The Hindu : Front Page : Cryogenic stage test aborted

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Saturday, Jan 20, 2007
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Cryogenic stage test aborted

T.S. Subramanian

Computer on board senses anomaly when pressure came down

CHENNAI: The long-duration firing for 720 seconds of India's indigenous cryogenic stage was aborted on Friday about 30 seconds after the cryogenic engine started firing at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Mahendragiri near Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu.

The computer on board the stage sensed an anomaly when the pressure came down and the temperature increased in the liquid hydrogen passage of the thrust chamber of the engine, indicating probably a leak of the propellant. "This triggered an auto abort," said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sources.

The firing of the engine began around 6.20 p.m. but within 30 seconds the engine was shut down because the parameters for the liquid hydrogen passage of the thrust chamber exceeded their limits. "For every parameter, there is an upper limit and a lower limit. The pressure came down and the temperature increased," the sources said. The thrust chamber is the powerhouse of the engine where combustion of fuel and oxidiser takes place.

The sources said: "We will drain the propellants, warm up the stage and make it amenable to human access. This activity will continue throughout tonight and continue tomorrow morning. We will then find out what is the problem. "

ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair, who was present at the LPSC,said ,"We had prepared for the test. During the initial starter, certain anomalies were observed. We have not proceeded with the long-duration test." Asked whether the test was aborted 30 seconds after the engine started firing, he said, "The computer saw some anomalies for shutting down [the engine]. Seven hundred and twenty seconds was the target. Before we cleared for the test, in the preparation phase, we saw some anomalies. We have to look into what is the anomaly."

The full-duration test will be rescheduled after three weeks.

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