The development of the following Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engines (LPRE) is reviewed: (1) an alcohol-oxygen single-firing LPRE for use in wingless and winged rockets, (2) a similar multifiring LPRE for use in rocket gliders, (3) a combined solid-liquid propellant rocket engine, and (4) an aircraft LPRE operating on nitric acid and kerosene

Dushkin, L. S.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

N71-33054 
+hsented at the ~ i f t h  u s t o r y  synp~gim of the Internatlarial ~caberr(y of 
Astronautics, Emssels, Belglun, Septenter 1971. 
'+A collaboratm . . A. 
speclallzed In rocket erglm des- and tk develapnent durlng the 1930s ad 1940s In 
GIRD, RMI, and otber sdent lMc  institutes. 
ard a amtapxq of m y  -lev, ~xghidn 
79 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19770026110 2020-03-22T08:37:41+00:00Z
Zmpptrt "qfstenrs, ami also, the influence of his tharghts ard ideas in sol- the 
scientific-technical problems mlated to lpcIret engines and ccmmautics. 
Rekg 2 theoretician and a space flight enthsiast, marrier attached paraimmt 
bpxtam2 to questiorts of ure &ice of metlrod ami the d.trectim and SeQtlenOe of design 
rrork--especidlly as it Klated to the prcbleras of m. He mued these questions with 
a seflse of t e c h n l d  n a l l t y  and Scientmc validity and perspective. Me kxu tht he 
created his school Li the f ieh of the tkay and p landrg  of J e t  emglms an the basis of 
Ns m theoretical and practical e. Ihe characteristics of this school, as related 
to m, appears in detailed examination of his theory of rocket er@nes,4 meulods of 
p r o p e m  ca;aitatians, experinmtal resemch on the latm3t04 -1 "cIR-~,w* des- 
decisiarr; i n  appl led  oxyfpl LPFm-developed in the GRID engines "Oft-2" and "&1OW3- 
arrd also in the study- of schematics and tecklcal data on LPRE develaped by Tsarrder 
that fcnmed the tasks Lodertaken in GIRD. 
The f o l l m  points reflect the basic elements of the idea content of this 
schcol of tmt in LPFa: 
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
St r i c t  scient i f lc  anl technical substantiation of the data far prcposed ergines, 
Intmductim of experlmntal research on d e l s  a d  labmatory devlces. 
Appllcatim in the LR(Es of propellants based on liquid oxygen, UquUYed gases, 
ard metals ,  
InplecDentirg construction of Lpp'; as Meperdent hadware, especldlly in supply, 
dlrectiul, and rpguiatiul of the ~ I o p e l l a n t  flm, 
Developrrent of d m+chambered LF'FtE allowing an Lncrease in thrust mgulated 
over e wide -zxge, 
Cmation of canbination rocket erglnes which united in  one pawer plant .&w 
kinds of engines, 
Teckiologlcal efficiency, r e l i a b i l i t v  arri power incAc%e in the most advanced 
des- based on subsystem afiangBnents for ease of dismantling and substitution, 
during the developnent of prototype and M m l  construction stages. 
The experl.ence realized in the work at GIAG between 1932-1933 strergthend the 
belief in the validity of the Tsarrler school, and in the necessity of developlrg its 
methods far application t o  further activity. After Tsander's death in 1933, his school 
continued t o  develop and exerted a significant M u e n c e  on t h e  wrk i n  the  LpriE field in 
RNII-created at the  erd of 1933-in which his students, followers, and supporters 
elaborated upon the theoretical, experimental, and design directions pioneercd by Bander. 
In RNII between 1334-1q44, reflecting this stage of Soviet rocket ergine developnent, his 
followers carried out a widespread LPRE research and de-ielopment program. 
TMS engine, designed, oorrstructed, arrl tested an a stand in 1935-1936, was 
~ f a r u s e i n w i n g l e s s a n l w i n g l e d ~  . The distinctivle fe&Ees of t k  "l2-K- 
enghe in ccnparism With o t k r  englms crea td  in GIRD m: a hl&er level of thrueit, 
and press= in the canbustion chmber, as well as a des- canstnacticn charactgized b$ 
vartex mixirrg of Prapedalts, ard the use of CemndC flm-pmofd eaterials of al- 
oxide and mgresiun oxhie far themmil pmtectla of the chrt ter  arrl nozzle, withart th@ 
use of coo-. The "l2-P e design is presented in F'Igure 1. The -'s 
1. Thrust.............................. 300 @- 
2. ~ u m i n s l d e t h e ~  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  15 atrs. 
3. specirrcinpilse.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  210 sec. 
4. pressureoffbelfeed ...................... 25 atan. 
5. Mameter of sections of the mzzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  42/82 m. 
6. Vol~ne of tile c a t i o n  c-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2 L. 
7. overelldimenslans.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4 5 o x 2 2 0 m .  
8. kmt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  13-5 Irg- 
9. m a t i o n  of a single firirg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  60 Sec. 
perfoRmnce paparnetem -:4 
while testing the "l&P erglne, data was obtained close to ariginal cal- 
culatim. The engine demxlstrated a hlgb stability of burning without pilsatia? of pres- 
sure inside the chamber. Therefare, In 1937 the "124" engine was placed in the 
stratosphere rocket sonde "Aviavnito." The first launching took place on April 6, 1936, 
and was described in €'raw% (April 8, 19j6); the second and more successfU Launchirrg on 
August i5, 1937, enployed a 48-meter Launching rwst.' The "Aviavnito" had a start- 
nelght of 100 &, a diemeter of 300 mn, ami a length of 3,000 m. With a load of 32 kg 
of p r c p e l h t s ,  the rocket's cd~ai~ated peak altitude was estbmted at 10,800 mters. h 
overall view of the rocket, installed on the hunch stand for the second ,fUgt, appears 
n Figure 2. 
+See Mikhall M. llkhoilravov and V. P. Zaytsev, "QI the History of the 
Stratospheric Rocket Smle In the USSR, 1933-1946," in this volume-.Ed, 
81 
3 
Fig. 1 
Schernatic of the 12-K Akohl-Kerosene LPRE 
In 1937-1938 research began with the aim oc lnprovirg the scient i f ic  basis of 
the W englm des- before findl comcruction, t o  increase the r e l i ab i l i t y ,  ami to  
inprove the characteristics of recently created mdels of LPRE worldng or. n i t r i c  acid ard 
kerosene. The base for c d u c t k g  the research was the  LPRE Engine Laboratory (at thls 
time par% mI;, which was call&. upon t o  conduct rescarch on oxygen and nitric acid 
IRE, permitted testing of these laboratory models, and propellant carbustion tests.6,7 
mre "critical" problem encountered in creating n i t r i c  acid L X G ,  related t o  assuring 
the ~ p l l a b l l l t ~  of the -tion, the stable and ccmplete carbustion of propellants during 
the bL;ming process, arrl the efficient cooling of the crlamber, etc. The i,litial input md 
the test results of this msearch were as follows: 
5 
Because thqs resemh had an applled character, the godl involved studying the 
Fieseamhlm the h c e s s e s  of IPnitiw ProDellants 
'Ihe installation consisted of a ccmbustion chvrrber wi th  a constant volume, with 
a mzzle aril a system for  pressure impulse feeding of propellants through atcdzeA.s i n  an 
82 

of the propellants into the chm&er, etc. Also, the period of ignition del& was 
cstabliskd as w e l l  as the duration of propellant canbustion. l?Y? resultant recamrerrla- 
tlm for starting the nit r ic  acid LpFlEs provided for the. dosage of hl at the nrment 
of l@.ltion, of the eqnmlture and nrixture ra t io  of pmpe4lant canponents, srrd the 
ipplewntatian of W t i m  and the kunirrg pl'ocess by contmllltlg prppellant flm, made 
possible in fbture effmts to  Sncrease the reliabil i ty of Operation of the LPFE. 
zhis resear& was comlucted on a labaratmy d e l  of the nit r ic  acid lsRE unit 
With a thmst range between 30 d 80 b a r d  a correspondlq pressme in the chamber 
between 7- and 25 atmospheres. The water-cooled model had sets of lnterdmgeable 
nozzless cylindrical parts of the car&usticn unit, ar3 of centrlfhge a-zers for the 
fLel and axidizer. Modification of these elements alloved for "nr0deUx-g" the various 
cycles of firirp ard for detemhirg the influence of the different elements on the duF- 
ation of the flr- and its perfalmnce characteristics. 
TIre data received fmn this research pmvlded a clear picture  of the phenomena 
acdpanylng the firitlg of ni t r ic  ac%d LPRES, arrd allawed the farmilation of a series of 
mcx-rmdatiorrs far firture plaming. Amollg the nr>st lnpwtant were the fOllL* 
propositlorrs: 
1. To obtain steady surning an4 a high canpletion of ccmbustion, It was necessary to 
feed the propellants through suitable Injectors that assurred the f o m t i o n  of a 
stable r l m t  of flame In a cross-section of the chanber. 
2. To obtain reliable external coollng of the carlsustion chamber and of the nozzle 
using propellant c-ts, it was necessary t o  provide variation of the flow 
In the cooling channels around the surfaces accordirg t o  the charges In the 
thermal conditions of the  walls of the canbustion chanter and the rizzle. 
These f id lngs  nrUte possible the constructiai of ni t r ic  acid LFRES of a more 
advanced desi@, With a correspc&irtg inprovenrent In the r e l i a b i l i t y  of their firlng. 
ME NTI'RIC ACID LPRE, M I J L " I ~ F l R T X r  "RDA-1-150,' FOR THE ROCKET GLJm "RP-318" 
The "FDA-1-150" erdne w--- conceived and developed during 1938-1939 using the 
basic results of the scientific research descrlbed above and the experience accutnulated 
in work on the ni t r ic  acid LPRE at RNII earlier. It was designated for use tn the rocket 
glider "RP-318." The design of the "RDA-1-150" e r - s  is presented i n  Fygure 3. 
p e r f m e  was characterized by the folladng data: 
Engine 
R 
1. ProFellants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  rdtrfc acid and KP~OSWW 
2. Thrust regulated in the range of . . . . . . . . . . .  60/150 kg. 
3. Pressure In the chmber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  &,% a m ,  
a4 



as a rocket gllder, were coniucted In 1940. Fllght tests of the e m  proved 
unsuccessful. ?he value of the nR36<-1-150n englne developnent resided in uti l iz ing 
des- s M l a r  t o  those of the n i t r i c  acid LPRE, a d  siiuwed the possibil i ty an3 advis- 
a b l l l t y  of an oqgen LaRE that c& be Ignited repeatedly. 
'he 0XRb640n engine was developed in 19391940 on the basis of' canbining in 
a single des-, both solld ard liquid-propellants. TNs ccooination of two types of 
engines was acccapllshed In a manner allowkg th.. englne to be fired at Mrst as a solid 
propellant engine With a high thrust; af'tzr the solld propellant supply i n  the chamber had 
burned away, It switched autamt1cKLL.v t o  burniry; liquid propellants with a lesser thrust, 
but With an Increase In duration. 
The mt -tion guaranteed a hlgh star t ing  acceleration and, naturally, the 
accwgcy of the fllght; the second iIplition ensured the length of the flight. 
glycerine-based powder, rdtrlc acid and kerosene were employed as prcpellants, the latter 
fed into the chamber by mans of a solid-reactant gas generator. 
the eFgine automatically fiwn solid- to liquid-propellants and triggered the gas gene- 
ator, was the chief des- feature. The peculiarity of tNs desigti Involved unl*"ying 
dthin the body of the rocket propellant tanks and a propellant feed system without 
piping and intermediate ccmpartments. 
which It was utilized, art shown in Flgure 6.l3 The "KRS604" engine ~ ~ u c e d  t h e  
N i t r o -  
A device that switched 
?he schematic of this nKRS604" engine, and that of the t1RDLL20311 rocket In 
following (iata:12 
1. Thnrst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4,500/1,030 kg. 
2. Rwmire i n  the c-r 220/48 a m .  
3. Spec l f lc impulse . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  200/220 Sec.  
4. Pressure of liquid fuel feed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  75 atm. 
5. D i a m e t t s  of sections 3f the nozzle . . . . . . . . . . . .  39A.32 mn. 
6. h u g t i o n o f f i r i n g  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  0.7/9 sec. 
7. %tal Inpulse of thrust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  12,300 kg./sec:. 
8. Volume of carbustion chamber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  i 8  L. 
9. Overall dimensions of the chanber . . . . . . . . . . . . .  950 x 203 mn. 
10. Weight of the assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  46 kg. 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
A8 
Fig. 6 
Schematic of the Installation arrl Canponents in the Rocket with the 
canbined Sold- and LlqUld-prC:,* llant KPD-604 E r g i ~  
I n  1940-1941, test launches of the ccmbL,?ed "KRb694" engine In the "RDD-203" 
rocket-which had an initial weight on the order of 180 kg-achleved distances of about 
20 k7 (against a calculated distance of 22.5 h).14 P. view of the "RDb203" rocket url 
the launch stard for single and group launches is shown In Fi,ure 7. 
THE N I T I U C  ACID LPRE "D-1-A-12.00" WITH A C O N P R O W  
THRUST OF 350-1, 400 kg, NR ROCKET AIRCRAFT 
The "D-1-A-1100" engine witr &signed In 1941 and asslgned as a b a s k  engine 
for ?@plicat.1on !n rocket aircraft interceptor. Nitrlc acid and kerosene, fed into the 
89 







In  c o n c l ~ q y  paper I think it is IEceSsaFy to stress that this survey of 
IpIllEs is mly a xmll part of the scientific and technical wark undertaken in this fleld 
in the USSR betweer~ 19.934-1944. Moreom, these exprhmts dmcnstrplted the independent 
and self-reliant paths adopted in the soviet Wen far mastering the UFE and for intro- 
ducing rrew technology, as wll as th? ort@naUty in solvlng the majar scientific ard 
We mcc@ze the inpcp.tance of P. A. !kanderrs role in this work, but it is 
technical problems connected with LPRE des- of different types ani req-ts. 
inpossible not to mntlm the exceptiOnayv MtN, collective -ark of rimy engineers, 
des-, arxi experimenters, a large mxmt of rJhaa were foil- of his  school. ?heir 
em=, persistence, and capacity were shown at dif'ferent times in achieving pcrsltive 
results during the testing and des- develcpent in the field of IPRE. 
1. Tsander, F. A. ?he problem of FUgh t by EIeatzs of Jet Appara ti, "I" (possibly, 
General scientific ami Techno1 ogical Institute), 1932. 
2. Wander, F. A. From His Scientific Heritage, publication of "Naulca" 1967. 
3. -lev, S. P. "Rocket I?Kght in the strataspherer V o e n l z d a t ,  1934. 
4. Dushkin, L. S. wAlcohol-oxy~n LpIiE '12/IT with the application of Fireproof Materials 
to  Protect the (3-m&!r and Nozzle. An Account of the Work: RNII Archives, inv(entow) 
5. ~ v a v ,  M. K. "Research in the Field of Accarpawing Processes of Oxygen LPWs 
t o  create an Efficient kslgtf Collection of articles: Rocket Tecbnolo~, No. 5, 1938. 
No* 93, 1935. 
(Refexmces inconplete In Russian text. ) 
97 


Experimental research and design planning in the field of liquid-propellant rocket engines conducted between 1934 - 1944 by the followers of F. A. Tsander

Experimental research and design planning in the field of liquid-propellant rocket engines conducted between 1934 - 1944 by the followers of F. A. Tsander

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