Russian Engine Technologies

Abstract

The paper summarises peculiarities of Russian rockets, their engines and components which have been developed over the last 50 years. Particular emphasis is put on the Russian moon race explaining in some detail the competing concepts, namely, the N1, the UR-700 and the R-56. Interestingly, derivatives and upgrades of some of the engines developed for these launchers are still in use today, i.e. the RD-107 in the Soyuz launcher and the RD-275 of Proton. Some Russian technologies which are the only ones of their kind in the world are explained in detail: the first full-flow cycle engines running with storable propellants (RD-270), the oxygen-rich LOx/kerosene staged combustion engine with the highest thrust (RD-170), the liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen staged combustion engine employing both propellants in its cooling channels (RD-57), the only high-pressure oxygen-rich LOx/kerosene staged combustion engine without baffles and cavities (NK-33) or the power head of fuel-rich LOx/LH2 staged combustion engine (RD-0120) with a single pre-burner which feeds a two-stage turbine to drive a three-stage hydrogen pump and two connected oxygen pumps in series. The twin-spool LOx boost pump of the NK-33 engine has two concentric shafts, one inside the other enabling it to drive the two pump impellers at different rotational speeds. The injection systems of the pre-burners of the NK-33 or the RD-170 and the main injection systems of the RD-0120 or the RD-253 engines are worth mentioning.