Annotation: The possibility is considered of using rocket propellant thermal neutralization units for decontamination of dangerous industrial wastes. The advantages of thermal neutralization units are considered, their operating principle is described, by the example of high-temperature toxic rocket propellants, the chemical reactions that take place in combustion chamber are formulated. The combustion chamber is a component of the neu tralization unit, it is in the combustion chamber, in the environment of created high temperatures, that the process of elimination of dangerous substances takes place. Taking into consideration the high cost of neutralization units, which will be a factor hindering the wide-scale introduction of neutralization units to decrease technogenic load on environment of Ukraine, the option is proposed of reducing the costs during the use of thermal neutralization units by way of combining the function of oxidizer neutralization unit and fuel neutralization unit in a single universal neutralization unit. The article substantiates the topicality and necessity of works to create the universal thermal neutralization unit from the viewpoint of economic and ecological aspects. The article presents a generalized description of technology and methodology of research tests of pilot samples of assemblies for high-temperature rocket propellants vapor and industrial wastewater supply into the neutralization unit. The assemblies for high-temperature rocket propellants vapor and industrial wastewater supply are considered as most critical components of the universal neutralization unit from the viewpoint of neutralized substance changing. The experiments were conducted on water solutions of rocket propellants that in this case simulated the contact of internal cavities of supply assemblies with aggressive toxic media. The conditions were created at which the probability existed of interaction of rocket propellants residues in stagnation zones at the moment of changing the supplied propellant component. In the frameworks of research tests of pilot samples, the obtained results were considered and analyzed. The findings are presented that confirm practical feasibility of using integrated supply assemblies.

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 present-day rocket engineering, the liquid rocket engines with pump feed system have gained wide acceptance. As a rule, the pumps used in liquid rocket engines are screw-axifugal. The screw serves to increase pressure upstream of the axifugal wheel, thus ensuring its cavitation-free operation. The screws used in the screw-axifugal pumps of liquid rocket engines may be of two types: with constant and variable step. The screws with constant step are easier to calculate, profile and manufacture as compared to the screws with variable step. As known from the literature, the use of the screw with variable step increases power characteristics of the screw-axifugal pump. The purpose of investigation is comparative analysis of cavitation and power characteristics of the following high-speed low-consumption screw-axifugal pumps of liquid rocket engines with jointed screws, screws of constant and variable step:  RD868 engine oxidizer and fuel pumps;  RD859 engine fuel pumps;  RD861K engine fuel pumps. Besides, the analysis has been made of the impact of design features and geometrical dimensions of the screws with variable and constant step on power characteristics of the screw-axifugal high-speed lowconsumption pumps of liquid rocket engines. Special attention has been given to the analysis of anticavitation properties of the pumps with screws of variable step and pumps with jointed screws. Based on the results of investigation, it has been ascertained that when using the joint screws and screws with variable step instead of the screws with constant step in the high-speed low-consumption screw-axifugal pumps of liquid rocket engines, the pump delivery head increases from 0.65 to 3.83%, the efficiency increases up to 1.7%. The use of jointed screw and screw of variable step as compared with the screw of constant step does not have any impact on cavitation properties of low-consumption crew-axifugal pumps of liquid rocket engines.

Annotation: Two design options of manifold and dividing valve are considered, the loss calculation by analytical and numerical methods has been made. Based on the calculation results, the optimal design option has been selected. The calculation correctness is confirmed as a result of development tests of the design.

Annotation: To support ignition of Taurus LV first stage core structure engine, an oxidizer dividing valve has been developed that ensures minimal hydraulic resistance, opening time and hydraulic impact. The paper considers the valve design, main phases of its ground development testing and basic critical comments on the design made in the process of manufacturing and testing.

Annotation: This article considers the issue of achievement of the specified value of propellants saturation by helium after their delivery from the manufacturers to the launch site. Knowing the fact that propellants gas saturation or gas separation processes are labour-consuming and costly this issue is of immediate interest. In order to solve this problem number of factors have been considered, which determine the value of gas saturation in the propellants delivered to the launch site and procedure to control the value of gas saturation by the fuel manufacturer has been developed. This procedure implies that shipping tank container is pressurized after being fueled with propellants at the manufacturer’s, the pressure is characterized by the value of the known initial deficit or excess of gas in the propellants, following which tank container is delivered to the launch site. During transportation tank container is subjected to various kinds of mechanical actions (vibration, rolling and pitching in the sea, braking, transshipment), therefore intensive mixing of propellants occur. As propellants mix, process of propellant saturation occurs when certain amount of gas transits from tank container’s gas volume into the liquid, therefore certain gas saturation is reached. Article includes the measuring results of the gas liquid medium parameters inside the tank containers with fuel in the process of fuel transportation to Ukraine from PRC factories and estimations of the measuring results using the developed model which confirmed the quantitative nature of the mass exchange processes, included in the model, going on in the gas liquid medium during transportation of the tank container with fuel equipment. It has been determined that due to inevitable errors in the measuring of the specified parameters by the tank container, the achievement of the specified gas saturation with high precision is problematic. In spite of the fact that this procedure does not provide exact value of the specified gas saturation, its application will accelerate and make cheaper the process of fuel preparation for filling operations at the launch site, which is especially relevant in case of fuel saturation by helium. Based on this fuel saturation by helium procedure, the complex technology is suggested, providing controlled gas saturation during fuel delivery and subsequent adjustment of gas saturation using launch site equipment. Therefore, this article develops and studies the original model of the controlled gas saturation of the fuel during its delivery to the consumer. Alternative of the practical use of the study results is suggested in the form of the complex technology of fuel saturation by helium, delivered in the tank containers from the manufacturer to the launch site.

Annotation: A comparative assessment of effectiveness of usage of hybrid rocket motors and solid rocket motors for meteorological rocket with propellant mass of 540 kg is made. Different combinations of oxidizer and fuel are considered based on which the power characteristics of hybrid rocket motors were determined. Based on the results of investigation, an assessment is given of ballistic effectiveness of hybrid rocket motors, the peculiarities of combustion process and of selection and designing of solid propellant charge shape are analyzed.

Annotation: The article dwells on development and study of the multifunctional operations while preparing propellant components for launch vehicle tank filling by high-boiling propellant components at the neutralization stations. The article considers the preparation of propellant for filling the launch vehicle stages with high-boiling propellant components of nitrogen tetroxide (oxidizer) and unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine (fuel) in terms of propellant saturation with helium and denitrogenation. Usually these issues refer to the common technology of propellant preparation and are tackled sequentially: first, propellant is drained into the filling tank of the filling system, then the propellant is denitrogened, for example purging the propellant by helium under atmospheric pressure in the tank, then propellant is saturated with helium to the given concentration by bubbling helium in the propellant, maintaining the set pressure of helium in the tank. This technology significantly complicates the process of propellant preparation, increases helium consumption, as well as the amount of the generated vapor, which requires recycling in the neutralization units. This article studies multifunctional operations, where the propellant is simultaneously drained from delivery vehicles, saturated with helium and denitrogenated. Amount of residual nitrogen in the propellant and the main direction of deep denitrogenation of the propellant are calculated. Amount of generated vapor and consumed helium are determined. The process of propellant draining by extrusion, maintaining the given pressure in the tank and alternating the propellant drain on the closed vent device (compression) and open vent device (decompression) is studied. As a result, the theoretical justification of multifunctional operations in preparation of high–boiling propellant components to fill the launch-vehicle stages is presented.