Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

With a screech of the wheels, the carriage finally reached the research centre. If a steam-powered car had been used, Vijay could have gotten to the research facility faster, but since all the road-legal cars powered by steam engines are still in the research and testing phase, the good old horse-drawn carriage was the only option.

Stepping on the arid landscape, the salty air violently assaulted Vijay's senses. Vijay looked around at the facility, and as he took in the surroundings, he couldn't help but admire human ingenuity. Being next to the sea, and especially next to Lake Chilika, the largest black lagoon in Asia, is normally not good for metals; they get corroded too quickly due to the higher rates of oxidation with the presence of salt in the atmosphere. But this environment, which is usually the nemesis of any metal, turned out to be the best place to test the new engine developed by his son, considering that its corrosion resistance is not less than that of bronze.

The research facility was right at the edge of the lake; it even looked like it extended into the lake a little. "Have you already installed the engine on a ship?" Vijay asked curiously as he could vaguely see a ship at the edge of the research facility that extended quite far into the lake.

Vedant took a look at the ship and nodded, "I haven't heard back from you for several months after I sent you the report, so I realised you might be busy and took the opportunity to install the engine onto a ship."

Vijay nodded in understanding and stepped into the research facility.

All the researchers were present at the entrance, excitedly welcoming him into the facility. Vijay smiled with a regal expression and unhurriedly handled the ceremony with grace. Although he is a little tired of dealing with superficial ceremonies wherever he goes, after such a long time, he has already gotten used to it.

Fortunately, the ceremony this time wasn't too long, and Vijay was able to enter the actual laboratory in a few minutes.

"So this is the prototype, huh??"

Vijay looked at the gigantic lump of metal sitting in front of him and exclaimed.

Even in its height, it was at least 6 feet tall, because standing up, he was barely able to see the top of this giant machinery. As for its length and width, it was over 10 feet and at least 4 feet.

It reminded him of the atmospheric steam engine he first developed, that bulky machine which towered above buildings, radiating an imposing stance.

What immediately caught his attention in the machine was the absence of any exposed crank wheels. Naturally, all the gears were visible, but they appeared exceptionally compact and precisely arranged. Despite the engine's massive scale, the complexity seemed to have increased, and the internal voids had been minimised, showing an impressive evolution in spatial and mechanical design.

Vedant looked at his father, who seemed like a child seeing a big toy, and smiled. "It is, father," he acknowledged with pride.

"I call it Bhairavi J1."

"J1?"

"It's Jalaputra, father."

Vijay's eyes lit up. "It's a nice name."

He went around, identifying the cylinder chamber, tapped it a few times, only to hear a dull but solid vibration reverberate throughout the machine. "So this is the twin cylinder design you mentioned?"

"Yes, father, it is a horizontal twin cylinder high-pressure direct-acting marine power system."

"Both cylinders are completely made of Chamundi FSC Mark 2 alloy."

"And due to this alone, the pressure it can withstand is drastically increased."

Vijay took a step back and stroked his chin. "I assume it is 40% better than the older Balwaan 4th generation engine?"

Vedant chuckled. "Hehe, close but not quite. It performed 60% better than the previous Balwaan 4th generation locomotive when it came to steam pressure resistance. It currently works at 95 Psi at maximum loads and 85 at uniform load for long periods of time."

Vijay was a little taken aback. "The Balwaan only had a pressure rating of 60 Psi, didn't it?"

"Yes, father." Vedant looked smug.

His actions annoyed Vijay, but he said nothing, since he was not alone. Vedant, however, seemed to be enjoying himself and continued to brag.

"Also, father, I completely overhauled the boiler. It's still a fire-tube type with superheating, but I used corrosion-resistant materials and added a saltwater condenser, so seawater alone can cool the engine."

"This way, we don't need any external water source; seawater is sufficient."

"I know this will reduce the lifespan of the boiler and condenser, but it allowed me to cut a lot of weight. Besides, using normal water would have meant carrying several hundred litres on the ship, which not only took up the space of the containers, it also became a bottleneck on a long journey, so I think this compromise is worth it."

Vijay did not speak, but he had a look of agreement.

Feeling encouraged, Vedant continued, "Its thermal efficiency has remained the same as that of the Balwaan engine, 22 to 24%, but its cylinder orientation has slightly changed. Although it is still a horizontal cylinder system, I have improved the crankshaft system and made it a direct action system where the power is directly connected to the propeller."

"Moreover, it has a cylinder bore of 16 inches, over 33% larger than that in the Balwaan 4th gen, and a piston stroke of 6 feet, over 20% larger."

"Most importantly, father, it has a horsepower of 190 at the extreme end, a 200% increase over the Balwaan 4th gen, and even during normal operations, it can easily output 170 horsepower."

"Oh!"

The numbers surprised Vijay. The feeling was surreal; even many cars centuries into the future would not boast engines exceeding 100 horsepower, and here he was, standing before an engine capable of over 190. The comparison wasn't entirely fair; its weight and size to power ratio were in a completely different league, but still, the sheer magnitude of it left him momentarily speechless.

"What is its speed?" He asked, his voice completely serious.

"It's 32 to 38 RPM, father."

Vijay immediately became silent, whereas Heyram, who was listening to everything on the side, widened his eyes in disbelief. Not because the speed was too high, but it was too slow. Even the Balwaan 4th generation engine, even the one for the locomotive, had a speed of over 50 RPM, but this engine the prince had developed, is actually 25% slower than the Balwaan engine.

However, the reason he was surprised was not because the engine was slow; But he was astonished, even horrified, at the sheer power it could output. As the saying goes, if it is powerful and not fast, then it is strong. With over 190 horsepower and a speed of only 38 RPM, all that power had to go somewhere.

Heyram had not known the full details of the new engine Vedant had designed, which was why he was present alongside His Majesty. So when he heard the RPM figure, his expression was easy to imagine.

"What is its torque?" he stammered, almost as if bracing himself for the answer.

Even Vijay put on a serious expression.

Vedant, observing the astonishment etched across both his teacher's and father's faces, looked extremely smug. So he said with a pretentious tone, "It's only about 25,000 kanda meters."

"God!" Heyram immediately exclaimed in shock, while Vijay took a deep look at his son. He was so surprised that he even ignored the pretentious expression he was putting on, which would usually warrant him a knock on the head.

With this type of power, it should not be a problem, not to mention pulling an 800-tonne ship; it could even power a 1500-tonne merchant ship, and it can immediately be put into operation. This realisation made him extremely excited for the future; this can hasten the improvement of the Bharatiya Empire's industrialisation even more.

With this one invention, it gives the empire the ability to import minerals from the southeast, Suvarnadwipa, America, Siberia, the Middle East, Africa, and export industrial goods to various parts of the world, and it can even push the Bhartiya Empire to a new stage of industrialisation, a stage infinitely closer to the second Industrial Revolution.

Vijay no longer wanted to wait anymore, so he decisively had his son show him the working of the engine.

Vedant, feeling the eagerness of his father and his teacher, quickly took them to the ship on the edge of the laboratory facility. The ship was odd; all the sails were removed, its bottom was completely plated with metal, and most of its top was removed as well, with only the Bhairavi engine sitting on the deck made visible, along with a wheel that controlled the rudder.

Vaguely through the water, Vijay could see the propeller, and he noticed it was slightly different.

"Is this a new type of propeller?"

"Eh?" Vedant followed his father's gaze and nodded. "Yes, it is. It's a new innovation called the screw-type propeller, developed by… what was his name… Ah, Kirthan Patel, a student at a third-tier university in Palanagari."

"I immediately decided to implement this into the ship because the screw propeller, though simple, is remarkably efficient at converting the rotational movement of the engine into thrust generated by the flow of water."

This was another surprise for Vijay. "A third-tier university?"

"Yes, father. It was quite a buzz a few months ago; this was his research for graduation. Also, he is currently working in his brother's shipyard."

"Bhagat shipyard?"

"Yes."

Soon, the coal was fed into the boiler along with some oil as fuel. Steam began to be produced, and soon, when the required energy was reached, Vedant pulled a lever, sending the power from the steam engine's crankshaft to the screw propeller's crankshaft.

Vijay felt a slight jerk, which made him hold the railing, but soon, standing in front of the deck right at the bow, he could feel the wind hitting his face at a faster speed.

Due to the testing environment being ultimately a lake, no matter how big it was, there was not enough room to push the engine to its full capabilities. So, although the engine reached a maximum speed of 10 knots within the lake, further tests could not be done. But what was clear was that the Bhairavi J1 engine is a big hit, showing huge promise in fulfilling the recruitment for new generation mechanical hearts, desperately needed by the marine industry.