CRYOGENIC ENGINES - SCI & TECH
News: Skyroot
test fires 3D-printed cryogenic engine
What's in the news?
● Private
space vehicle company Skyroot Aerospace
test-fired its 3D-printed Dhawan II engine for a duration of 200 seconds. The
engine was developed by the company for its heavier vehicle, Vikram II.
Cryogenic Engines:
● Cryogenic
engines are typically very powerful and carry liquid propellant at extremely low temperatures.
Features:
● It
uses Hydrogen as fuel, stored at
minus 253 degrees Celsius and liquid Oxygen as oxidizer at minus 193 degrees
Celsius.
● To
store these cryogenic fluids, special multi-layer insulation is provided for
the tanks and other structures.
Significance:
● Cryogenic
rocket stage is more efficient and
provides more thrust for every kilogram of propellant it burns compared to
solid and earth-storable liquid propellant rocket stages.
● Specific impulse
(a measure of the efficiency) achievable with cryogenic propellants (liquid
Hydrogen and liquid Oxygen) is much higher compared to earth storable liquid
and solid propellants, giving it a substantial payload advantage.
Challenges:
● However,
the cryogenic stage is technically a very
complex system compared to solid or earth-storable liquid propellant stages
due to its use of propellants at extremely low temperatures and the associated
thermal and structural problems.
Go back to basics:
Vikram-S:
● The
rocket Vikram-S is a single-stage solid
fuelled, sub-orbital rocket developed over two years by incorporating
advanced technologies including carbon composite structures and 3D-printed
components.