Published on January 13, 2006

The development of submarines may seem beyond the expertise of local researchers, but in the not-too-distant future, the country hopes to have a Thai-made submersible vehicle that can take people below the sea.

The Royal Thai Navy in cooperation with the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) is conducting a project to develop the country’s first submersible for surveillance purposes.

The project is a five-year endeavour from 2002 to 2007 with a Bt30-million budget, of which Bt25 million is from the Defence Ministry and the remainder from the NSTDA.

Sawat Tantiphanwadi, the deputy director of the technology management centre at the NSTDA, said that since Thailand does not yet have enough technology and knowledge to develop a submersible vehicle, the project had received support from a Thai associate professor at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).

The NSTDA’s Reverse Brain Drain Project, which is run under the Technology Management Centre, is also central to encouraging Thai experts in this field to join the project.

Sawat said the Thai expert had helped design the vehicle and had transferred technology to local researchers. So far, the project has completed the design and the team has developed a model submersible that will be used for actual production.

Apart from the Navy and the NSTDA, Sawat said the project was supported by UniThai Shipyard, a vessel repair, conversion and building company, which will take care of full-size production. The expert in the project, Surot Thangjitham, associate professor of the engineering mechanics department at Virginia Tech, said it was hoped the project would develop a local knowledge base related to submersible technology.

As Thailand has never built an under-sea vehicle, the project is a challenge for local researchers. Surot said the difficulties during the development started with the design process – making the vehicle sink. Technology that will enable the vehicle to adjust to pressure under water is also vital.

“Water pressure is an important concern when developing submergible vehicles. If the design and the adoption of technology is not suitable, the development will fail,” he said.

The material used is vital in making the vehicle reach the depths required. Surot said that to develop a submersible, several scientific fields and technologies – including propulsion systems, electrical systems, ballast systems, life-support systems, communication and navigation systems, and alarm and monitoring systems – were involved.

All technologies will be integrated to create a complete vehicle. Surot said the project also played a key role in enabling local researchers to learn many technologies.

Under the plan, the team will build the eight-metre long vehicle, which can carry five passengers. With a speed of five knots, the vehicle can dive to 50 metres and stay under water for three to five hours.

The team will work with UniThai Shipyard to build the submersible, and production is expected to be completed in the next few years. The vessel prototype is to be tested in a real situation in Phuket.

It is hoped that successful development will pave the way for the country to build small submersibles on its own. It will create a knowledge base for local people, which is an important step in helping the Kingdom become more self-reliant.

“We hope the project will give local people, especially in the Navy, more knowledge, which will help them maintain other submarines,” Surot added.

Sawat said experience gained from the project would eventually turn into business potential. “If we can develop this submersible vehicle, why can’t we build a small submersible used for tourism in the future?”

pongpen@nationgroup.com

Pongpen Sutharoj

The Nation

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