Selected most important publications that resulted in the implementation

  1. Rowiński L .: "Deep Sea Technology, Deep Sea Vehicles, Construction and Equipment", WIB, Gdańsk, 2008. Page 593, fig. 809, tables 102, 1603 refs, ISBN: 978-83-928007-0-5 .
  2. Rowinski L, "Limiting factors of a mine hunting mission using a single shot vehicle system"; Materials Undersea Defense Technology: Conference and Exhibition: UDT Europe 2009: conference proceedings, 1-10, Cannes, France 9-11 June 2009
  3. Rowinski L., Matuszewski L .: "The newly developed multipurpose ROV" for an integrated mine hunting system "Underwater Defense Technology Conference and Exhibition, 29-31 May 2012, Alicante, Spain.

Selected recently implemented research programs

  1. Underwater vehicles - design, research, execution and commercial implementations,
  2. Integrated mine defense system,
  3. The system includes deep-sea vehicles designed over a dozen or so years successively: Ukwiał, Głuptak, Albatros and Morświn
Underwater Hotel (Wotel)
 
Underwater Windows  – design, manufacturing and tests
Computer trainer for underwater vehicle operators

Well qualified pilot of deep sea vehicles needs to pass many courses and exams. It’s a costly process. During the training, in spite of theoretical knowledge, he should acquire skills that require real knowledge and long-term practical skills. Typically, these skills are acquired over several years through practical driving.

One of the tools allowing you to reduce costs and shorten the training time is the use of trainers to conduct training without the necessity of exposing equipment and people to real hazards. Physically, the trainer should be a real copy of the system and its components. This allows an intuitive practice of appropriate procedures and mental activities necessary in the process of controlling the real vehicle. A significant simplification is the use of a trainer in which selected phenomena, processes and the presence of devices important for the operator are simulated by using computers. Due to the appropriately high level of development of IT techniques, it is possible to reduce to a minimum the number of physical copies of the elements of the simulated system used in the trainer. The presence of other components and surrounding phenomena related to the operation of the vehicle and the entire system can be simulated. 

The development of a trainer that reproduces a moving object in real time and in three-dimensional space is a costly and time-consuming task. However, the outlays made pay off quickly. A practical advantage of such a solution is the natural susceptibility of information technology to changes and modifications. The simulator can be used as a tool in the design of submersible devices as well as in planning and preparing deep sea missions.

Awards

  • Team award of the 2nd degree of the Minister of NSWiT for participation in designing the construction of a prototype of a manned submersible ship made of polymer composites, 01.10.1978.
  • Team award for the development of the concept of the iron-manganese nodule extraction system at the competition organized by InterOceanMetal, 1990.
  • Award of the Commander of the Navy of the Republic of Poland - for the best product to be used in the Polish Navy, presented at BALT MILITARY - EXPO 2001, team award, Gdynia 2001-06-28.
  • 1st degree team award from the Minister of Science and Higher Education for scientific achievements for the development and preparation of the implementation of the product codenamed Głuptak; 2010 Warsaw.
  • Honorable Mention in the Mercurius Gedanensis Medal competition for the closed fish farming tank, Gdańsk 2011.
  • Gold medal in the INNOVATIONS 2011 competition for Water Discus Hotel, Gdańsk 2011.
  • The Amber Medallion in the competition for the Grand Prix of Rear Admiral Xawery Czernicki for the GŁUPTAK Mine Defense System, Bałtyckie Military Tatgi, 2012.
  • 1st degree award in the science category for the project: Anti-Mine Defense System pk. Głuptak in the Innovations for the Polish Armed Forces 2015 competition.
  • The Amber Medallion in the competition for the Grand Prix of Rear Admiral Xawery Czernicki for the OPM deepwater system - MORŚWIN, Bałtyckie Military Tatgi, 2016
  • EuroSymbol Innowacji 2015 for the development of OPM Głuptak, 2016.
  • Diamond Award "State Security Leader 2017" for the product: Underground System OPM pk. IDIOT.
  • Diamond Award "State Security Leader 2017" for the product: MORŚWIN Deep System.