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Scramjet Combustor Ground Test
Context:
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has achieved a significant milestone with the successful ground test of its Active Cooled Scramjet Combustor for 120.
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- This test, conducted at the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad, marks a crucial step forward in India’s hypersonic technology development.
- The recent test demonstrated the scramjet combustor’s ability to achieve stable combustion and successful ignition, a significant challenge in scramjet technology.
Current Challenges in Launch Vehicles
- Expendable Design: Current launch vehicles are single-use, resulting in high costs and inefficiency.
- Payload Limitation: These vehicles can carry only 2-4% of their lift-off mass to orbit.
- Dependence on Oxidiser: Nearly 70% of the propellant carried by launch vehicles is oxidiser, increasing overall weight and cost.
What is a Scramjet?
- Scramjets, or Supersonic Combustion Ramjets, are air-breathing engines that efficiently operate at hypersonic speeds—speeds greater than Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.
- Unlike traditional ramjets, scramjets maintain supersonic airflow throughout the engine, making them capable of sustaining high-speed combustion without moving parts.
Key Achievements of the Test
- Successful Ignition and Stable Combustion: The scramjet combustor demonstrated stable combustion with continuous flame inside the combustor at air speeds exceeding 1.5 kilometres per second.
- Innovative Flame Stabilisation Technique: DRDO scientists developed a novel flame stabilisation technique to maintain continuous combustion under extreme conditions.
- Indigenous Endothermic Scramjet Fuel: For the first time in India, DRDO and its industry partners developed an endothermic scramjet fuel that offers significant cooling improvement and ease of ignition.
- Advanced Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC): A new ceramic TBC with high thermal resistance was developed to protect the scramjet engine from extreme temperatures encountered during hypersonic flight.
Strategic Significance
- Global Hypersonic Race: Nations like the USA, Russia, China, and India are leading hypersonic technology advancements. The US conducted the first scramjet engine test in 2002, followed by Russia, Europe, Japan, and China.
- Strategic Benefits: Hypersonic weapons can overcome advanced Air Defence Systems and deliver rapid, precise strikes. High speeds, manoeuvrability, and minimal warning times provide a decisive offensive edge.
- China’s Progress: 2021 Test: Demonstrated a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide vehicle that circled the globe before reaching its target, showcasing advanced space capabilities.
DRDO’s Ongoing Hypersonic Projects
- Aeroacoustics studies for hypersonic vehicles.
- Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) applications using AI.
- Development of Reaction Control Systems for Hypersonic Glide Vehicles.
- Advanced thermal barrier coatings for extreme temperatures.
- Development of endothermic fuels for high-temperature applications.
India’s continuous progress in hypersonic technologies marks its growing strategic and technological prowess, keeping pace with global military advancements.
India’s Journey in Hypersonic Technology Development
- ISRO’s Contributions:
- 2016: Successful flight test of the scramjet engine under the Air Breathing Propulsion Project.
- 2024: Experimental demonstration of Air Breathing Propulsion Technology.
- Future Goals:
- Developing the Hypersonic Air Breathing Vehicle with Air Integration Systems (HAVA).
- Scramjet engines are used in rockets to reduce oxidiser load and carry heavier satellites.
- DRDO’s Contributions:
- Early 2000s: Began hypersonic engine development.
- 2020 Milestones:
- September: Successfully tested the Hypersonic Technology Demonstration Vehicle (HSTDV).
- December: Inaugurated the advanced Hypersonic Wind Tunnel Test Facility in Hyderabad (India is the third country after the US and Russia with such a facility).
2024 Achievement: Established the Hypervelocity Expansion Tunnel Test Facility at IIT Kanpur, supported by DST’s Fund for Improvement in S&T Infrastructure (FIST).
