India's VIKAS engines and its relationship to the European Viking engines

 

VIKAS (an acronym for Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai) is a family of liquid-fuelled rocket engines conceptualized and designed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre since the 1970s.
The early production VIKAS engines used imported French components which were later replaced by domestically produced equivalents. It is used in the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) series of expendable launch vehicles for space launch use. VIKAS engines are used to power the second stage PSLV, boosters and second stage of GSLV Mark I and II and now the first stage of GSLV Mark III (LVM3).

Update 28.07.2022

Two new types of Vikas engines, HTVE (High Thrust VIKAS Engine) and HPVE (High Pressure or Highspeed VIKAS Engine), are of particular interest, but there are only confusing reports and photos.

"The next generation Vikas engine developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) is being flown for the first time. LPSC director Narayanan told  that the improved engine would give a significant advantage in terms of enhancing payload capability. Usually, the chamber pressure is 58 bar, but with the use of high-thrust Vikas engine, we will achieve 62 bar, which is a 6% increase in thrust that gives us 70 kgs of additional payload gain. Right now, we are going to use the high-thrust Vikas engine only in the second stage. Basically, we are validating it. For Chandrayaan-2 mission, we will be using five such engines aiming for a payload gain of around 250 kgs”.

It seems that:

  • The HTVE are modified VIKAS-2B engines and should primarily be used for the second stage of the GSLV. For three LVM3 launcher (X, D1 and D2), a SL-version of it was used of it.

  • The HPVE (= HsVE) is a significantly modified VIKAS engines. Two different versions are being developed for the GSLV booster and the first stage of the future LVM3 (M).

  • The development of the HPVE has been going on since at least 10 years. There are pictures of the combustors in the test or mounted on LVM3 demonstrators.

  • The first qualification-test of the reworked combustor for the LVM3 (M) was occurred on January 20, 2022 (25 sec). Three more long duration tests are planned.

 

Type

Designer

Nozzle
Diameter
 (m)

Nozzle
Length
 (m)
Nozzle
 Area Ratio
Chamb.
press.
 (MPa)
Fuel Mix Rate

Flow rate
 (t/sec

Thrust
 s.l. (kN)
Thrust
 vac (kN)

Isp s.l.
Ns/kg

Isp vac
Ns/kg
Launcher
 Booster/ First stage

M55 (Viking-1)

 CNES         UDMH/N2O4     539.4      

Europa-III

M60 (Viking-2)

~1.00 ~1.15 13.9 5.34   0.2545 596.5 667.5 2345 2623

L3S project

Viking-5

~1.00 ~1.35 13.9 5.44 1.86 0.2545 596.5 667.5 2345 2623

Ariane-1

VIKAS-1

VIKAS industry ~1.00 ~1.15 13.9  5.35 0.2469 600.5 680.5 2432 2756

GSLV Mk.1

VIKAS-1B

 ~1.00 ~1.15 13.9 ? UH25/N2O4 1.71 0.2710 677.7 765.5 2501 2824

GSLV Mk.1/2

HTVE SL (2)

~1.75 ~2.00   5.85 0.5719 1,514.2 1,693.6 2648 2962   GSLV Mk.3 (LVM3) D1,D2

Viking-5B

CNES 0.99 ~1.35 10.5 5.85 1.71 0.2714 645.0 720.0 2376 2653

Ariane-2, -3

Viking-5C

0.99 ~1.35 10.5 5.85 0.2790 678.8 760.5 2432 2725

Ariane-4

Viking-6

0.99 ~1.35 10.5 5.85 0.2787 670.0 749.0 2404 2687

Ariane-4 booster

HPVE-1 (2)

VIKAS industry ~1.75 ~2.00       0.5805 1,611.2 1,793.1 2775 3089   GSLV Mk.3 (LVM3) M

HPVE-2 (HsVE)

~1.40 ~1.50        

~700

~800

? ?   GSLV Mk.2+ (booster)
 Second stage

Viking-3 (M60 l.n.)

CNES ~1.15       UDMH/N2O4            

L3S project

Viking-4

1.14     5.24 1.86 0.2507 - 713.0 - 2844

Ariane-1

VIKAS-2

VIKAS industry 1.14      5.24 0.2498 - 725.0 - 2903

GSLV Mk.1, PSLV

Viking-4B

CNES 1.71 ~2.00 30.8 5.85 UH25/N2O4 1.71 0.2753 - 784.8 - 2851

Ariane-2, -3

Viking-4B+

1.71 ~2.00 30.8 5.85 0.2815 - 807.8 - 2870

Ariane-4

VIKAS-2B

VIKAS industry 1.75 1.99   5.85 0.2716 - 804.5 - 2962

GSLV Mk.2, PSLV

HTVE vac

~1.75 ~2.00   6.20 0.2859 - 846.8 - 2962

GSLV Mk.2+, PSLV

 

Photographic References

Viking-2

&

License
Viking 5
-------------->

?
M55 (Viking-1) M60 (Viking-2) Viking-5   VIKAS-1 VIKAS-1B
--  --  --
Viking-5B Viking-5C Viking-6      
Viking-4

&

License
Viking-4B
-------------->

?
M60 l.n. (Viking-3) Viking-4 Viking-4B   VIKAS-2 VIKAS-2B

 

 

         

HPVE-1 -------> LVM3 (M)

 HPVE-2 (= HsVE)  --------->  GSLV (booster)

HTVE  ------>  GSLV

HTVE SL -------->  LVM3 (D)