Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

The three researchers reminisced for a while, talking about their experiences over the last few months with their reunion, and once again started to work with each other just like two years ago when Rishabh Ghosh first brought up the idea.

In order to have fewer points of error, the balloon was attached directly to the basket, made up of high-quality bamboo wood, a basket that is both light and strong. As the balloon completed its construction, its internals were once again applied with a mixture of tar-naphtha compound, in a ratio known only to Tarun.

The compound was left to dry while the burner was finally attached to the top of the basket.

Looking at the project coming together, Neelesh felt excited. The last time he felt this excited was when he witnessed the Kesari engine roar to life for the first time.

Thinking about the Kesari engine, the connection between it and the hot air balloon is actually quite significant. When building the burner for the balloon, he had run into a problem; he couldn't figure out how to output fuel at high pressure with consistency and maximum efficiency to achieve the optimal burn.

But after spending a few months involved in the Kesari engine research project, even though he wasn't able to contribute much to the engine itself, he gained a lot from the experience. He ended up applying the atomiser concept used in the steam engine to the burner design planned for the hot air balloon.

The only difference from the atomizer used in the steam engine and the one in the burner is, in the steam engine, the optimizer is used to spray cold water into the chamber so that contraction happens and the piston moves, while in the hot air balloon, Instead of water it is fuel, so that it is spread out at high intensity, making it act more like a semi-liquid mist so that the combustion happens in a very efficient way while saving fuel and producing as much heat and energy as possible.

The process he came up with was very simple. The atomiser nozzle he had come up with is connected to a fuel tank, which is connected to a hand-operated pump. When the person operating the hot air balloon pumps air into the fuel chamber, the fuel flows out through the nozzle at high speeds as a spray of mist due to the pressure, and this spray of mist catches fire as long as there is something to ignite it at the end.

After he made a breakthrough, he further improved the whole design of the burner. He added a directional nozzle so that the flames could only go up and not to the side. He also coated the walls of the small nozzle with heat-resistant material. He added a starter mechanism inspired by the flintlock guns. He could have used the latest primer starting mechanism using mercury fulminate, but he did not want to take such a big risk, especially since he was worried about the whole fuel catching on fire and exploding. And he finally added a fire control mechanism inspired by the valve system used in the Devaraya Atmospheric Steam Engine.

The time passed quickly, and the build was completed. The whole thing was brought to an open field in the middle of nowhere, belonging to the Bharatiya Academy of Sciences.

The basket was tied to a tree with a strong rope, 100 meters long.

It was time for the test, and a dilemma appeared as to who would ride the balloon. Rishabh immediately jumped up that he would do it, but his plan was immediately rejected by both Tarun and Neelesh because he was a fat man weighing at least 100 kg.

Tarun hesitated to agree because he was scared of heights. In the end, it was only left for Neelesh to go on with the test, and he did not feel anything bad about it either, since he himself was looking forward to flying in the sky. Not to mention, he only weighed 55 kilograms, and being the one who designed the burner, no one but he was more capable.

First, the burner was turned on after it was connected to an external fuel source separate from the one in the basket. The balloon slowly began to inflate until eventually the basket could be seen jumping inches off the ground, which left Tarun and Rishabh excited like children.

Neelesh was excited as well, but he was calmer. His heart began to race fast, but he still got into the bucket, checked the fuel in the cylinder, made sure that it was full, looked up into the balloon, made sure that there were no holes, checked the fuel lines once again to make sure that there was no damage, and he finally turned the lever, increasing the amount of fuel injected into the nozzle as he continued to pump air into the fuel system.

With a light puff, the balloon slowly lifted into the air. It went up one meter, two meters, five meters, six meters, until eventually it raised up to 20 meters, and it finally set in to Tarun, Rishabh, and other interns who had come to help out in the project that they had succeeded in finally making a vehicle that can make humans fly.

"We did it, we did it," Tarun and Rishabh cried and hugged each other in happiness.

The interns and junior researchers were screaming at the top of their lungs, celebrating excitedly.

"Yes, yess, yesss!"

"I knew we could do it, I knew it! I'll go back and tell Rajesh that my decision was not wrong."

"Oh, Deva, we can really fly!"

"Hahahaha!"

Neelesh looked down at the people who looked like little ants from a height of 80 meters with a smile.

"Damn it guys, the test is not completed until I get down to the ground safely," he cursed, but by the smile on his lips, it could be said that he was happy.

He was celebrating as well, but while his colleagues were celebrating on the ground, he was celebrating in the sky. Thinking about how he would be known as the first person in the world to achieve flight, he couldn't help but feel a sense of fulfilment run all over his body.

He wanted to stay in the air longer. He was enjoying the sight, the smell, the clouds that looked to be just a touch away, and the cool breeze that hit his face.

However, suddenly he came back to his senses as he felt that the breeze was starting to pick up and the hot air balloon was starting to move sideways.

He realised that there was no way for him to control the balloon, and he reckoned it wouldn't go any higher either, since the weight of the rope occupied the maximum possible weight the hot air balloon could carry.

So he slowly reduced the size of the flame and slowly pulled the rope tied to the basket, put the rope inside the basket, and the balloon slowly reduced in altitude.

A few minutes later, he had the touchdown. He immediately got out of the basket and lay down on his back. Suddenly, he felt a mountain of weight pressing on his body; it was the fat man Tarun and other researchers who had jumped on him. Although it was painful, he chose to withstand the pressure for a little while.

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Vijay was pleasantly surprised when he got the news that a hot air balloon had been invented.

"BCG balloon? Interesting," he muttered.

Vijay was not expecting the hot air balloon to be developed so soon, since to produce the material of the balloon, rich petrochemical knowledge was required, and the knowledge would have taken years to develop. But somehow, due to luck or some god's blessing, Tarun was successful in producing the Chawla Silk.

Reading the report, Vijay could tell that Tarun had no idea why the silk was strengthened, but it's still a fact that he came up with a formula that was usable and mostly reliable.

Vijay couldn't help but admire the breakthrough.

There were three major inventions that contributed to the hot air balloon project, each with the potential to impact countless other fields: the Bhatia burner, the Chawla silk, and the Ghosh design.

The burner could be used in furnaces as a more efficient fuel injection system. It had potential applications in fertiliser sprayers, sprinkler systems, and, in a way, could even be considered a predecessor to jet engines.

The silk could now be used to produce stab-proof clothing, waterproof gear, and apparel designed for harsh terrains.

As for the design, beyond its obvious use in hot air balloons, it laid the foundation for future studies in aerodynamics and could eventually support the development of blimps.

Vijay already knew who the next year's Dharma Award would go to.

He quickly wrote a letter to Bhaskarachariya, ordering him to acquire the patent rights for the hot air balloon and the core technologies used in its development. While the current use cases of the hot air balloon were limited, it still held value. It could serve as an attraction within the empire, or, in certain situations, be used for spying on the enemy.

However, that came with its own risks; if enemy bullets could reach the balloon, the consequences would be disastrous. But still, as the first man-made vehicle capable of flight and taking humankind to the skies, it did not need to be measured by monetary value.

P.S. Thank you, Abhi, for your fractional distillation idea