The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), awarded BS&B Safety Systems (India), an order for custom-engineering rupture disks for its space mission to the moon called the Chandrayana. It is a rare privilege for this Sanmar Engineering Corporation (SEC) constituent to be associated with this prestigious project that will move forward India’s space exploration programme. The company’s innovative work for VSSC includes the design and manufacture of rupture disks for the Spin motor and the De-Orbit motor, whose construction and metallurgy assist the launch of a space probe to impact the moon’s surface. The satellite is expected to take pictures and analyse the findings of the moon surface, the results of which will prepare the groundwork for subsequent human landing on the moon. This new application illustrates the use of rupture disks as a pressure release mechanism. It has found innovative application in windmills, fire extinguishers for battle tanks, in experimental aeronautics and in wind tunnel testing.
The application
The application The rupture disk will open at a pressure of 25 bar to let out an impinger with the camera from the satellite on to the surface of the moon. On impinging, the dust generated will be studied through the photographs sent by the camera. The custom-made rupture disk is supposed to withstand the lunar environment for 100 days before the disk is bursted to de-orbit the impinger for striking the surface of the moon. The disk will be welded on the deorbit nozzle, which is connected to the propulsion body. The medium inside the housing will be hot gases at 2900 degree C and the external environment will be vacuum. The disk type will be a variant of the standard design. Committed to providing VSSC with the high-end technology it needs to manage its space exploration
efforts cost-effectively and safely, BS&B takes pride in assuring that its rupture disks and safety systems meet the tough requirements of VSSC and all its other valuable customers.
The Egyptian passenger ship Al Salam Boccaccio 98, carrying about 1,400 people, sank in the Red Sea on 2 February 2006, during bad weather. Accounts from survivors and crew members suggest that the tragedy began when a fire broke out on board. Water used to fight the blaze apparently flooded the car deck, pooled to one side, and caused the ship to list and quickly sink. Rescue ships and helicopters pulled dozens of survivors and bodies from the water. Most of the passengers were Egyptian workers returning from their jobs in Saudi Arabia. At least four Saudi and four Egyptian ships were involved in the search effort, arriving about 10 hours after the 35-yearold ferry was believed to have sunk. There were fears that the death toll could be extremely high. Sanmar Sonata was summoned by the Egyptian Navy to assist in the Search and Rescue (SAR) operations of the ill-fated passengers aboard the passenger ship, which capsized. Sanmar Sonata, loaded at Rabigh in Saudi Arabia was transiting the Red Sea, en route her discharge port in Syria (Mediterranean). When she was summoned to assist, she drifted close to the site of tragedy (since 0130hrs IST on 3 February 2006) and was assigned to the command of an Egyptian Navy warship, “Shama Sheikh”, controlling the operations. Under international laws, a merchant ship is obliged to assist in such rescue operations, if called upon to do so, under instructions from the relevant Regional Naval Command. Sanmar Sonata’s master Capt Kundan Kumar, advised the charterers Vitol and the TORM Pool, the Flag State, Marshall Islands and the P&I Club about her deviation from the schedule. The vessel was involved in the search and rescue operations for nearly twenty hours. After that, she was released late in the evening of 4 February 2006. The vessel’s master, stated that there was no trace of the ill-fated passenger ship at the site which had sunk so quickly.
During the rescue effort Sonata was successful in guiding the naval ship to the position where seven survivors were traced and successfully rescued. In all about 380 survivors were traced and rescued in the effort, which was coordinated by the Egyptian warship assisted by six merchant ships including Sanmar Sonata and two American military aircraft. The Flag Administration, Marshall Islands and the Agent at Suez Canal commended the efforts of Sanmar Sonata.
Sanmar Sonata. Inset: Al Salam Boccaccio 98.
Dave Farr, Chairman, Emerson, with N Sankar, Chairman, The Sanmar Group and M N Radhakrishnan, Director- Coordination & Review, The Sanmar Group.
Dave Farr, Chairman, Emerson, and his team were greeted warmly at Sanmar and had fruitful interactions with all the senior executives of the group both at the Sanmar headquarters and Sanmar Engineering Corporation (SEC), Karapakkam.
Emerson team at Asco: Ed Monser in the Quality Control room of Asco (India). Also seen are (from l to r) P Natarajan, Managing Director, Sanmar Engineering Corporation, Dave Farr, B Natraj, Director-Corporate, The Sanmar Group and Mike Train.
(L to r): P Natarajan, Dave Farr, Steve Pelch and
G K Pillai, Chief Executive, Fisher Sanmar, at the
Fisher Control valves plant.
Dave Farr and Vijay Sankar, Director, The
Sanmar Group, engrossed in a discussion
at the Fisher plant, while P Natarajan looks on.