Hypervelocity Expansion Tunnel Test Facility

Context:

• India has achieved a significant milestone in its goal of becoming self-reliant with the successful establishment and testing of the country’s first Hypervelocity Expansion Tunnel Test Facility by IIT Kanpur.

Details:

• This facility will enhance India’s global standing in experimental hypersonic research and provide a major boost to the space and defence sectors.
• It also aligns with the Prime Minister’s vision of making India a scientifically advanced nation by enabling the development of advanced hypersonic technologies and systems.

Key Points:

• The facility was built with a grant of Rs 4.5 Crores from the Fund for Improvement in S&T Infrastructure (FIST) of the Department of Science & Technology (DST) in 2018.
• It was created by the Hypersonic Experimental Aerodynamics Laboratory at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Kanpur.
• The facility, called S2, can simulate hypersonic conditions and achieve flight speeds between 3-10 km/s.
• It is an important testing facility for projects like Gaganyaan, RLV, and hypersonic cruise missiles by ISRO and DRDO.

Details about the test facility: 

• The Facility, known as S2 can produce the flight regimes in a range of 3–10 km/s which resemble hypersonic conditions prevalent during various vehicles’ atmospheric entry including asteroid entrance; scramjet flights and ballistic missiles.
• The S2, affectionately called ‘Jigarthanda’ and housed in the Hypersonic Experimental Aerodynamics Laboratory (HEAL), Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Kanpur measures 78 feet long.
• Its conception took a phenomenal three years with financial help and constant operational support by ADRB & DST.
• It is designed and developed on indigenously infrastructure. The S2 acts as a test bed for many of the ongoing missions undertaked by esteemed organisations like ISRO, DRDO with important projects including Gaganyaan, Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), hypersonic cruise missiles etc underway
• This facility is made up of four main parts: a free piston driver, compression tube, shock/acceleration tube and test section equipped with high vacuum set-up for the hypersonic flow creation.
• All the apparatus in the facility were procured through DST-FIST program.

Importance of the facility for India:

• The growth of hypersonic research in India is increasing rapidly and the introduction of the Hypersonic Test Facility will allow more engineers and researchers to study hypersonic technology.
• The research conducted at the facility will be used to improve current vehicles and contribute to future defence and space missions.
• This facility will place India at the forefront of experimental hypersonic research globally and greatly enhance their capabilities in the space and defence sectors.
• India will be better positioned to develop advanced hypersonic technologies and systems.

Conclusion: 

• India’s newly developed Hypervelocity Expansion Tunnel Test Facility, named ‘Jigarthanda’, marks a significant progression in aerospace research.
• By being created within the country, it has the potential to enhance India’s standing in hypersonic technology and reinforce its defence and space industries.

Source: Hindustan times

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