Isro tests CE20 cryo engine at 22-tonne thrust | India News
BENGALURU: ISRO on Thursday said it successfully conducted a sea-level heat test of its CE20 cryogenic engine at 22-tonne thrust at the ISRO Propulsion Complex on March 10.The CE20 engine powers the upper cryogenic stage of the LVM-3 launch vehicle. The last test was done using a nozzle protection system and a multi-element igniter.“Earlier, sea-level tests using the nozzle protection system were conducted at 19 tonne thrust level. The latest trial qualified sea-level testing of the engine at a higher 22-ton thrust level. The test lasted 165 seconds,” ISRO said.ISRO plans to operate future LVM-3 missions with an uprated C32 cryogenic stage providing 22-tonne thrust from the CE20 engine to increase the rocket’s payload capacity. “Consequently, the flight acceptance test of the CE20 engine will also have to be conducted at a higher thrust level,” ISRO said.The space agency said testing the CE20 engine at sea level posed significant challenges due to the engine’s high area-ratio nozzle, which has an exit pressure of about 50 mbar. A key concern during such tests is flow separation inside the nozzle, which can cause severe vibration and thermal stress at the separation point and potentially damage the nozzle.According to ISRO, the cryogenic engine used in the latest test has completed a record 20 successful heat tests. These tests enabled the demonstration of various technologies using a single engine.“This includes ignition using a multi-element igniter, showing the ignition margin for Gaganyan mission across a wide range of propellant tank pressures and pre-ignition chamber pressures, and qualifies the Gaganyaan’s engine at 20-tonne thrust level,” ISRO added.The tests also demonstrate and qualify operation at 22-ton thrust, the CE20 engine’s boot-strap mode enabling in-flight restart without a start-up system, qualification of indigenous turbopump bearings and sensors, and qualification of the nozzle protection system for hot testing at high sea level.ISRO said the engine’s performance and test facility were as expected throughout the test period.
