Polar marine equipment is the main carrier for human participation in polar activities. The suggestions for the division of the polar marine equipment system are provided in the current study. The key directions for future polar marine equipment in China are found based on the historical development of China’s polar marine equipment and the comparative analysis of similar equipment types at home and abroad. Nine technical disciplines for polar ships are proposed and three major technical requirements are listed and elaborated by combining with the engineering research and development of heavy icebreakers. It can provide references for the research and development of relevant equipment technologies in China.

As polar scientific exploration requires broader range, deeper space, and more data collection, unmanned equipment emerges frequently in the polar research expeditions from various countries, helping researchers to have a comprehensive and thorough understanding of the polar environment. Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) have gradually become indispensable equipment for the polar underwater scientific research in the new century due to their advantages of autonomy and versatility. Therefore, it is essential to review the application of scientific research AUVs in polar regions and anticipate their future development. This article begins with a basic introduction to AUVs, followed by analysis of the main purposes and advantages of the AUVs in polar regions based on the summarization of the thirty polar AUV operations in the world. The challenges encountered by the AUVs applied in polar regions are discussed to present the development of the AUVs suitable for the polar scientific research. Additionally, thoughts are also proposed for the design of a new generation of polar research vessels equipped with unmanned equipment such as AUVs.

The applicable rules of nuclear-powered icebreakers at home and abroad are introduced from the design requirements of icebreakers. And the key points of icebreaker design rules are analyzed from polar risks such as low temperature, excessive ice and remote geographical location. Firstly, the definitions of low-temperature environment in different classification society rules have been compared, and the design points of winterization rules are interpreted from the aspects of engine intake, cold protection for liquid tank and escape passage. Secondly, the relevant requirements of the general arrangement are sorted out from the requirements of fire safety, nuclear safety and winterization. The influence of icing on the requirements of intact stability, riding ice stability and damaged stability in rules are also summarized. Finally, the strength check rules of ice class rudder system and ice class propeller are analyzed. The above comparison and analysis of rules can provide references for future design of nuclear-powered icebreakers with practical significance.

The numerical modeling of the ice formation in the ballast tank of polar ships has been established by adopting the volume of fluid (VOF) model in FLUENT to simulate the liquid phase and vapor phase, in order to analyze the influences of low temperature environment and ballast water capacity on the ice formation, and the heat transfer mode of the ballast tank of polar ships. The variations of the ice field in the computational domain with set-ups of different temperature environment and ballast water capacity are observed to analyze the influences of various factors and conditions on the ice formation in the ballast tank. It is found that the ice grows along the bulkhead to form a uniform ice layer, then grows transversely and vertically to form an ice layer completely covering the water surface, and finally grows downward along the bulkhead on the other side to form an arch shape as a whole. It is also observed that for the same ballast water capacity, the lower the ambient temperature, the faster the icing rate and the higher the icing degree; while for the different ballast water capacity, the lower the free surface, the better the effect of the hot air in the tank and the slower the icing rate. It can be concluded that the icing law of the ballast tank under low temperature is revealed through the numerical simulation of the ice formation of the polar ship ballast tank under low temperature. It can provide references for the deicing and winterization measures of the polar ship ballast tank.