RD-180 - Russian two-component (fuel - kerosene , oxidizing agent - liquid oxygen ) liquid closed-cycle rocket engine with afterburning of oxidizing generator gas after the turbine, equipped with two combustion chambers and two nozzles. Developed in the mid-1990s, on the basis of the world's most powerful Soviet RD-170 engine [1] , NPO Energomash im. Academician V.P. Glushko . " The RD-180 engine project was developed under the direction of Boris Ivanovich Katorgin [2] [3] .
| RD-180 | |
|---|---|
 Engine model RD-180 | |
| Type of | liquid rocket engine |
| Fuel | kerosene |
| Oxidizing agent | liquid oxygen |
| Combustion chambers | 2 |
| A country | Russia |
| Using | |
| Operating time | 2000 - present |
| Application | Atlas III and Atlas V (first step) |
| Production | |
| Constructor | NPO Energomash named after academician V.P. Glushko |
| Time of creation | 1994 - 1999 |
| Was produced | 1999 - 2014 |
| Oversized specifications | |
| Full mass | 5950 kg |
| Dry weight | 5480 kg |
| Height | 3 600 mm |
| Diameter | 3,200 mm |
| Performance data | |
| Thrust | Vacuum: 423.4 tf Sea level: 390.2 tf |
| Specific impulse | Vacuum: 337.8 s Sea level: 311.3 s |
| Working hours | 270 c |
| Combustion chamber pressure | 261.7 kgf / cm 2 (253.3 atm ) |
| Degree of expansion | 36.87: 1 |
| Thrust ratio | 77.3 |
Content
History
RD-180 was created in the mid-1990s on the basis of the world's most powerful RD-170 engine [1] under the leadership of Boris Ivanovich Katorgin . In 1996, the RD-180 project won the competition for the creation and sale of engines for the US Atlas-3 "And" Atlas-5 " [3] .
In 1996, General Dynamics acquired the right to use the engine. It was first used by her on May 24, 2000 as the first stage of the Atlas IIA-R launch vehicle - a modification of the Atlas II A rocket; later the rocket was renamed the Atlas III . After the first launch, additional work was carried out on the certification of the engine with the aim of using it on a universal rocket module ( Eng. Common Booster Core ) of the main stage of the Atlas-5 rocket. The price of one engine as of 2010 was $ 9 million. [4] Thus, since the beginning of 1999, the RD-180 engine has been used in the Atlas-3 and Atlas-5 launch vehicles. By February 1, 2008, 6 launches of the Atlas-3 launch vehicle and 12 launches of the Atlas-5 launch vehicle were completed, in all of which the RD-180 engine worked without error [1] .
The RD-180, which was used at the test bench, was shown at the 23rd meeting of the Big Eight (June 1997, Denver , USA).
Since the goal of the engine utilization program is to launch commercial satellites and US government satellites, Pratt & Whitney is considered to be a joint manufacturer of the RD-180 in order to comply with US supply. Moreover, despite the numerous rumors circulated in online media and blogs [5] [6] , the patent rights to the engine design belong to NPO Energomash [7] [8] [9] ; At the end of 2018, all engine production was concentrated in Russia [10] . The sale was carried out by the joint venture Pratt & Whitney and NPO Energomash, called the RD Amros JV ( eng. RD AMROSS ); the acquisition and installation was carried out by the United Launch Alliance (ULA). Since May 2014, the conclusion of new contracts was temporarily suspended by a court order, in connection with the suit of a competitor, SpaceX ; engine deliveries under old contracts continue [11] .
Design
The engine consists of:
- two combustion chambers
- turbopump unit
- fuel booster pump unit ,
- oxidizer booster pump unit,
- gas generator
- a fuel flow regulator in a gas generator, an oxidizer throttle, a fuel throttle, an oxidizer and fuel start-shut-off valves,
- cylinder block, two ampoules with starting fuel, starting tank.
- steering gear systems, automation drive systems, automation control unit and sensors of the emergency protection system,
- engine frames, bottom screen, heat exchanger for heating helium to pressurize the oxidizer tank.
The mass ratio of oxidizer and fuel is 2.72, throttling is possible in the range of 40-100%.
Usage
Space launches using RD-180 include a mission to Pluto “ New Horizons ” (2006), a mission to the Moon LRO (2009), a device for the study of the Sun “ Observatory of Solar Dynamics ” (2010), a mission to Jupiter “ Juno ” (2011), missions to Mars MRO (2005), “ Martian Science Laboratory ” (2011), MAVEN (2013) and InSight (2018), mission under the asteroid OSIRIS-REx (2016).
At the end of 2018, the design of the carrier with six side blocks equipped with RD-171, and one central one equipped with RD-180, was chosen as the basic look of the new Russian superheavy rocket. Rocket readiness is planned for 2027, and launch of the carrier is planned for 2028 from Vostochny Cosmodrome [12] .
US Market Situation
In 2008-2009, Energomash's net loss from deliveries of RD-180 engines to the United States amounted to 880 million rubles, or almost 68% of all losses of the company. The Accounts Chamber of Russia revealed that engines were sold for only half the cost of their production costs [13] . According to Vladimir Solntsev , Executive Director of NPO Energomash, until 2010 rocket engines were sold at a loss, since production costs grew at a faster rate than the price at which it was possible to establish sales. In 2010-2011, a number of measures were taken, and the situation was corrected. [14]
In connection with the deterioration of Russian-American relations ( since 2014 ), politicians of both countries have put forward proposals to stop the supply of the engine used by the Americans. In particular, the ban on the purchase of the engine introduced an amendment by John McCain [15] . Deputy initiated the ban on using the engine for US military launches. Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin [16] .
As a replacement for the RD-180 in the United States, a new engine was considered, for which the Pentagon allocated [ when? ] 160 million dollars. However, it is expected that it will be ready for use no earlier than 2019 (or 2025) year [15] . An alternative is to launch production of the RD-180, under the US license (until 2030), at the ULA plant in Decatur [17] .
Also in 2014, a contract was signed with a private company Blue Origin for the creation of an analogue of the Russian RD-180; their new BE-4 engine ( methane is used as fuel) was introduced in early 2017 [18] ; Successful progress is reported.
Its competitor, Aerojet Rocketdyne , in May 2017 conducted the first fire tests of the pre-chamber of its AR1 engine [19] .
In August 2018, NASA director Jim Brydenstein in an interview with C-Span said that American developers are working to create an alternative to the Russian RD-180 engines [20] .
In January 2018, the Financial Times , citing representatives of NPO Energomash, announced that the Great Wall Industry of China was in talks to purchase rocket engine technology; The publication noted that the RD-180 develops three times more thrust than the most powerful Chinese YF-100 engine , which was created on the basis of the earlier RD-120 engine [21] [22] .
The head of SpaceX, Ilona Mask, is embarrassed that the Boeing / Lockheed are forced to use the Russian engine on the Atlas rocket, but the engine itself is magnificent. [23] .
In 2018, 11 RD-180 engines were delivered to American customers [24] .
On February 11, 2019, Elon Musk announced on his Twitter about the successful test of the Raptor engine, designed by his company SpaceX. In tests, the engine showed a pressure of 268.9 bar, which exceeds the previous record of the Russian RD-180 [25] .
On February 12, 2019, the chief designer of NPO Energomash, Petr Levochkin noted that the RD-180 engine is certified with a 10% margin, which means that the pressure in its combustion chamber can be higher than 280 atmospheres. Raptor has a gas-to-gas circuit. For such engines, such a pressure level in the combustion chamber is not something out of the ordinary [26] .
Modification
Rus-M
It was planned to use the RD-180V for the first stage in a new development - a series of Russian launch vehicles Rus-M ; in various modifications of the rocket could be used from 1 to 5 engines. But in 2013, NPO Energomash stopped working on this engine, since earlier Roscosmos had abandoned the rocket itself [27] .
See also
- RD-170
- RD-191
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Katorgin B.I. , Sternin L.E. Chief designer of rocket engines and systems // Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences . - 2008. - No. 8 . - S. 738 .
- ↑ Katorgin Boris Ivanovich . MSTU named after Bauman .
- ↑ 1 2 International Energy Prize "Global Energy" 2012 // Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences . - 2012. - No. 8 . - S. 772 .
- ↑ Atlas V // Reuters , 03/13/2008
- ↑ Why the “Russian RD-180 engine” does not exist in nature . ARGUMENT. Date of treatment August 2, 2018.
- ↑ Work on bearings. "Russian RD-180 engines" | Back in the USSR (neopr.) . maxpark.com. Date of treatment August 2, 2018.
- ↑ Liquid-propellant rocket engine chamber and its casing . Date of treatment August 2, 2018.
- ↑ Liquid-propellant rocket engine with turbine gas afterburning . Date of treatment August 2, 2018.
- ↑ Combustion chamber casing of a liquid-fuel rocket engine . Date of treatment August 2, 2018.
- ↑ The Federation Council did not rule out the cessation of US supplies of RD-180 engines as a response (Rus.) , RIA Novosti (20180413T1317 + 0300Z). Date of appeal April 18, 2018.
- ↑ A court in the United States forbade Lockheed and Boeing to buy Russian engines // “ Glance ”
- ↑ Russian superheavy rocket will receive RD-180 . lenta.ru. Date of appeal December 25, 2018.
- ↑ RD-180 rocket engines sold in the United States at half price - Accounts Chamber . RIA Novosti (May 11, 2011).
- ↑ Russia will supply 29 rocket engines to the USA . The Look (September 11, 2012).
- ↑ 1 2 Oleg Odnokolenko. Senator McCain has applied sanctions against the United States . Independent newspaper (06/04/2015). Date of treatment June 23, 2015. , however, he did not touch the already acquired engines
- ↑ Rogozin: Russia may stop supplying rocket engines to the USA . RIA Novosti (05/13/2014). Date of treatment June 23, 2015.
- ↑ ULA's CEO talks challenges, engine plant plans for Decatur , Decatur Daily (February 7, 2015). Date of treatment February 9, 2015.
- ↑ Kotov, Michael . And take your trampolines! The US no longer needs Russian rocket engines (rus.) , Life.ru. Date of treatment March 11, 2017.
- ↑ [topwar.ru/116081-ispytanie-ognem.html Test by Fire] // Military Review, May 21, 2017
- ↑ The head of NASA announced "hard" work to abandon the Russian RD-180 . RBC. Date of treatment August 13, 2018.
- ↑ FT: “missile talks” between Russia and China will not please Washington - InoTV , InoTV . Date of appeal April 26, 2018.
- ↑ The United States convicted Russia of draining RD-180 technology to China . Date of appeal April 26, 2018.
- ↑ It's embarrassing that Boeing / Lockheed need to use a Russian engine on Atlas, but that engine design is brilliant . Date of treatment February 19, 2019.
- ↑ In 2018, the United States received 11 Russian RD-180 rocket engines and five RD-181 .
- ↑ Musk stated that the Raptor engine broke the RD-180 Record . Arguments and Facts (February 11, 2019).
- ↑ Energomash responded to Mask’s statement about the Russian RD-180 engine . RIA Novosti (February 11, 2019).
- ↑ The development of the engine for the Rus-M rocket is completely suspended \\ June 19, 2013 “Tape. Ru ” // Ribbon. Ru , 2013
Links
- RD-180 . rocket engine carrier "Atlas" . NPO Energomash named after academician V.P. Glushko .
- RD-180 (English) (unavailable link) . Pratt & Whitney . Archived October 12, 2007.
- RD-180 LRE . LPRE.DE.
- RD-180 (English) (unavailable link) . Astronautix.com . Archived January 27, 2019.
- RD-180 . Specifications . SpaceAndTech.com . Date of treatment June 1, 2019. Archived May 15, 2013.
- Liquid RD-180: bench tests . - video.