India launches nation's 1st 3D-printed rocket engine

[Admin]

India's Agnikul Cosmos successfully launched a test vehicle powered by a homegrown 3D printed rocket engine.

India launches nation's 1st 3D-printed rocket engine : Read more

 

[Unclear Engineer]

Trying to understand the new jargon.

A "semi-cryogenic" rocket is just one that uses regular kerosene RP1 fuel with liquid oxygen for its oxidizer, so one of the 2 parts is "cryogenic" and the other is just room temperature (or lower in space). Same as the old Atlas rockets that the U.S. is going to use to launch the Boeing Starliner capsule (some day soon, we hope).

As for "3D printed", and "one piece", I am trying to understand what is included in the "one piece" and what are attachments that are different pieces. There is a picture of another "semi-cryogenic" rocket motor used by India here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCE-200 . As can be seen in the picture, there are a lot of parts, some that spin in a turbine. So, it is not clear to me how there can be "one part" if it includes the turbine and its blades. I am guessing that it is the combustion chamber and the nozzle, along with its cooling passages, and maybe the injectors for the fuel and lox in the combustion chamber that are being 3D printed.

it would help if the article had some engine designation number that we could look up to get more info. A Google search turned up this: https://www.theweek.in/news/sci-tec...et-and-how-agnikul-cosmos-capitalised-it.html , which says
"Ravichandran has also said that their core engine is 3D printed as a single piece, including the fuel inlet, exhaust outlet, and everything in between, along with the igniter. This engine is then connected to the necessary plumbing, such as fuel pipes, pressure and temperature sensors, and valves. "
But, there is no equivalent picture in the second link.

 

[Whistler]

Trying to understand the new jargon.

A "semi-cryogenic" rocket is just one that uses regular kerosene RP1 fuel with liquid oxygen for its oxidizer, so one of the 2 parts is "cryogenic" and the other is just room temperature (or lower in space). Same as the old Atlas rockets that the U.S. is going to use to launch the Boeing Starliner capsule (some day soon, we hope).

As for "3D printed", and "one piece", I am trying to understand what is included in the "one piece" and what are attachments that are different pieces. There is a picture of another "semi-cryogenic" rocket motor used by India here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCE-200 . As can be seen in the picture, there are a lot of parts, some that spin in a turbine. So, it is not clear to me how there can be "one part" if it includes the turbine and its blades. I am guessing that it is the combustion chamber and the nozzle, along with its cooling passages, and maybe the injectors for the fuel and lox in the combustion chamber that are being 3D printed.

it would help if the article had some engine designation number that we could look up to get more info. A Google search turned up this: https://www.theweek.in/news/sci-tec...et-and-how-agnikul-cosmos-capitalised-it.html , which says
"Ravichandran has also said that their core engine is 3D printed as a single piece, including the fuel inlet, exhaust outlet, and everything in between, along with the igniter. This engine is then connected to the necessary plumbing, such as fuel pipes, pressure and temperature sensors, and valves. "
But, there is no equivalent picture in the second link.

SCE 200 is the semi cryo engine of Govt's space agency ISRO, whereas private space startup Agnikul is using their own semi cryo engine called Agnilet. 2 separate engines by 2 seperate companises.

Agnilet engine pic here just block JavaScript to see

The Indian space-tech startup that’s building 3D-printed rocket engines

Chennai-based Agnikul Cosmos has developed what it claims is the world’s first single-piece 3D-printed rocket engine.

indianexpress.com

Agnikul

Agnikul Cosmos is building launch vehicles capable of taking micro and nanosatellites to Low Earth Orbit, on-demand. Agnikul believes that getting to space shouldn't be the hardest part of living & working from space.

agnikul.in

 

[Unclear Engineer]

I received an e-mail from the forum showing a reply from "Whistler" saying that the 3D printed rocket motor is an Agnilet and providing a url to a picture, but that does not appear on the forum when I click on the [View This Thread] button. So, I am guessing that there is some problem with that link. Would a moderator please tell us why "Whistlers" post was removed? I would like to click on the link in the e-mail to get the picture, but am afraid it is some sort of malware because that seems to be the only reasonable cause for the post to have been removed.

Edit: Now there is a more extensive post by Whistler that seems to have the info.