The indigenous cryogenic engine being tested in the High Altitude Test facility of ISRO at Mahendragiri
How the Cryogenic Engine was developed?
After two decades of research and development, Cryogenic engine was finally outcome by making several changes. This was developed to launch medium sized satellites in geostationary orbit. This engine helps to locate the satellite in its position in the orbit.
The cryogenic engine projectwas set up by Gnanagandi who was the head of cryogenic engine project at ISRO.
Gnanagandhi met the executive of Messers Grieshem company. The whole ISRO team went to meet him. Gnanagandhi said about the cryogenic project and the need of hydrogen facility. German executive asked why they need Hydrogen Facility.
He replied to them:“You cannot just fill the high pressure hydrogen while it gets evaporates soon. Gnanagandi learned that other thing is needed with hydrogen.
The project of cryogenic engine was planned in 1987 in his Guest house at Mumbai.
After a year, he bought the ISRO team and explained about the cryogenic engine. He didn’t know how to get the liquid oxygen or liquid hydrogen or how to use in the Engine. He quickly learned and made one ton prototype engine in 1988. It blew up during the test.
Cryogenic engine is absolutely an essential one:
Cryogenic engine is essential to launch the satellites in the geostationary orbit. India offered this for sale.
General Dynamics firm in U.S offered first at high price. Then Russia offered them for reasonable price. India signed the deal for two engines in 1991.
Everything looked good.
American pressurized the Russian by sayingthat these engines will be used for nuclear missiles.
Developing the Technology:
They used a technology called stage combustion. It was efficient but difficult. It made the engine heavy but it gave the highest efficiencies for a specific amount of propellant.
Approval of this project:
The Indian Government then gave the formal approval to the ISRO in 1994. The budget was 300 crore. Later private Industry started to tie up with ISRO to make the Cryogenic engine effectively.
The first partner was Godrej and MTAR technology. Godrej set up the Vacuum Brazil facility and MTAR made Turbo pump and some other components.
The liquid hydrogen is kept at -253 degree centigrade. The turbo pump operates at 500 degree centigrade and rotates 40,000 times a minute. The combustion temperature is around 3,000 degree centigrade.
The pressure inside the combustion chamber is 60 times the atmospheric pressure. The chamber wall has to withstand the high pressure and temperature. No material can withstand a temperature of 3,000 degree centigrade, and so the combustion chamber wall has to be cooled.
Lift Off:
At first cryogenic engine was made of 7.5 ton in 2000. They succeeded finally in 2002.Then Indigenous engine was qualified in 2003. It took other 4 years to plan and integrate the GSLV rocket. But first time it failed in 2010 because the engine gets shut down after 3 seconds after ignition.
India could have developed cryogenic engine by 2000
KOCHI, AUG 27 2013
India could have developed a cryogenic engine by the year 2000 if “indiscriminate” arrests had not been made in the ISRO espionage case by those who investigated it initially, former space scientist Nambi Narayanan told the Kerala High Court.
Narayanan, who was arrested and later released in the espionage case, informed the court yesterday that the special Police team led by former ADGP Sibi Mathews, which had initially probed the case, had planned to arrest all those working for the development of cryogenic engine to ’demoralise’ them and stall development in the specialised area.
Narayanan, who had approached the court seeking action against Mathews, presently Chief Information Commissioner, and two other officers, was responding to the reply affidavit of the former Police officer.
While admitting that India has not been able to successfully launch a cryogenic engine till date, he said recently ISRO had attempted it but had to postpone it just an hour and 48 minutes before its official launch.
Narayanan’s counsel submitted that all those working in the line of cryogenic development in ISRO and Russian scientists, who supported India and the Russian Private Airline (Ural Aviation), were made the accused. The Ural Aviation was the airline which brought Russian Cryogenic engines and other relevant materials for ISRO, it was stated.
Pointing that Mathews had a ‘definite plan’, Narayanan claimed he was arrested in November 1994 without conducting any search at his office or home and no incriminating documentary evidence was seized from him.
He also stated that he had not raised the allegation that his arrest was part of a US agenda accomplished by CIA as he realised the agenda only later.
Sibi Mathews, in his affidavit, had earlier stated that Narayanan’s plea seeking action against the three Police officers, including him, was only to tarnish his image.
(This article was published on August 27, 2013)
