Aircraft engine pd 14. Now "Made by us" in Telegram

I offer a fragment of an interview with Alexander Inozemtsev, General Designer of Aviadvigatel OJSC.

- Today, the Perm Design Bureau is the lead developer of a family of engines based on a unified gas generator for aviation, energy and gas transport. The base engine of the new family will be the PD-14. Please tell us more about this project.

The goal of the "Engines for MS-21 aircraft" project is to create a Russian commercial engine for the most capacious niche of the world civil (commercial, mainline) aviation - short-range - medium-haul aircraft with a passenger capacity of 130 ... 180 seats, which will be competitive with promising foreign engines of a similar purpose, introduced into operation in 2014 ... 2016, according to technical characteristics and economic efficiency.

Compared to modern serial aircraft engines: the Russian PS-90A (Il-96, Tu-204, Il-76) and the Franco-Russian SaM146 (SSJ-100), the development of the PD-14 made a qualitative breakthrough in the main parameters, including : according to the bypass ratio (2 times), the gas temperature in front of the turbine (by 100 K), the total compression ratio in the compressor (by 20 ... 50%). All this ensures a reduction in specific fuel consumption by 12...16% and compliance with advanced environmental requirements for noise and emission of harmful substances.

This breakthrough is ensured by the use of advanced design technologies.

Our partners in a short time have mastered new unique technologies for manufacturing parts and assemblies of the new engine:

The technology for manufacturing a hollow titanium fan blade (mastered at UMPO) allows reducing the weight of the part by 30%, which gives a total reduction in engine weight by 8-10%. The introduction at the Perm Motor Plant of the technology for manufacturing single-crystal turbine blades from new-generation alloys with a second-generation protective ceramic coating made it possible to raise the gas temperature in front of the turbine to 2000 K. Technology for manufacturing engine nacelle and engine parts from polymer composite materials (up to 65% of engine nacelle parts ( by weight) from PCM) reduces the total mass of the power plant by 7 ... 8%. In order to ensure the resource characteristics and subsequent certification of the engine using the 3rd resource management strategy, for the first time in Russian engine building, work has been launched to create a bank mechanical characteristics structural materials used in the engine.

The PD-14 competes with promising products of a similar purpose by the leaders of the world aircraft engine industry: Pratt & Whitney PW1400G (MS-21 aircraft) and PW1100G (A320NEO aircraft), as well as Leap-1A (A320NEO aircraft) and Leap-1B (B737 MAX aircraft) engines ) of the CFMI consortium (General Electric and Snecma).

According to the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation Federal State Unitary Enterprise "CIAM named after P.I. Baranov", the PD-14 engine is not inferior to its competitors in terms of the sum of technical and economic parameters. A comprehensive assessment of the economic efficiency of the PD-14 engine as part of the MS-21 aircraft, carried out by OAO NPK Irkut, showed that the PD-14 engine is competitive in comparison with the PW1400G engine.

It should be emphasized that all design developments and technological solutions can be used in promising programs for the creation of gas turbine engines for various purposes.

Today, the Engine Project "Engines for MS-21" is at the stage of developing working design documentation, according to which the production of experimental engines will begin for bench, certification and flight tests.

This was preceded by several important stages of the project:

• Development of the scientific and technical groundwork of the project, which made it possible to design engine components and systems using the most advanced technological and design achievements in aircraft engine building;
• Development, development of production and qualification of new materials and alloys with the most advanced properties, without which it is impossible to create an engine with competitive characteristics;
• Production of experimental engine components and study of their characteristics on special stands;
• Manufacturing and testing of experimental gas generators (a gas generator is the basis, the core of an aircraft engine);
• Manufacturing and testing of the technology demonstrator engine on which the main ideas of the project were tested.

The tasks of the project are extremely ambitious and complex, the cost of a mistake is extremely high, therefore, the most capable engine-building resources of Russia were involved in its technical implementation. These are OJSC Perm Motor Plant, OJSC NPO Saturn, OJSC UMPO, OJSC NPP Motor, OJSC Inkar, Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPC Gas Turbine Engineering Salyut. Significant federal funds are invested in the technological re-equipment of these enterprises.

Specialized institutes are also involved in the Project: State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation FSUE "CIAM named after P.I. Baranov", FSUE "VIAM", JSC "VILS", JSC "LII named after Gromov", FSUE "TsAGI named after P.I. Zhukovsky", etc. .

Currently, work is underway to issue design documentation, incl. for the equipment of the flying laboratory for the start of flight tests, high-altitude stands of CIAM, the number of manufactured experimental units, gas generators is increasing, tests are being carried out more and more intensively.

The global Russian problem of the lack of serial production of specialized parts and assemblies of aircraft engine building from polymer structural materials is being consistently solved. As part of the creation of a family of engines based on a unified gas generator, an industrial laboratory for the development of technology and the manufacture of parts from PCM was created on the basis of the Perm National Research Technical University.

Projects of this scale and complexity cannot be implemented without wide application advanced information technologies and equipment:

• creation and use of computational clusters for complex calculations;
• three-dimensional design of engine parts and assemblies using digital paperless technologies;
• creation of an engine in cooperation with other enterprises with the implementation, for the first time in the practice of domestic engine building, of a fully functional geographically distributed maintenance of an electronic engine project;
• exchange of design data between enterprises - co-contractors in the Teamcenter Multisite Collaboration system;
• widespread use of videoconferencing during organizational and technical meetings.

- Is the prospect of equipping Tu-204SM aircraft with PD-14M engines being considered? Are there any works in this direction, at what stage are they?

Work on linking the PD-14M engine to the Tu-204SM aircraft is currently not being carried out. Under certain conditions, the PD-14M engine can be installed on the Tu-204SM aircraft, but this will require a serious amount of work to modernize the aircraft and its systems, as well as refine the engine itself to ensure its integration on the aircraft. After that, a cycle of certification tests of the engine and aircraft is to be carried out. All of the listed scope of work will require significant financial costs, and the work to replace the engine on the aircraft is expedient if the operators are very interested in this version of the aircraft. Nevertheless, this engine is included in the PD-14 family of engines and is considered by us in a promising business plan.

Talk about the technical backwardness of Russian industry sounds like a familiar annoying background, and everything that stands out from this background, for some reason, does not arouse the same explosive interest as political scandals or the personal life of media people. And so they pass by events of a truly outstanding scale. Flight tests of the first completely Russian aircraft engine for civil aircraft began in Zhukovsky near Moscow. And this engine is ready to compete with the products of world giants.

As you know, the Russian civil aviation industry was in recent decades in a difficult position. No, we have not forgotten how to make planes that fly. But the global air transportation market requires equipment that meets high performance requirements, especially in terms of efficiency, noise level and environmental friendliness. Most of these requirements are designed in Soviet time passenger aircraft did not match or, in any case, lost in terms of these indicators to competitors from Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer.

I didn't have my own

first in new Russia An attempt to create a competitive product was made by the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company with its Superjet 100. The creators of this regional airliner were often reproached that, they say, the car can only be called Russian - there are too many imported components in it. Take, for example, engines, which make up about a third of the price of an aircraft. The Superjet 100 is equipped with SaM-146 jointly produced by the French company Snecma and the Russian NPO Saturn. However, the most complex and expensive part of a turbofan engine is the gas generator (compressors, combustion chamber, turbine high pressure) is a solution from a French partner. And only the "cold" part - the fan and the turbine that rotates it low pressure- developed in Rybinsk at NPO Saturn.

In other words, at the time of designing the Superjet, the Russian industry had almost nothing to offer aircraft manufacturers. Its competitive engine for regional aircraft Russia did not have. As well as many other things.

However, today the situation has changed. The new medium-haul airliner MS-21 (probable name in the Yak-242 series) will depend to a much lesser extent on cooperation with foreign suppliers. And although, as is customary, the aircraft customer will have the right to choose and be able to give preference to the power plant foreign production, Russian engines for MS-21 will be. Or rather, they already exist.

PD-14 is an engine with an ultra-high bypass ratio (1:8.3). This is already noticeable from the impressive fan with a diameter of 1.9 m. The power plant will consume fuel very economically

The gondola was developed by Aviadvigatel JSC - that is, the manufacturer of the PD-14 itself. It embodies many interesting solutions, in particular the unique design of the reverse

PD-14 refers to turbofan engines in which flows from two circuits do not mix. Air from the second "cold" circuit flows out of the nozzle nozzle with wavy edges

World class options

The PD-14 engine of the fifth generation was developed by Perm OJSC Aviadvigatel. It is based on a unified gas generator: an 8-stage compressor, a low-emission combustion chamber, and a high-pressure turbine. This gas generator will also be used in other engines of the PD family with lower or higher thrust. PD-14 provides thrust of 14 tons, and the operation of the second circuit in it is provided by a fan with hollow wide-chord blades and a low-pressure turbine. The bypass ratio of the engine is the ratio of the air flow through the outer circuit to the air flow through the inner circuit, and for the PD-14 engine it is equal to 8.3. This is a modern indicator for both domestic turbofan engines and foreign ones. A high degree of bypass gives a significant reduction in fuel consumption. According to the statement of the developer of PD-14, the reduction in the specific consumption of fuel consumption compared to modern analogues will be 10-15%. The declared noise level is 15-20 dB lower than the norms established by the 4th ICAO standard, and the level of emission of harmful substances NOx will be 30% lower than the 2008 ICAO norms. This is in line with modern environmental standards.

"Stranger" under the wing

While the first flight model MS-21 is only being built, the PD-14 is taking to the skies. It is suspended from the pylon of the Il-76 LL flying laboratory instead of one of the four regular engines. Tests are carried out by test pilots and engineers of the famous Flight Test Institute (LII named after M.M. Gromov), which is part of the United Aircraft Corporation, as well as representatives of the manufacturer - OJSC Aviadvigatel. It is difficult to confuse the experimental engine with the regular Ilov ones, since its dimensions exceed the dimensions of the regular D-30KP-2. Suffice it to say that only the diameter of the fan inlet is 1.9 m.

Anatoly Dmitrievich Kulakov, Deputy General Director of the LII named after V.I. MM. Gromov for testing power plants. As we managed to learn from our conversation, before the engine could go on its first flight, the specialists of the institute had to solve many complex problems. engineering tasks. The first of these was the choice of a flying laboratory (LL). The LII has at its disposal several LLs created on the basis of the Il-76 aircraft, but not every one can test the PD-14. Much depends on the mass of the power plant (will the wing withstand the weight?) And the thrust generated by the PD-14. The choice fell on the IL-76 LL with a reinforced wing, which can accommodate a power plant weighing up to 9 tons and an engine thrust of up to 25,000 kgf. However, this aircraft was last involved in testing in 1996. Then a unique propfan engine D-27 was suspended from it, which was intended for use on the Ukrainian-Russian An-70 aircraft. After almost two decades of inactivity, it was necessary to restore the airworthiness of the Il-76 LL, for which a special program was drawn up with the active participation of OAO AKB im. S.V. Ilyushin. A significant part of the equipment, including flight and navigation equipment, was replaced on the veteran aircraft, and all the necessary conclusions were received that LL could fly. What's next? Suspend the engine and start testing? Not! It is not that simple.

The PD-14 engine is also unique in that for the first time in the practice of domestic engine building, the manufacturer developed not only the engine itself, but also the nacelle for it (usually the engine nacelle is made for a specific engine by the company that creates the aircraft). Thus, the engine already has a mount designed for the MS-21 pylon, and it does not fit the Il-76LL wing. LII specialists had to design a special power spacer - an adapter between the MS-21 pylon mounts and the Il-76LL wing.

In the photo you can see a promising Russian engine without a gondola

This photo shows the process of hanging the gondola with the engine from the pylon of the flying laboratory. A special power adapter is used to connect different types of fasteners

Where to put the energy?

The most important engineering problem is that the new engine cannot be tested under the control of standard LL systems. In the laboratory, it is necessary to recreate all the control systems of the experimental power plant, similar to those that will be used on the MS-21, as well as to reliably reproduce all the loads under which the engine will operate. To this end, before testing, it was necessary to design and build in the flying laboratory all the relevant equipment.

The engine not only creates jet thrust, it is the energy heart of the aircraft. With the help of a shaft and a gearbox, the high-pressure turbine shaft is connected to the ACC (aircraft accessory drive box). In KPSA, the torque transmitted there is “disassembled” by an electric generator and hydraulic pumps. Motors are now demanding as much electrical power as possible, especially in view of the trend towards replacing a number of hydraulic drives with electric ones. The IL-76LL has an electric power take-off system. The power taken from the generator is realized in special thermal electric loaders (TEN), which are installed in fairings blown with outside air in flight.

In addition to the torque, compressed air is taken from the engine, which enters the systems of the MS-21 aircraft. Air sampling for different purposes is carried out at several points of the gas generator. For example, after the third stage of the compressor, air is removed for the needs of air conditioning of the MS-21 passenger compartment. The flying laboratory does not have an air sampling system with the parameters of the air conditioning system, similar to the one that will be in the MS-21, since the sampling compressed air- this is the power take-off from the engine, which means that during the tests this load must also be implemented. LL is also saturated with control and measuring equipment. During the operation of a serial engine, the onboard parametric recorder registers 30–40 parameters of the plant operation. During testing, 1066 parameters are taken from an experimental engine equipped with multiple sensors. The data is sent to the central server, to the chief engineer's console in the Il-76LL cargo compartment, to the display in the cockpit, via radio to the ground control point and directly to specialists in Perm, at Aviadvigatel OJSC.

In the background, the main control panel of the experimental engine is visible: sitting at this panel, the lead engineer of the LII controls the PD-14 modes during the test flight. Closer to us are the workplaces of other specialists who monitor the parameters of the engine

Workplace one of the engineers involved in the tests, and a cabinet with computers that analyze data using specially designed software

Solo on one motor

When the time comes to lift the LL into the air, the most experienced test pilots of the LII im. MM. Gromov. In the cargo compartment, the seats at the consoles are occupied by test engineers. Pilots have at their disposal all the usual control systems for the Il-76LL aircraft and its engines. And only the experimental engine is controlled by a leading test engineer from LII. Next to him at the central console is another representative of the LII and an engineer from the PD-14 developer. “We take off on three engines along special technique, so that the plane does not fly off the runway due to asymmetric thrust,” says Alexander Krutov, Honored Test Pilot, Hero of Russia, head of the LII Test Pilot School. - At this stage of the take-off tests, the experimental engine operates only at low gas. First, we warm up three standard engines. Then the second engine, symmetrical to the experimental one, is removed to idle speed and slowly we begin to take off. We bring the 1st and 4th regular engines into takeoff mode. Then, during the takeoff run, we smoothly bring the 3rd regular engine into takeoff mode. We break away on three, gain height. In this way, dangerous turning moments are avoided on takeoff.

Already after climbing, the lead test engineer, who has at his disposal the experimental engine control lever installed on the main console, proceeds directly to the tests.

The first PD-14 engineering test program is designed for only 12 hours of flight. At the end of each flight, the information received is analyzed by the FII specialists, and representatives of Aviadvigatel JSC carefully examine the engine components, assess its condition, and eliminate possible shortcomings. Of course, everything will not end with the first series of test flights. The engine is waiting for new tests with greater loads, including in high altitude conditions, extreme heat and severe cold. But already now, according to the statements of the LII specialists participating in the tests, the characteristics of the PD-14 engine correspond to the calculated data in the proven modes.

Currently, the domestic aircraft industry is in a kind of "suspended" state: on the one hand, it exists, and on the other, there is not a single modern aircraft We have not seen a purely domestic development in recent years. And the "Super-Jet" does not count, since in it from the Russian one there is exclusively a "screwdriver assembly". The hope for the resurrection of the aviation industry is the PD-14 engine, the characteristics (comparison with analogues) of which allow us to call it one of the best in recent years.

The developers hope that the creation of a new engine will have the most favorable effect on the state of the entire domestic aviation industry, and will also contribute to the creation of many new jobs.

New project

Why was the new PD-14 engine created at all? The characteristics (comparison with foreign models) of modern Russian engines were such that it was urgently necessary to develop something radically new. The designers were guided by the idea of ​​creating a power plant, which will allow them to further develop and build their own aircraft with a capacity of 130 to 180 seats. The only passenger car of a similar class and of completely Russian origin is the Tu-214 aircraft. Its production in small batches continues today.

But these planes are urgently lacking, we need equipment to upgrade the entire aircraft fleet of our country. But to do this without completely new engines is absolutely impossible. In terms of technical characteristics and capabilities, they should not be inferior to their counterparts from the world's leading manufacturers in anything.

In general, in connection with the recent Ukrainian events and the complete severance of ties in the industrial sphere of the two countries, the PD-14 engine (characteristics, comparison - in this article) is also of great importance in the aspect of a complete revival of development and manufacturing in our country. In addition, during its creation it is planned to solve several important tasks at once:

• Complete restructuring of the civil aircraft industry by redistributing roles and involving new players in this project.
• Finally, it is planned to divide the areas of responsibility and re-create the division of labor in the field of aviation products, which was completely destroyed at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
• Also, the creators of the project are counting on the creation of new polymer and composite materials, which are urgently needed by the modern aerospace industry.

How it all began?

The idea that the country urgently needs a new aircraft engine was born in the depths of Aviadvigatel JSC when it was the beginning of the 2000s. Time was extremely difficult then, and therefore in reality this project few believed.

But the organization's specialists at that time carefully and purposefully studied world experience in the production of engines, and also analyzed the domestic transportation market, trying to predict which type of engine in the civil aircraft industry would be in high demand. What exactly was the PD-14 engine supposed to stand out for? The characteristics (comparison and comparison) of it with foreign samples were simply obliged to reveal its noticeable superiority.

Why? Everything is simple. In those days, the products of foreign aircraft manufacturers were "pushed" into our markets by extremely aggressive methods. Alas, but to a large extent, some leaders also contributed to this. Today, in connection with the sanctions, this issue is no longer so relevant. Moreover, the state itself “suddenly” became interested in the possibility of producing domestic motors. So the Aviadvigatel enterprise then quickly found itself in the center of attention of both domestic and foreign media.

Main tasks of the project

The main task at that time was to provide an acceptable cost at which this product would actually begin to be intensively purchased. It was then that the idea of ​​creating a unified and universal gas generator was born. If it succeeds, then in our country it will be possible to create a huge list of our own industrial equipment, which cannot but rejoice.

What is a turbofan motor, principles of operation

How can we better understand the benefits of the new turbofan engine? The principle of operation of all similar engines is similar, and therefore this issue should be considered in more detail, since otherwise the advantages of new technologies are unlikely to be understood.

Turbofans in the literature are called motors with a high degree of bypass. Their distinctive feature is the presence of a large-diameter fan, due to which a very large volume of air always passes through the engine. Due to the large dimensions of this part, the outer nozzle of the engine often becomes unnecessarily "monumental", and therefore it is shortened. In order to avoid dangerous air turbulences, fixed blades are included in the design, which turn the flow of the air mixture in the right direction.

Accordingly, according to the principle of their operation, such engines strongly resemble rocket engines, but there is practically no mixing of flows in them. The advantage of turbofan engines is that the jet that exits the rockets "into the pipe" in this case spins an additional fan, which is a powerful source of thrust. It is he who produces at least 70-80% of the total tractive effort. Thus, the PD-14 aircraft engine is extremely economical. The internal contour of these engines almost completely repeats the design of rocket models, but their last stages "in combination" are the fan drive.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like all its "relatives", the PD-14 aircraft engine has both positive and negative sides. Its strengths include high efficiency, which allows these power plants to be widely used even on long-distance routes.

What are his shortcomings? The most significant - very large dimensions and decent weight. Despite all the efforts of engineers and scientists, turbofan engines create significant resistance to the oncoming air flow in flight. It is assumed that this problem will be solved when there are ways to reduce their overall dimensions.

Comparative differences

New turbofan engine, the principle of which is similar to the "classic" domestic models yet very different from its predecessors. Of course, the differences "by eye" are noticeable only to engineers. If we compare it with the PS-90A model (Il-96, Tu-214, Il-76 aircraft), then we will immediately notice, let's not be afraid of this word, a qualitative breakthrough in the technological process and capabilities.

The bypass ratio increased exactly twice, the gas temperature before entering the turbine increased immediately by 100 K, the overall compression ratio (under various conditions) increased by 20-50%. In comparison with the above types of domestic engines, the new PD-14 aircraft engine allows you to save at least 12-16% more fuel.

Mass savings

For the first time in the domestic civil aircraft industry, the technology of manufacturing hollow turbine blades from high-strength titanium alloys was used in the design of the engine.

This gives a weight saving of 30%; in total, the new PD-14 aircraft engine is lightened by about 10%. Also, at the Perm Motor Plant, the technology for the production of single-crystal turbine blades is being mastered today. It is reported that this approach will increase operating temperature gases immediately up to 2000 K.

In addition, for the first time, domestic manufacturers are going to use such a quantity of polymer composite materials in the design and manufacture of engines. With this approach, not only the mass of the engine will noticeably decrease, but also its strength and resistance to overloads will increase.

The meaning of creating a new motor

As we said at the very beginning of the article, it is impossible to create a single new aircraft without first developing new engines. With the latter, everything is gradually getting better: the test of the PD-14 engine in the form of the State Inspection will start soon ... But which cars will be equipped with them?

It is assumed that the MS-21 aircraft (mainline, 21st century) will be created specifically for these engines. If this is really implemented, then it will be possible to talk about a real breakthrough, for the first time since the times of the USSR, something new will really be created in our country. More importantly, the Russian PD-14 engine will make it possible to create a whole line of new aircraft designed to perform both long-haul flights and domestic routes. Until recently, everyone said that domestic aircraft will have to be equipped exclusively with imported engines. Today it turned out that this, fortunately, is not the case.

What cars are they going to equip?

It is already obvious today that the unified design of the new engine will make it possible to successfully use it not only on passenger, but also on transport aircraft. Since its thrust is as much as 14 tons, this model can be installed on the MS-21-200/300/400. Surely they will be allowed to complete the IL-214. There is information about the beginning of the creation of an even more powerful modification with a thrust of 18 tons, that is, PD-18. It is supposed to be used on Tu-214 and Il-96 aircraft. Recall that today all these machines are equipped with the "old man" PS-90A.

The developers also report that a decision has already been made to create a lightweight version of this engine with a thrust of ten tons. It can be assumed that it will be used for the production of long-suffering Superjets, for which no one wants to buy engines from France now. Finally, a special, helicopter version of this engine will also be created, which will be equipped with the famous transport "cow", also known as the Mi-26 helicopter.

Until now, Ukrainian D-136 engines have been used in the production of these machines. Even preliminary calculations show that the existing need for these motors is more than enough to cover all the costs that were received during the development new technology. In total, it is planned to attract at least 70 billion rubles of investments, and half of them are funds from federal budget. The last circumstance shows how much the country needs this project.

Why is the old PS90-A bad?

The newest engine for the MS-21, the PD-14 is a new generation. In addition, it is perfectly compatible with relatively old aircraft modifications. Thus, the well-deserved "veterans" Il-76, the modernization of which has been intensively carried out since last year, when installing a new engine on them, several tens of thousands more hours can fly off. In addition, it will be possible to increase the flight range from four to five thousand kilometers, without load the distance will also increase by a thousand kilometers, and fuel consumption will be reduced by about 14%. The latter circumstance is especially important, since thanks to it it will be possible to reduce the cost of transporting a ton of cargo by 10% at once.

Thus, the old motor, which has faithfully served its time of operation and was developed back in the USSR, is still coping with its duties, but it no longer meets modern requirements. The main problem is high fuel consumption and increased noise. In principle, this has been known for a very long time, but specific steps to correct the situation and create a new motor have only been taken now. For the sake of fairness, it should be said that only today all the funds necessary for this work have appeared.

Official information on the progress of work

Officially, the engine has been under development since 2008, but in fact, a talented team of designers began to design it back in 1999.

In 2012, a full-fledged demo version was assembled for the first time. At the same time, there was an intensive refinement of the gas generator systems, which delivered the main problems to the designers. To date, all shortcomings have been successfully eliminated. This Perm engine was first launched in mid-2012. At the same time, the designers found out that the high design indicators are quite consistent with the practical state of affairs, which further strengthened their conviction in the need to urgently establish the production of new motors.

It was originally planned to be completed three years ago, but due to some problems, there is evidence that some of them continue to this day. It is assumed that mass production will begin this year, and per year Permians must assemble at least two to three dozen new engines. And this is very little, since domestic aviators believe that while maintaining the current pace of flights by 2019, aircraft engines should be produced at a titanic pace - 200 units in 12 months. I would like to hope that the domestic industry will be able to "pull" this project.

But what about MS-21?

For the first time, information about the start of work on the production of a new aircraft began to arrive at the beginning of last year. At the moment, it is known for sure that the first fuselage of a new domestic airliner, which in its environment is better known under the “unofficial” name Yak-242, is already being assembled at the Irkutsk Aircraft Building Plant with might and main.

The wing is assembled from unique composite materials in Ulyanovsk. Most likely, it has already arrived in Irkutsk. Domestic media, which have their representatives at this enterprise, firmly promised that the first aircraft would be able to take off in the summer of this year. It is reported that the manufacturer already has a whole 175 firm contracts for the construction and supply of MS-21. Many customers were large organizations, which include even Sberbank, which implements the supply of new aircraft on lease.

There is also information that an additional 100 aircraft of this type can be ordered, and not only domestic, but also foreign translators will act as customers. This message is really unique, since the last time someone showed interest in our passenger aircraft was only in the days of the USSR.

The importance of the MS-21 project is that it is the first and so far the only domestic aircraft created independently and without the use of old developments from the times of the Union, which does not use foreign components. The flight routes of this brand will be released only after the final completion of all types of flight and bench tests, which continue to this day.

conclusions

Thus, the new promising engine is a real breakthrough for the entire domestic industry and, in particular, for civil aircraft construction. As for the need for these motors, it is colossal. For a very long time, domestic carriers have been saying that they are not too eager to buy decommissioned imported aircraft, the resource of which is almost exhausted. But at that time, the domestic industry could not offer them anything suitable.

Today there is both an engine and an aircraft. Since sanctions have been imposed against our state, there are no opportunities to buy something abroad, and the exchange rate that has skyrocketed does not add to this decision's attractiveness. So the domestic project has grandiose prospects. I would like to hope that the industry will not let you down and will be able to provide manufacturers with all the necessary components.

Taking into account the latest news about the PD-14 engine, we can conclude that the creation of a completely new Russian turbofan engine has reached the finish line. According to experts, it is this project that will help domestic aircraft designers enter the global aircraft manufacturing market.

Aircraft engine PD-14

At present, the developers represented by the Perm Motor Plant have managed to complete the first flight test stage and bring the second test round to the end. This event can be regarded as a very significant one, because it is quite possible that in the coming years Russian heavy production will reach a new level. And it is this aircraft engine that should be given special attention.

By starting mass production of aircraft power units, domestic aircraft manufacturers will be able to save a lot Money. Indeed, at present, an aircraft engine in various configurations is purchased from foreign partners so that Russian designers can equip both passenger and cargo aircraft with such an installation. Based on statistics, to equip 45 units aerial technology 40 have to be bought abroad, and only 5 are produced by domestic manufacturers.

Creation of the engine

For the second flight test of the PD-14 engine, the unit was installed on the MS-21 aircraft. The test tour was successfully completed, the experts clearly noted the excellent specifications engine PD-14.

The second level of the experiment was supposed to help answer the question regarding the operation of the unit at a considerable height and maximum speed mode so that experts can compare with foreign analogues. The power plant, created by Russian designers, coped with its task perfectly.

The experts noted not only the high-quality and reliable assembly of the unit, but also the latest technologies used to create the PD-14 turbojet bypass engine. The assembly of the Russian power unit, which will later be used to equip passenger and cargo ships, did not cause any particular difficulties, since highly professional specialists from several engine-building United Corporations of Russia took part in the direct process of creation.

Universal aircraft engine

According to experts, the production of PD-14 will accelerate the development of the domestic aircraft industry by several times, both in relation to the creation of long-haul and medium-range airliners. After all, if earlier power units manufactured by foreign manufacturers were used to equip domestic aircraft, now it will be possible to use Russian engines for these purposes, the performance characteristics of which are in no way inferior to foreign counterparts.

The PD-14 aircraft engine is made in a unified form, which will make it possible to equip with the unit almost all models of passenger and transport aircraft manufactured by Russian manufacturers. It is planned to equip the following models of aircraft with this engine with a thrust power of 14 tons:

• passenger liners of models MS-21-200, 300 and 400;
• military vessels Il-214 and Il-76;
• PD-18 engine, providing more powerful thrust, up to 18 tons, experts recommend using it to equip the Tu-124 passenger liner.

The designers plan to create a new unit that can be installed on a heavy model transport helicopter Mi-26 instead of the D-136 unit manufactured by Ukrainian aircraft manufacturers.

Considering that the expected use of PD engines is quite extensive, the mass production of these units, according to analysts, will help to easily recoup the serious costs allocated for the project called "PD-14". According to preliminary estimates, the approximate amount of cash investments is about 70 billion rubles..

Table TX engines PD

TX of the new unit

Until recently, Russian designers were engaged in the manufacture of an aircraft engine called PS-90A.

The technical characteristics of the PD-14 engine are in many ways superior to its predecessor, and this, in turn, will help to increase the service life several times aircraft, on which the latest power plant will be installed. Let's consider how to improve the technical characteristics of the Il-76 military transport vessel after equipping it with a new engine:

1. The flight range of an aircraft with a load of approximately 60 tons will increase to 4.8 thousand kilometers, instead of the previous 4 thousand kilometers.
2. Without additional load, the flight range will increase from 9.6 thousand km to 10.9 thousand km.
3. Fuel consumption per 1 estimated km will decrease by approximately 13%.

Taking into account the above improvements, the total cost of freight transportation rates can be reduced by about 9-10%.

On October 30, 2015, tests of the latest Russian aircraft engine PD-14 began at the Il-76LL flying laboratory. This is an event of exceptional importance. 10 curious facts about turbojet engines in general and about the PD-14 in particular will help to appreciate its significance.

1. Achievement of humanity

The turbojet engine (TRD) is one of the main technical achievements of mankind, which can be put on a par with the invention of the wheel, sail, steam engine, internal combustion engine, rocket engine and nuclear reactor. It is thanks to the turbojet engine that our planet suddenly became small and cozy. Anyone can comfortably and safely reach its most remote corner in a matter of hours.

According to statistics, only one flight out of 8 million ends in an accident with the death of people. Even if you take a random flight every day, it would take you 21,000 years to die in a plane crash. According to statistics, walking is many times more dangerous than flying. And all this is largely due to the amazing reliability of modern aircraft engines.

2. The miracle of technology

But the turbojet engine is extremely complex device. Its turbine operates under the most difficult conditions. Its most important element is the spatula, with which kinetic energy gas flow is converted into mechanical energy of rotation. One blade, and there are about 70 of them in each stage of an aircraft turbine, develops power equal to the power of a Formula 1 car engine, and at a rotational speed of about 12 thousand revolutions per minute, a centrifugal force equal to 18 tons acts on it, which is equal to load on the suspension of a double-decker London bus.

But that's not all. The temperature of the gas with which the blade comes into contact is almost half the temperature on the surface of the Sun. This value is 200 °C higher than the melting point of the metal from which the blade is made. Imagine this task: you need to keep an ice cube from melting in an oven heated to 200 ° C. Designers manage to solve the problem of blade cooling with the help of internal air channels and special coatings. Not surprisingly, one spatula costs eight times more than silver. To create only this small detail that fits in the palm of your hand, you need to develop more than a dozen of the most complex technologies. And each of these technologies is guarded as the most important state secret.

3. Turbojet technology is more important than atomic secrets

In addition to domestic companies, only US firms (Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, Honeywell), England (Rolls-Royce) and France (Snecma) own the full cycle technologies for creating modern turbojet engines. That is, there are fewer states producing modern aviation turbojet engines than countries possessing nuclear weapons or launching satellites into space. China's years of efforts, for example, have so far failed to produce success in this area. The Chinese quickly copied and equipped the Russian Su-27 fighter with their own systems, releasing it under the symbol J-11. However, they failed to copy its AL-31F engine, so China is still forced to buy this not the most modern turbojet engine in Russia for a long time.

4. PD-14 is the first domestic aircraft engine of the 5th generation

Progress in aircraft engine building is characterized by several parameters, but one of the main ones is the gas temperature in front of the turbine. The transition to each new generation of turbojet engines, and there are five of them in total, was characterized by an increase in this temperature by 100-200 degrees. Thus, the gas temperature in the 1st generation turbojet engines, which appeared in the late 1940s, did not exceed 1150 °K, in the 2nd generation (1950s) this figure increased to 1250 °K, in the 3rd generation (1960s) this parameter rose to 1450 °K, for engines of the 4th generation (1970-1980) the gas temperature reached 1650 °K. The turbine blades of the 5th generation engines, the first samples of which appeared in the West in the mid-1990s, operate at a temperature of 1900 °K. Currently, only 15% of the engines in operation in the world are of the 5th generation.

One blade of an aircraft turbine develops power equal to that of a Formula 1 car engine

The increase in gas temperature, as well as new design schemes, primarily by-pass, have made it possible to achieve impressive progress over the 70 years of the development of turbojet engines. For example, the ratio of engine thrust to its mass has increased by 5 times over this time and for modern models has reached 10. The degree of air compression in the compressor has increased 10 times: from 5 to 50, while the number of compressor stages has halved - on average from 20 to 10. The specific fuel consumption of modern turbojet engines has been halved compared to engines of the 1st generation. Every 15 years there is a doubling of the volume of passenger traffic in the world with almost unchanged total fuel costs of the world's fleet of aircraft.

At present, the only civil aircraft engine of the 4th generation, the PS-90, is being produced in Russia. If we compare the PD-14 with it, then the two engines have similar masses (2950 kg for the basic version of the PS-90A and 2870 kg for the PD-14), dimensions (fan diameter for both 1.9 m), compression ratio (35.5 and 41) and takeoff thrust (16 and 14 tf).

At the same time, the high-pressure compressor PD-14 consists of 8 stages, and PS-90 - of 13 with a lower total compression ratio. The bypass ratio for PD-14 is twice as high (4.5 for PS-90 and 8.5 for PD-14) with the same fan diameter. As a result, the specific fuel consumption in cruising flight of the PD-14 will fall, according to preliminary estimates, by 15% compared to existing engines: to 0.53-0.54 kg / (kgf h) versus 0.595 kg / (kgf h ) at PS-90.

5. PD-14 - the first aircraft engine created in Russia after the collapse of the USSR

The Soviet Union was a great aviation power. In the 1980s, eight of the most powerful aircraft engine design bureaus worked in the USSR. Often, firms competed with each other, since there was a practice to give the same task to two design bureaus. Alas, times have changed. After the collapse of the 1990s, it was necessary to gather all the industry forces in order to carry out the project of creating a modern engine. Actually, the formation in 2008 of the United Engine Corporation (United Engine Corporation), with many of whose enterprises VTB Bank actively cooperates, was aimed at creating an organization capable of not only maintaining the country's competence in gas turbine construction, but also competing with leading companies in the world.

The lead contractor for the PD-14 project is the Aviadvigatel Design Bureau (Perm), which, by the way, also developed the PS-90. Serial production will be organized at the Perm Motor Plant, but parts and components will be manufactured throughout the country. The cooperation involves the Ufa Motor-Building Production Association (UMPO), NPO Saturn (Rybinsk), NPCG Salyut (Moscow), Metallist-Samara and many others.

6. PD-14 - engine for the main aircraft of the XXI century

One of the most successful projects in the area civil aviation The USSR had a medium-range aircraft Tu-154. Released in the amount of 1026 pieces, it long years formed the basis of the Aeroflot fleet. Alas, time passes, and this workaholic no longer meets modern requirements either in terms of economy or ecology (noise and harmful emissions). The main weakness of the Tu-154 is the 3rd generation D-30KU engines with high specific fuel consumption (0.69 kg / (kgf h).

There are fewer states producing modern aviation turbojet engines than countries with nuclear weapons

The medium-haul Tu-204, which replaced the Tu-154, with 4th generation PS-90 engines, in the conditions of the collapse of the country and the free market, could not withstand competition with foreign manufacturers even in the struggle for domestic air carriers. Meanwhile, the segment of medium-haul narrow-body aircraft, dominated by the Boeing-737 and Airbus 320 (in 2015 alone, 986 of them were delivered to the world's airlines), is the most massive, and the presence on it is necessary condition preservation of the domestic civil aircraft industry. Thus, in the early 2000s, an urgent need was identified to create a competitive new-generation turbojet engine for a medium-range aircraft with 130-170 seats. Such an aircraft should be MS-21 (Main aircraft 21st century), developed by the United Aircraft Corporation. The task is incredibly difficult, since not only the Tu-204, but no other aircraft in the world could withstand competition with Boeing and Airbus. It is under the MS-21 that the PD-14 is being developed. Success in this project will be akin to an economic miracle, but such undertakings are the only way for the Russian economy to get off the oil needle.

7. PD-14 is the basic design for a family of engines

The letters "PD" stand for a promising engine, and the number 14 stands for thrust in ton-forces. PD-14 is the base engine for the family of turbojet engines with thrust from 8 to 18 tf. The business idea of ​​the project is that all these engines are based on a unified gas generator high degree perfection. The gas generator is the heart of the turbojet engine, which consists of a high-pressure compressor, a combustion chamber and a turbine. It is the manufacturing technologies of these units, especially the so-called hot part, that are critical.

The family of engines based on the PD-14 will make it possible to equip modern power plants almost all Russian aircraft: from the PD-7 for the short-haul Sukhoi Superjet 100 to the PD-18, which can be installed on the flagship of the Russian aircraft industry, the long-haul Il-96. Based on the PD-14 gas generator, it is planned to develop a PD-10 V helicopter engine to replace the Ukrainian D-136 on the world's largest Mi-26 helicopter. The same engine can also be used on a Russian-Chinese heavy helicopter, the development of which has already begun. On the basis of the PD-14 gas generator, gas pumping units and gas turbine power plants with a capacity of 8 to 16 MW, which are so necessary for Russia, can be created.

8. PD-14 is 16 critical technologies

For PD-14, with the leading role of the Central Institute of Aviation Motors (CIAM), the leading research institute of the industry and the Aviadvigatel Design Bureau, 16 critical technologies were developed: single-crystal high-pressure turbine blades with a promising cooling system, operable at gas temperatures up to 2000 °K, hollow wide-chord fan blade made of titanium alloy, due to which it was possible to increase the efficiency of the fan stage by 5% in comparison with PS-90, low-emission combustion chamber made of intermetallic alloy, sound-absorbing structures made of composite materials, ceramic coatings on hot section parts, hollow low-pressure turbine blades and etc.

PD-14 will continue to be improved. At MAKS-2015 it was already possible to see the prototype of a wide-chord fan blade made of carbon fiber created at CIAM, the mass of which is 65% of the mass of a hollow titanium blade currently used. At the CIAM stand, one could also see a prototype of the gearbox, which is supposed to be equipped with a modification of the PD-18R. The gearbox will reduce the fan speed, so that, not tied to the turbine speed, it will work in a more efficient mode. It is supposed to raise the gas temperature in front of the turbine by 50 °K. This will increase the thrust of the PD-18R up to 20 tf, and reduce the specific fuel consumption by another 5%.

9. PD-14 is 20 new materials

When creating the PD-14, the developers from the very beginning relied on domestic materials. It was clear that under no circumstances would Russian companies be given access to new foreign-made materials. The leading role here was played by the All-Russian Institute of Aviation Materials (VIAM), with the participation of which about 20 new materials were developed for the PD-14.

But creating material is half the battle. Sometimes Russian metals are superior in quality to foreign ones, but their use in a civil aircraft engine requires certification according to international standards. Otherwise, the engine, no matter how good it is, will not be allowed to fly outside of Russia. The rules here are very strict, as far as people's safety is concerned. The same applies to the engine manufacturing process: the industry requires European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification. All this will make it necessary to improve the culture of production, and for new technologies it is necessary to re-equip the industry. The development of the PD-14 itself took place according to a new, digital technology, thanks to which the 7th copy of the engine was already assembled in Perm using the mass production technology, while earlier an experimental batch was produced in quantities of up to 35 copies.

The development of a modern engine takes 1.5-2 times longer than the development of an aircraft

PD-14 should pull the entire industry to a new level. What can I say, even the Il-76LL flying laboratory, after several years of inactivity, needed to be re-equipped with equipment. Work was also found for the unique CIAM stands, which allow simulating flight conditions on the ground. In general, the PD-14 project will save more than 10,000 highly qualified jobs for Russia.

10. PD-14 is the first domestic engine that directly competes with its Western counterpart

The development of a modern engine takes 1.5-2 times longer than the development of an aircraft. The situation when the engine does not have time to start testing the aircraft for which it is intended, aircraft manufacturers, alas, regularly encounter. So the roll-out of the first copy of the MS-21 will take place at the beginning of 2016, and the testing of the PD-14 has just begun. True, the project from the very beginning provided for an alternative: MS-21 customers can choose between Pratt & Whitney's PD-14 and PW1400G. It is with the American MS-21 engine that it will go on its first flight, and it is with it that the PD-14 will have to compete for a place under the wing.

Compared to its competitor, the PD-14 is somewhat inferior in efficiency, but it is lighter, has a noticeably smaller diameter (1.9 m versus 2.1), and hence less resistance. And one more feature: Russian specialists deliberately went to some simplification of the design. The basic PD-14 does not use a gearbox in the fan drive, and also does not use an adjustable nozzle of the external circuit, it has a lower gas temperature in front of the turbine, which simplifies the achievement of reliability and service life indicators. Therefore, the PD-14 engine is cheaper and, according to preliminary estimates, will require lower maintenance and repair costs. By the way, in the face of falling oil prices, it is lower operating costs, and not efficiency, that become the scheme-forming factor and the main competitive advantage of an aircraft engine. In general, the direct operating costs of the MS-21 with PD-14 can be 2.5% lower than the version with the American engine.

To date, 175 MS-21s have been ordered, 35 of them with the PD-14 engine.

Text: Leonid Sitnik

Photo: PJSC "UAC", JSC "Aviadvigatel", RIA Novosti