Deep Sea Pressure Test Facility

PI: Prof. Nachiketa Tiwari

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has a division located in Korwa, UP which is engaged in design and development of flight data recorders. These devices have to survive extreme pressures for prolonged periods of time, in case they fall in deep oceanic waters. The goal of this project was to develop a test facility which could produce such high pressures in the lab corresponding to several kilometres of water head. Towards this end, the project aims modify a pre-existing non-functional device, which can meet HAL's test needs i.e. The facility can be used to generate pressures in the range of 600 to 900 bars. The functional facility was subsequently used to test prototype-level flight data recorders in IITK labs. While working on this project, safety of the operating personnel and structural integrity of the pressure intensifier were of paramount importance. The project also involved development of a relatively robust, easy to use, and fail-safe hydraulic mechanism, which can generate and sustain high pressures for several days.