Chemical Automatics Design Bureau

Chemical Automatics Design Bureau (CADB), also KB Khimavtomatiki (, KBKhA), is a Russian design bureau founded by the NKAP (People's Commissariat of the Aircraft Industry) in 1941 and led by Semyon Kosberg until his death in 1965. Its origin dates back to a 1940 Moscow carburetor factory, evacuated to Berdsk in 1941, and then relocated to Voronezh city in 1945, where it now operates. Originally designated OKB-296 and tasked to develop fuel equipment for aviation engines, it was redesignated OKB-154 in 1946.[2]

In 1965 A.D. Konopatov took over leadership. He was succeeded by V.S. Rachuk in 1993, then by Viktor D. Gorokhov (RD-0124 Chief designer) in 2015. During this time the company designed a wide range of high technology products, including liquid propellant rocket engines, a nuclear reactor for space use, the first Soviet laser with an output of 1 MW and the USSR's only operational nuclear rocket engine.[3][4] The company has designed more than 60 liquid propellant engines with some 30 having entered production.[5]

KBKhA Rocket Engine Company Maturity Years

Successful work results were a basis for the reformation of Plant 154 Design Bureau into the independent company OKB-154. The new enterprise was to develop rocket engines.

The works were performed in two directions: development of LREs for space launch vehicles (LV) and missiles. Start of works was marked by the meeting of S. Kosberg and S. Korolev on February 10, 1958. The result of this meeting was the joint development of oxygen-kerosene engine RD0105 for LV “Luna” LV stage (engine chief designer V. Koshelnikov). This engine allowed LV to reach second space velocity for the first time in the world, deliver USSR pennon to the Moon surface, make the round flight of the Moon and take pictures of Moon back side. Later on, one of the craters on its backside was named after S. Kosberg.

KBKhA developed LRE RD0109 for “Vostok” LV third stage (chief designer – V. Koshelnikov) on the basis of engine RD0105. The engine was more reliable and had higher technical specifications due to the creation of the new efficient lightweight combustion chamber. RD 0109 thrusts to orbit space ship Vostok with Y. Gagarin on board, all one-seat crewed ships and different military and scientific spacecraft later. The development of space industry in the end of the 50th and beginning of 60th required the creation of more powerful LV for orbiting objects with mass up to 7000 kg. To fulfill this purpose, the Design bureau – on the basis of second stage engine RD0106 of military rocker P-9A - developed engines RD0107, RD0108, and RD0110 (chief designer Y. Gershkovits) for third stages of S. Korolev LVs “Molnia”, “Voshod”, “Soyuz” that ensured launches of interplanetary stations to Mars and Venus, orbiting space ships with 2 and 3 cosmonauts on board. Members of these crews were the first human beings entering into open space, made orbit docking and joint flight of two ships, including American “Apollo”. LV “Soyuz” is used to deliver payload to orbital stations. Using highly reliable engine RD0110, over 1500 LV successful launches were performed. In the beginning of 1965, chief designer S. Kosberg died in a car accident. A. Konopatov was appointed as a lead designer of the Design Bureau.[10]

New Projects – New Engines. Seventies of last century

Another milestone in the development of Russian space industry was the creation of powerful LV UR500 by General designer V. Chelomey. The LV was able to orbit heavy objects with weight up to 20 tons. For the second stage of LV “Proton” KBKhA created LRE RD0208 and RD0209 (chief designer V. Kozelkov), operating according to oxidizer rich preburner staged combustion schematic. As a prototype, engine RD0206 was used, installed on military missile UR-200. This LV orbited heavy automated stations “Proton”. LV UR500 was later named “Proton”. Three-stage “Proton” was a more powerful LV, for whose second stage engines RD0208 and RD0209 were modernized. The modernized engines got indexes RD0210 and RD0211 (chief designer V. Kozelkov). For the third stage engine, RD0212 was renewed (chief designer Y. Gershkovits). Besides, for the position correction of “Almaz” space station, launched by “Proton”, KBKhA created pressure fed engine RD0225 (chief designer V. Borodin) and multiple startup (up to 100 times), with orbit stand-by mode (up to 2 years). These LV delivered Lunar excursion modules to the Moon, interplanetary spacecraft that took probes of lunar soil and landed on Mars and Venus. It became possible to launch long-stay orbital stations “Salut” and “Mir”, as well as modules “Zarya” and “Zvezda” for International space station. For the moment, over 300 “Proton” LV launches have been performed. Technical perfection of engines RD0110, RD0210, RD0211, RD0212 ensured their long life. For over 40 years these engines have launched different spacecraft, automated stations, and crewed space ships. High energy-weight characteristics and operation simplicity support their position in the best of Russian and foreign engines of the same class.[10]

Created Nuclear-Rocket Umbrella

New Engines

The KBKhA team is actively working on the creation of the new rocket engines and power plants.

RD-0124

Since 1993 the development of four-chamber LOX-kerosene LRE RD-0124, 14D23 (the chief designers — V. Koselkov and V. Gorokhov, the lead designers — V. Borodin, A. Plis and V. Gurin) for the third stage of the general designer D. Koslov "Soyuz-2" launch vehicle has been conducted. The main engine destination — delivery into the orbit of different payloads: satellites, cargo and crewed space vehicles. RD-0124 engine is developed as substitution for RD-0110. It has the practically identical interfaces, overall dimensions and mass, but it offers the higher specific parameters — the best of the developed LRE of this class. The engine operates according to oxidizer rich stage combustion cycle and has higher (on 33 s) efficiency compared to RD-0110. This will allow to put into orbit larger payloads (≈950 kg) or to ensure launching of "Soyuz-2" launch vehicle from spaceports located to the north of Baikonur. The conducted series of successful stand tests has confirmed the fulfillment of the specification requirements for main parameters. Two test-bench fire tests within LV “Soyuz-2” 3rd stage were performed that completed the 1st phase of on-ground engine development. December 27, 2006, first flight test of the engine within LV “Soyuz-2b” was performed. In 1998 KBKhA has studied and determined the possibility of using the RD-0124 (the RD-0124A) for the second stage of space rocket complex "Angara", created by Khrunichev Design and Research center and aimed for orbiting multiple purpose space vehicles. The main differences from the requirements to base engine are the change of engine operating time of the main and final thrust stage. On December 1, 2007, 150 fire tests were performed, with overall development time over 30,000 seconds, which confirmed the compliance of main parameters with Technical Task requirements. RD-0750 In 1993-1998 large volume of design, analysis, research and experimental work on development of a tri-propellant dual-mode engine on the base of RD-0120 was conducted as a KBKhA initiative. The propellants of the engine are: liquid hydrogen, kerosene, and liquid oxygen. Studies and recommendations of the other Russian R&D Institutes and foreign firms showed economic feasibility of application of dual-mode tri-propellant engines to advanced launch vehicles (especially single-staged) have become the real support for three-propellant engine works performance. The engine according to the first mode operates on oxygen and kerosene with the small addition of hydrogen and at the second operational mode - with oxygen and hydrogen. As a result of this work, for the first time, a three-propellant dual-mode preburner successfully tested in KBKhA and in RD0750D demonstrator conditions at NIICHIMMASH.

RD-0146

In 1997 KBKhA according to the Khrunichev Space Center Technical Specification has begun the development of the new oxygen-hydrogen engine RD-0146 (the chief designer — N.E. Titkov, the lead designer — I.V. Liplavy) for space boosters of advanced launchers options «Proton» and «Angara». For the first time in Russia the expander cycle engine has been developed with insurance of multiple in-flight starts. Since 2001, 4 engines were manufactured, independent tests of engine subassemblies and chamber with igniter were performed at modes higher than nominal. Altogether 30 fire tests at mode up to 109.5% and with overall operational time 1680 seconds were completed. The development time per each engine was 1604 seconds in 27 tests.

RD-0126, RD-0126Э

In 1995 the research work for development expander kerosene-hydrogen LREs for advanced space boost units and interorbital tows has been initiated. It has defined the engine configuration and performances. This work was completed by issue of technical proposal. On the basis of this work RKK «Energia» has issued specification for RD-0126 engine development that was presented in two variants: Engine RD0126 - with a traditional Laval nozzle chamber, and RD0126Э with an expansion-deflection nozzle and ring throat (chief designer V. Gorokhov, lead designer – I. Liplyavy). Engine RD0126Э has the following advantages as compared to traditional LREs: equal length, but higher vacuum Isp; lighter weight with the same Isp; possibility to obtain higher hydrogen temperature in cooling channels, which allows to use it as working medium for TPA turbine rotation; possibility of engine ground testing performed under high-altitude conditions without gas-dynamic tube. In 1998, test bench chamber with ring throat was tested. 5 sea level fire tests were performed that confirmed combustion products flow without boundary layer separation within high-altitude nozzle, which makes engine development considerably simpler. The calculated performance data complied with the design figures. Steady state operation process was stable; hardware is in satisfactory operable condition.

GPVRD 58L

Since 1994 according Baranov Central Institute of Aviation Motor Development specification KBKhA has been developed experimental axial symmetrical scramjet 58L (the lead designers — Y.V. Liplavy, Y.A. Martynenko), for studying of processes of hydrogen combustion at stream velocities 3–6.5 M and altitudes of 20–35 km flight conditions. The liquid hydrogen is an engine fuel passing CC cooling channels and being introduced into the combustion zones. The combustion chamber is an annular and three-zone design. In the first zone the hydrogen combustion takes place in subsonic airflow, in two others — in supersonic flow. The combustion chamber is completely designed and manufactured in KBKhA, and the new and advanced design and technological solutions have been realized. In 1998 the flight tests of scramjet on board Kholod laboratory have been successfully conducted. The engine operation started at flight velocity 3 M, at the end of the flight on 77 s the vehicle velocity reached 6.47 M. For the first time in the world hydrogen combustion has taken place under supersonic flow conditions. Engine has operated according to the test program and without remarks under testing program.[10]

former names	OKB-154
industry	Rocket engines
foundation	Voronezh, USSR (April 2, 1946)
location	Voronezh, Russia
products	Spacecraft propulsion, rocket engines
parent	Roscosmos‡R1R‡
key people	Viktor Dmitrievich Gorokhov, Chief designer
homepage	kbkha.ru

Chemical Automatics Design Bureau

World War II

KBKhA Rocket Engine Company Maturity Years

New Projects – New Engines. Seventies of last century

Created Nuclear-Rocket Umbrella

Liquid propellant rocket engines

Notable engine designs

New Engines

RD-0124

RD-0146

RD-0126, RD-0126Э

GPVRD 58L

Magnetoplasmadynamic engine

Ion thruster

External links

References

First Gas-Dynamic Laser