To study the combustion or explosion of various substances, the so-called. explosion chambers are special protected units capable of withstanding the arising loads and ensuring the observation of the processes inside. A large number of such systems have been created in our country, and the most interesting were the spherical explosion chambers (SVK) of the 13Ya series. They still hold the record for overall dimensions and, accordingly, research capabilities.
Special tasks and special products
Explosive chambers of various types were developed in our country before, but in the early eighties scientific organizations began to solve a special problem. To carry out some experiments, an SVK of considerable size with appropriate strength was required. The project of such a device was created at VNIIEF under the leadership of S. B. Cormera.
SVK of record sizes received the designation 13Ya. The development of the camera was carried out by the employees of VNIIEF. The construction of the product and parts of the related equipment was entrusted to the Sevmash shipyard, which produced submarines and had the necessary technologies.
Installation 13Ya consisted of a large-sized SVK itself and a stand for it. The camera was a sphere made of AK-36Sh armor steel. The sphere was assembled from 169 individual elements and equipped with two hatches in the upper and lower parts, as well as a means of mounting scientific equipment. The inner diameter of such a sphere is 12 m, its volume is 910 cubic meters. The thickness of the armor walls is 100 mm. The own weight of the SVK is 470 tons. The chamber had to withstand a static pressure of 150 atm or an explosion of 1 ton of TNT.
The camera should be installed on a stand in the form of a strong ring with 20 plate dampers that damp vibrations. The assembled complex weighed 850 tons. The SVK and its stand could be mounted on different bases and needed various additional equipment - both scientific and support.
Small batch production
It is reliably known about the construction of only two SVK type 13Ya. There are also unconfirmed data about a certain third camera and other assumptions. Nevertheless, such data do not find confirmation in available sources, and in some places contradict them.
The first product 13Ya, also given the index "JAWA" (decoding is unknown), was built in the mid-eighties. The product was transported on a barge along the internal rivers of the USSR to the Astrakhan region, where it was taken to land. Then a road train with several tractors and a special trailer made a journey of about 100 km to the "Galit" site of the "Azgir" landfill. By this time, preparatory work was underway at the site to install the SVK in its place.
Product 13Ya was installed in a cylindrical underground structure-glass with a diameter of 24 m and the same depth. The concrete-metal structure had pipelines for filling the inner cavity with water. According to various sources, water was used to simplify the installation of the SVK at the bottom of the glass or was used for additional damping of vibrations during testing. There is also information about the top cover, which protected the entire complex from external influences and reconnaissance of a potential enemy.
At some distance from the underground structure, auxiliary facilities were placed to support research. The finished scientific and testing complex was put into operation in 1986. Perhaps, at the same time, the first studies with the use of SVK 13Ya took place.
Almost simultaneously with the first chamber 13Ya, the second one, known as 13Ya3, was manufactured. It is curious that the SVK with one and two in the index were either absent or remain unknown. By its design, 13Ya3 did not fundamentally differ from 13Ya, however, a completely different platform was used for its installation.
The first few years of 13Y3's existence are covered with darkness. This SVK was manufactured in 1985, and its operation began not earlier than 1991. What happened to her between these dates is unknown. According to one version, both cameras were delivered along rivers and roads to the Azgir test site, but only one was needed. The second remained idle for several years, after which it was decided to move it to another facility.
At the end of 1991, product 13Ya3 was delivered to Moscow and placed on the site of the Research Center of Thermophysics of Extreme States of the Joint Institute for High Temperatures of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is possible that some of the available sources are wrong, and this or that information does not correspond to reality. However, there is still no clarity on this issue.
SVK 13Ya3 became part of the Sphere experimental stand. Together with it, the "Sphere" uses a cylindrical chamber VBK-2 with a volume of 110 cubic meters. Initially, 13Ya3 and VBK-2 stood in the open air. Then a frame with a flooring and a closed "house" above the upper hatch was built over the SVK. Later the site was rebuilt. A new capital structure was erected directly on top of the chambers. As the experimental setup developed, various devices were mounted and replaced to ensure its operation and research.
Secrets and Mysteries
Now JIHT RAS offers the "Sphere" installation to interested organizations that need special equipment for research. Several large studies of various kinds are carried out at this facility every year. To date, SVK 13Ya3 has made a significant contribution to the development of domestic science, and new results are expected in the future.
There is no detailed information on the operation of the 13Ya product at the Galit site. There is reason to believe that various studies and tests were carried out with the help of this SVK for several years, but their nature and purpose are unknown. In 1996, the "Azgir" test site was transferred to the jurisdiction of the scientific structures of Kazakhstan. After that, according to various sources, the SVK was not used for its intended purpose. The last time camera 13YA / JAWA was mentioned in media reports was several years ago. Then it was about the final transfer of the facility to Kazakhstan. In addition, there were complaints about the lack of real prospects and the impending destruction of the facility.
There are some gaps in the history of the "Moscow" camera 13Y3, but its current status, goals and objectives are quite understandable. With the object, now belonging to a neighboring country, everything is different. The reasons and prerequisites for the construction of a test stand at the Galit test site, as well as the specifics of its work and the tasks set, are still unknown. The lack of accurate information, combined with some "outside" data, leads to the most daring assumptions.
In the past, the Azgir test site was used for various nuclear tests, including the detonation of real warheads. This allows us to assume that the 13YA SVK was also created for research in the field of military or peaceful atom. However, confirmation of this version is not yet available or has not been found.
In the course of research, design or testing of nuclear warheads, it may be necessary to conduct research involving explosions. Some of these jobs require blast chambers, including large blast chambers that can withstand high pressure. It is quite possible that the SVK 13Ya on the "Galit" was used precisely to test individual components for promising nuclear weapons. At the same time, one should not assume that the actual nuclear charges were tested inside the product - the minimum power of such a product turns out to be beyond the capabilities of the SVK.
The successes of the past and the present
Thus, in the eighties, several domestic scientific and industrial organizations managed to solve a particularly difficult problem and create a unique sample of research equipment. Moreover, we managed to build and put into operation at least two such complexes.
The product 13Ya / "JAWA" successfully entered service and was used for secret research for several years, but then the research complex ceased its work. A few years later, the operation of object 13Y3 "Sphere" began, it still remains in service and regularly undergoes various modernizations.
Over the years of their work, two SVKs of the 13Ya family have provided a lot of research and contributed to the development of Russian science. One of them continues to work and will remain in service in the future, which means that Russian scientists will be able to conduct new research requiring high pressures and temperatures.
