Annotation: Specialized design office for liquid engines was established on July 22, 1958 to develop engines and propulsion systems, powered by liquid propellants to be installed on the combat missile systems and integrated launch vehicles (LV), developed by Yuzhnoye SDO. Moreover, liquid engines design office was assigned with manufacturing and testing of the main rocket engines, developed by NPO Energomash and to be installed on Yuzhnoye-developed launch vehicles. Over the past 66 years Yuzhnoye SDO has developed more than 40 liquid rocket engines (LRE) of various purpose, designed both to gas-generator cycle and to staged combustion cycle. Seventeen of them were commercially produced by Yuzhmash PA and installed on launch vehicles. Nowadays Yuzhnoye propulsion experts keep working on development of the advanced liquid rocket engines powered both by cryogenic and hypergolic propellants, which satisfy the majority of launch service market demands. Within the framework of extensive cooperation with foreign space companies, on a contract basis, Yuzhnoye propulsion experts are working on the design and development testing of the liquid rocket engines, as well as their components. The accumulated vast experience in the development of liquid rocket engines nowadays enables high scientific and technical level in the creation of up-to-date engines, demanded in the world market. Significant steps in this area have been made by the experts from the Yuzhnoye propulsion division and then subsequent manufacture and delivery by Yuzhmash PA of the engine intended for the European rocket Vega Stage 4; and designing the individual components for the engines with thrusts ranging from 500 kgf to 200 tf ordered by foreign customers. This article provides the review of current and scheduled activities of the Yuzhnoye SDO to develop the liquid rocket engines within the thrust ranges from ~ 40 kgf to ~ 500 tf.

Annotation: Being a final executive element of rocket control systems, a hydraulic actuator is at the same time the main source of various non-linear dependencies in rocket dynamic design whose availability dramatically com plicates theoretical analysis of their dynamics and control systems synthesis. The required accuracy and complexity of mathematical models of hydraulic servo mechanisms are different for different design phases of guided rockets. The paper deals with the simplest models of hydraulic servo actuators intended to calculate rocket controllability and to define requirements to response and power characteristics of the actuators. To calculate the rocket stability regions and to evaluate own stability of servo actuators, a linearized mathematical model of hydraulic servo actuator is used that takes into account the most important parameters having impact on stability of the servo actuator itself and on that of the rocket: hardness of working fluid, stiffness of elastic suspension of the actuator and control element, slope of mechanical characteristic of the actuator in the area of small control signals, which, as full mathematical model analysis showed, is conditioned only by dimensions of initial axial clearances of slide’s throats. The full mathematical model constructed based on accurate calculations of the balance of fluid flow rate through the slide’s throats allows, as early as at designing phase, determining the values of most important static and dynamic characteristics of a future hydraulic actuator, selecting optimal characteristics of slides based on specified degree of stability and response of servo actuator and conducting final modeling of rocket flight on the integrated control system test benches without using real actuators and loading stands. It is correct and universal for all phases of rockets and their control systems designing and testing. Using this mathematical model, the powerful actuators of a line of intercontinental ballistic missiles with swinging reentry vehicle and the main engines actuators of Zenit launch vehicle first stage were developed. The results of their testing separately and in rockets practically fully comply with the data of theoretical calculations.

Annotation: Basic dynamic properties of the reentry part of the aircraft-type first stage were examined when turbojet engine is used in the recovery phase. Such configuration can be of interest because turbojets have considerably smaller rate of flow in comparison to rocket engines. Moreover, they are launched in the lower stratosphere or in the troposphere so that there is no need to place oxidizer supply on board. This recovery plan differs from an alternative rocket recovery system and, from our point of view, provides more efficient usage of the fuel stores because it doesn’t require the main propulsion to be started in the recovery phase. Besides the analysis of qualitative characteristics of the descend phase for this stage, the efficiency of a wing with moderate values of maximum aerodynamic characteristics and a turbojet was studied. In this case three ways for stage recovery were investigated. The first one implied unguided descend with zero angle of attack assuming that the stage is statically stable. This descend trajectory was considered as standard and was used to evaluate the efficiency of the wing and turbojet with relatively small propulsion. The second and the third design cases offered the gliding guided descend with turbojet being started only in the lower stratosphere. The last two cases used the same program for the angle of attack. The possibility to ensure permissible overload values at the critical points of the descend trajectory and acceptable values of kinematic characteristics at the earth surface tangency point are also of great interest. Thereby the program for the angle of attack was developed in a way that allowed kinematic characteristics on touchdown be as close as possible to the corresponding values, shown by civil and/or military-transport heavy aircraft. Simulation was conducted on Microsoft Visual Studio 2010.

Annotation: In the pneumohydraulic systems of liquid rocket engines and propulsion systems, electromagnetic valves that allow making the pneumohydraulic systems more simple and ensuring multiple ignition of liquid rocket engines have found wide application. The Yuzhnoye-developed electromagnetic valves are designed according to two schemes – of direct and indirect action. In the direct-action electromagnetic valves, the shutting-off device opens (closes) the throat with the force developed by electric magnet. They have gained acceptance in the pneumohydraulic systems with the working medium pressure of ~8.5 MPa, they are of simple design and have high operating speed (0.001…0.05 s). In the electromagnetic valves with amplification, the electromagnet armature is connected with control valve and the main shutting-off device moves due to the force from working medium pressure drop on it. They are used in the operating pressure range of 0.5…56 MPa, at that, the action time is 0.025…0.15 s. For the European Vega launch vehicle fourth stage main engine assembly that has pressure propellant feeding system, the electrohydraulic valve with amplification and drainage was developed. The dependence of this electrohydraulic valve high speed from the line’s output length is decreased to the maximum due to the installation of Venturi nozzle at the output connecting branch. This electrohydraulic valve is operable at the pressure below 8 MPa, the action time is 0.08…0.12 s. The present-day spacecraft gas-jet orientation and stabilization systems use as propulsion devices the electromagnetic valves with nozzles whose thrust is, as a rule, not more than 30 N and the working medium pressure is up to 24 MPa. Yuzhnoye State Design Office developed for 15B36 gas-jet system the electropneumatic valve with amplification and nozzle, which is operable at the pressure below 45 MPa, ensures the action frequency of up to 10 Hz and is capable of creating the thrust of 100 N on gaseous argon. To solve the task of decreasing the dependence of operability and high speed of electromagnetic valves with drainage and amplification on geometry of lines in which a valve is installed, the electropneumatic valve was developed that has spool elements ensuring reliable and quick action with long input lines of 0.004 m diameter. Its mass is 2…2.5 times lower than the mass of analogs. Recently, Yuzhnoye State Design Office develops the apogee RD840 LRE with 400 N thrust, for the conditions of which the direct-action electrohydraulic valve was developed and tested with the following characteristics: pressure – up to 2.15 MPa, consumed power in operation mode – less than 7.1 W, action time – not more than 0.02 s, mass – 0.19 kg. The presented electromagnetic valves by their technical and operational characteristics meet the highest world requirements and have found wide utility in liquid rocket engines and propulsion systems.

Annotation: The article presents the experience of creating LRE turbopump units by the Rocket Engines Design Office (DO-4) at Yuzhnoye SDO. The best known turbopump units designs developed by DO are described. Both earlier developments of DO and the turbopump unit being now in final testing phase are considered. The design evolution of both separate assemblies and of entire unit is shown. The design evolution allowed increasing the unit’s lifetime dozens times. For example, the lifetime of the first turbopump units developed by DO did not exceed 150 s. Currently, the DO has in stock the engines with lifetime of ~19000 s. The information is presented on the problems that the designers faced in testing the turbopumop unit and the ways to solve them. The unique achievement are presented. At present, there are no analogs of some units in the world. The article presents the information on the latest achievements of DO, such as the face seal on pump vane discs whose use fully excludes unwanted leaks. Having analyzed the data presented, one may conclude that the Rocket Engines Design Office and Yuzhnoye SDO as a whole accumulated sufficient experience and knowledge allowing solving any problems that may arise when developing a new LRE turbopump unit, and successfully operating LRE with turbopump units, including those in the engines with generator gas afterburning created in recent years testify to a great value of accumulated experience.

Annotation: One of the important directions in the development of Yuzhnoye SDO liquid rocket engines is creation of the engines for launch vehicle upper stages, boosters, space tugs and takeoff-and-landing vehicles. The article presents an overview of Yuzhnoye SDO – developed liquid rocket engines, their basic characteristics, distinctive features and the current status of development and operation. The article presents the information on the following engines: RD858 and RD859 operating on storable propellants, for lunar takeoff-and-landing Block E module; RD809M and RD809K operating on liquid oxygen + kerosene created on the basis of RD8 serial control engine of Zenit launch vehicle second stage. In this case, RD809M engine is RD8 version with tight integration and RD809K engine is its one-chamber version; RD805 engine operating on liquid oxygen + kerosene created on the basis of combustion chamber of RD8 serial control engine of Zenit launch vehicle second stage.; RD835 engine operating on liquid oxygen + kerosene created for the second stages of launch vehicles of Mayak type; the engines and propulsion systems operating on storable propellants, such as RD861K (main engine of Cyclone-4 third stage and Cyclone-4M launch vehicle second stage), DU802 (liquid propulsion system of Krechet autonomous space tug of conversion Dnepr launch vehicle), RD840 (apogee liquid rocket engine of liquid propulsion system of geostationary communication satellite bus), VG143 (main engine assembly of the fourth stage of European Vega launch vehicle), RD864 and RD869 (main engines of Dnepr launch vehicle upper stages). The information presented in the article is of interest to liquid rocket engines and launch vehicles developers.

Annotation: During 60 years of existence of specialized Liquid Rocket Engines Design Office – DO-4 as a part of Yuzhnoye Design Office, extensive experience was accumulated in development of liquid rocket engines of various purpose on storable and cryogenic propellant components. The required test benches and production base were created. When developing the engines, the DO-4 specialists widely use the experience accumulated during manufacturing and testing of the engines developed by the other design offices for Yuzhnoye SDO LVs that were manufactured by SE PA Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant and tested at Yuzhnoye SDO’s and Plant’s test benches. Along with the conventional ones, new original engine designs were developed to achieve high energy-mass characteristics, reliability and quality. Among them we should mention the RD858 and RD859 engines for the soviet lunar take-off-and –landing module of Block E, the unique RD857 and RD862 engines with afterburning of reducing generator gas and gas dynamic method of thrust vector control, the RD866 multifunctional engine of space tug ensuring multiple ignition in flight, and many others. At present, Yuzhnoye SDO jointly with SE PA Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant deliver the engine for the European Vega LV forth stage propulsion system under the contract with Avio company (Italy). Based on Yuzhnoye SDO–created engines, propulsions systems for ballistic missiles and space rockets that are unique by their characteristics and scope of functions, the engines, propulsions systems for spacecraft, LV upper stages and transfer orbit stages can be developed in short terms and at minimal costs.

Annotation: This article considers essentially new versions of small-sized solid propellant rocket engines (SRE), designed for rocket and spacecraft flight control with serial artillery pyroxiline powder taken as grain and solidpropellant gas generators discretely operating into the receiver. Preliminary results of design and experimental activities, performed in Yuzhnoye SDO, showed the possibility in principle and practicability to develop two new types of advanced small-sized SRE. Testing SRE with pyroxiline powder grain showed that the optimum design of the engine can be developed only with the application of the specially developed design procedure of the gas-dynamic flow pattern of powder gases in the engine chamber with definition of field of pressure and velocity. Such procedure has been developed based on Ansys software package. The article describes areas of further design and experimental activities, fulfilment of which will provide development of production models of the described engines. Intraballistic characteristics design procedure, mentioned in the article, can be used to design new type of micropulse SRE with less than 0.1 s burn time. This article will also facilitate definition of the application area for discrete solid-propellant propulsion systems, where they get the edge over the cold gas gas-jet systems.