Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur are working on breakthrough technologies that could change how we travel, how rockets return safely to Earth, how we protect ourselves from powerful explosions, and even how we access clean water and cooling systems. This pioneering research is being led by Dr. Arun Kumar, Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a faculty member of the Space Science and Technology Interdisciplinary Research Division, at the Shock Waves and High-Speed Flow (SWAHS) Lab.

One major focus of the lab is hypersonic propulsion—flight at speeds more than five times faster than sound. Conventional rockets carry heavy oxygen tanks to burn fuel, but Dr. Kumar’s team is exploring scramjet engines that take oxygen directly from the atmosphere, making it lighter, cheaper, and more efficient. “Keeping a flame burning at such high speeds is like trying to keep a match lit in a storm,” explains Dr. Kumar. To tackle this challenge, the team is designing novel fuel injection strategies and studying how supercritical kerosene fuel mixes at supersonic speeds. This research, supported by Aeronautics Research and Development Board (ARDB) and DRDO, directly contributes to India’s prestigious hypersonic cruise missile program and advances national defense capabilities.

The lab is also addressing the urgent need for sustainable water and cooling solutions. Through a project funded by Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) and ARG, Dr. Kumar’s group has successfully demonstrated a combined desalination and refrigeration system based on solar ejector technology. Using theoretical and computational analysis, the system has been validated, and a lab-scale prototype experiment is underway. This innovation promises to deliver clean drinking water and cooling simultaneously, especially in water-stressed and energy-deficient regions of India, offering a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for everyday life.

Another exciting area is retro-propulsion for rocket landings. Today, most rockets are discarded after use, making space missions extremely expensive. By studying how rocket exhaust interacts with the atmosphere during landing, IIT Jodhpur’s researchers are working to make reusable rockets a reality in India. This can drastically reduce the cost of space exploration and strengthen India’s role in the global space sector.

The SWAHS Lab is also working on blast protection technologies. Explosions generate powerful shock waves that cause immense destruction to infrastructure and endanger lives. Dr. Kumar’s team is developing advanced protective materials such as layered structures and special energy-absorbing fluids that can weaken blast impacts. These innovations have applications not only in defense but also in enhancing civilian safety in cities and industries.

“Our research at IIT Jodhpur is not just about futuristic ideas,” says Dr. Arun Kumar. “It is about creating real solutions—for complicated systems involved in hypersonic missiles and related defense systems, to ensuring clean water for communities, affordable space exploration, and protection from explosions. This is our contribution to India’s vision of becoming a global technology leader.”

With this work, IIT Jodhpur is proving how research in India’s heartland can make a global difference—pioneering innovations in aerospace, defense, sustainability, and public safety that directly impact people’s lives.

 

Video Byte and Photograph Link

Video:- Sparks of IIT Jodhpur- Dr. Arun Kumar R

00000

(Release ID: 2178979) Visitor Counter : 111