The Voronezh Chemical Automatics Design Bureau (KBHA) has developed a technical proposal and a preliminary design for a prototype oxygen-methane rocket engine thrust 85 tons.

The development is carried out in order to create and test technology for using methane as a fuel component in advanced liquid-propellant rocket engines (LPRE). Chief designer - Gorokhov Viktor Dmitrievich.

Other tasks being solved within the framework of this project include the creation of a prototype of an engine emergency protection system and testing of basic elements based on promising design and circuit solutions using advanced technologies; testing an experimental engine with a thrust of 40 tons (in a void) with a diagnostic and emergency protection system; carrying out tests of a demonstrator engine (together with the Isaev Design Bureau Khimmash and the Research and Testing Center of the Rocket and Space Industry) with a thrust of 7.5 tons (in empty space), as well as its defect detection in order to use the obtained scientific and technical basis for development experimental rocket engine, as well as confirming the characteristics of LNG used as rocket fuel.

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Also at the first stage of work, tests of an experimental oxygen-methane engine with a thrust of 40 tons took place. On December 22, 2016, during bench tests, specialists carried out 10 starts of the demonstrator engine RD0162D2A. A special feature of the engine design is that for the first time a dual-circuit gas turbine drive for fuel pumps, patented by the company, is used. To date, KBHA specialists have completed disassembly and defect detection of this engine and analysis of test results. The information obtained will be used in further work on the 85-ton thrust engine.

The next stage involves the release of design documentation for an engine with a thrust of 85 tons, as well as continued preparation of production and the manufacture of power plants for testing individual systems engine.

The issue of reducing the cost of launch vehicles has always been raised. During the space race, the USSR and the USA thought little about the costs - the prestige of the country was immeasurably more expensive. Today, cutting costs “on all fronts” has become a global trend. Fuel makes up only 0.2...0.3% of the cost of the entire launch vehicle, but in addition to the cost of fuel, another important parameter is its availability.

Over the past 50 years, the list of liquid fuels widely used in the rocket and space industry has changed little: kerosene, hydrogen and heptyl. Each of them has its own characteristics and is interesting in its own way, but they all have at least one serious drawback.

Kerosene

The space industry began with kerosene back in the 50s. It is still the most popular in space rocketry. Our first Vostok rockets used this fuel paired with liquid oxygen, an oxidizer. Now American rockets fly on kerosene - both with our RD-180 engines and with our own Falcon engines. And also our new Angara and the very old Soyuz.

Kerosene has a high specific impulse - it is physical quantity, which determines the ratio of momentum, i.e. impulse (product of mass and speed) to the rate of fuel consumption. Also for kerosene high density, in connection with which required quantity fuel can be placed in tanks with a relatively small volume.

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But the production of kerosene today is fraught with great difficulties. For example, Soyuz rockets, which are made in Samara, now fly on artificially created fuel, because initially only certain types of oil from specific wells were used to create kerosene for these rockets. This is mainly the Anastasievsko-Troitskoye field in the Krasnodar Territory. But oil wells are being depleted, and the kerosene used today is a mixture of compositions that are extracted from several wells. The coveted RG-1 brand is obtained through expensive distillation. According to experts, the problem of kerosene shortage will only get worse.

Also known as UDMH or unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine, it has almost the same density as kerosene. And at the same time, it has a higher specific impulse when paired with liquid oxygen (oxidizing agent) - 344 s versus 335 s (for liquid hydrogen - 428 s). Heptyl is in a liquid aggregate state when normal temperature, that is, it does not require cryogenic equipment. When connected to an oxidizer, ignition occurs automatically.

This fuel still has applications, but it is gradually fading into the background. And the reason for this is its high toxicity. It has energy indicators almost the same as kerosene and is a high-boiling component (storage at room temperature) and, therefore, in Soviet era was used quite actively. For example, the Proton rocket flies on a highly toxic pair of heptyl + amyl, each of which is capable of killing a person who inhales their vapor through negligence. The use of such fuels in modern times is not justified and is unacceptable. The fuel is used in satellites and interplanetary probes, where, unfortunately, it is indispensable.

Hydrogen

Today, hydrogen, along with methane, is one of the most promising rocket fuels. It flies several modern rockets and upper stages at once. Paired with oxygen, it (after fluorine) produces the highest specific impulse and is ideal for use in the upper stages of a rocket (or upper stages). But extremely low density does not allow its full use for the first stages of rockets. It has one more drawback - high cryogenicity. If the rocket is fueled with hydrogen, then it is at a temperature of about 15 kelvins (-258ºC). This leads to additional costs. Compared to kerosene, the availability of hydrogen is quite high and its production is not a problem.

There is only one launch vehicle that uses liquid hydrogen as fuel in all engine stages. This is the American Delta-4. Its propulsion engine develops a thrust equal to 300 tons of force.

Methane as an alternative

But is there a fuel that will satisfy everyone and cost the least? Perhaps it's methane. It is between kerosene and hydrogen both in density and efficiency.

Its use as rocket fuel has a number of advantages. It is not poisonous. Cheap. A reduction in its production is not expected in the foreseeable future. Has a lower explosion hazard than hydrogen and kerosene. The fuel system of a rocket using methane is perfectly suited for repeated use - the remaining fuel easily evaporates at normal temperatures.

According to other parameters, it occupies an intermediate position between liquid hydrogen and kerosene. The density of LNG is 6 times higher than that of liquid hydrogen. But 2 times lower than that of kerosene. However, taking into account the higher ratio of oxidizer and fuel consumption than that of liquid oxygen (LO) and kerosene, the total volume of oxidizer and fuel (LO + LNG) is only 20% higher than that of the LC + kerosene pair.

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If we take into account the high specific impulse of LNG, then in terms of the sum of its characteristics, an LNG engine should have an energy advantage compared to a kerosene engine of the order of 3% - 5%.

From a design point of view, methane is attractive, since the evaporation temperature of LNG is much higher than that of liquid hydrogen, which greatly simplifies cryogenic equipment. To free the engine cavities, you only need to go through an evaporation cycle - that is, the engine is more easily freed from product residues. Due to this, methane fuel is more acceptable from the point of view of creating a reusable engine and aircraft reusable.

And one more huge advantage of the engine that has not yet appeared. It does not have any significant differences that complicate the design and testing process from hydrogen engines.

As for foreign developments of an LNG engine, more than a dozen companies have announced them. Here are some of them:

SpaiceX - for the Falcon rocket;

United Launch Alliance (ULA) - for the Vulcan rocket. The new LNG engine should be used to replace the Russian RD-180;

XCOR Aerospace;

FireFly Space Systems.

On October 20, 2017, Blue Origin conducted the first fire tests of the BE-4 engine, which runs on liquid oxygen and liquid methane as an oxidizer and fuel. The American company ULA plans to install it on its new Vulcan rockets, with which the United States will replace the Atlas V rockets equipped with the Russian RD-180.

Blue Origin plans to use the propulsion system on its new New Glenn heavy rocket. But the engine can also be used joint venture Boeing and Lockheed Martin United Launch Alliance, which produces the Altlas V rocket and plans to produce the Vulcan. The BE-4 could become the most powerful American rocket engine for the coming decades.

A diesel engine running entirely on methane will save up to 60% from the amount of normal costs and of course significantly reduce environmental pollution.

We can convert almost any diesel engine to use methane as a gas engine fuel.

Don't wait for tomorrow, start saving today!

How can a diesel engine run on methane?

A diesel engine is an engine in which the fuel is ignited by heating from compression. A standard diesel engine cannot run on gas fuel because methane has a significantly higher ignition temperature than diesel fuel (diesel fuel - 300-330 C, methane - 650 C), which cannot be achieved at the compression ratios used in diesel engines.

The second reason why a diesel engine cannot operate on gas fuel is the phenomenon of detonation, i.e. abnormal (explosive combustion of fuel that occurs when the compression ratio is excessive. For diesel engines a compression ratio of the fuel-air mixture of 14-22 times is used; a methane engine can have a compression ratio of up to 12-16 times.

Therefore, to convert a diesel engine to gas engine mode, you will need to do two main things:

• Reduce engine compression ratio

• Install a spark ignition system

After these modifications, your engine will run only on methane. Returning to diesel mode is possible only after special work has been carried out.

For more information about the essence of the work performed, see the section “How exactly is the conversion of diesel to methane carried out”

How much savings can I get?

The amount of your savings is calculated as the difference between the cost per 100 km of mileage on diesel fuel before engine conversion and the cost of purchasing gas fuel.

For example, for the Freigtleiner Cascadia truck, the average diesel fuel consumption was 35 liters per 100 km, and after conversion to run on methane, the gas fuel consumption was 42 nm3. methane Then, with the cost of diesel fuel being 31 rubles, 100 km. mileage initially cost 1085 rubles, and after conversion, with the cost of methane 11 rubles for normal cubic meter(nm3) 100 km of run began to cost 462 rubles.

The savings amounted to 623 rubles per 100 km or 57%. Taking into account the annual mileage of 100,000 km, the annual savings amounted to 623,000 rubles. The cost of installing propane on this car was 600,000 rubles. Thus, the payback period for the system was approximately 11 months.

Also, an additional advantage of methane as a gas engine fuel is that it is extremely difficult to steal and almost impossible to “drain”, since when normal conditions it's gas. For the same reasons, it cannot be sold.

Methane consumption after converting a diesel engine into gas engine mode can vary from 1.05 to 1.25 nm3 of methane per liter of diesel fuel consumption (depending on the design of the diesel engine, its wear, etc.).

You can read examples from our experience in the consumption of methane by diesel engines we have converted.

On average, for preliminary calculations, a diesel engine when operating on methane will consume gas engine fuel at the rate of 1 liter of diesel fuel consumption in diesel mode = 1.2 nm3 of methane in gas engine mode.

You can get specific savings values ​​for your car by filling out a conversion application by clicking the red button at the end of this page.

Where can you refuel with methane?

In the CIS countries there are over 500 CNG filling stations, and Russia accounts for more than 240 CNG filling stations.

You will be able to watch up-to-date information by location and operating hours of CNG filling stations on interactive map located below. Map courtesy of gazmap.ru

And if there is a gas pipe running next to your vehicle fleet, then it makes sense to consider options for building your own CNG filling station.

Just call us and we will be happy to advise you on all options.

How much mileage will there be on one methane filling station?

Methane on board a vehicle is stored in a gaseous state under high pressure at 200 atmospheres in special cylinders. The large weight and size of these cylinders is significant negative factor limiting the use of methane as a gas engine fuel.

RAGSK LLC uses in its work high-quality metal-plastic composite cylinders (Type-2), certified for use in the Russian Federation.

The inside of these cylinders is made of high-strength chrome-molybdenum steel, and the outside is wrapped in fiberglass and filled with epoxy resin.

To store 1 nm3 of methane, 5 liters of hydraulic cylinder volume are required, i.e. for example, a 100 liter cylinder allows you to store approximately 20 nm3 of methane (actually a little more, due to the fact that methane is not an ideal gas and is better compressed). The weight of 1 liter of hydraulic is approximately 0.85 kg, i.e. the weight of a storage system for 20 nm3 of methane will be approximately 100 kg (85 kg is the weight of the cylinder and 15 kg is the weight of the methane itself).

Type-2 cylinders for storing methane look like this:

The assembled methane storage system looks like this:

In practice, it is usually possible to achieve the following mileage values:

• 200-250 km - for minibuses. Storage system weight - 250 kg
• 250-300 km - for medium-sized city buses. Storage system weight - 450 kg
• 500 km - for truck tractors. Storage system weight - 900 kg

You can get specific mileage values ​​on methane for your car by filling out a conversion application by clicking the red button at the end of this page.

How exactly is diesel converted to methane carried out?

Converting a diesel engine to gas mode will require serious intervention in the engine itself.

First we have to change the compression ratio (why? see section "How can a diesel engine run on methane?") We use various methods for this, choosing the best one for your engine:

• Piston milling
• Cylinder head gasket

• Installing new pistons
• Shortening the connecting rod

In most cases, we use piston milling (see illustration above).

This is what the pistons will look like after milling:

We also install a number of additional sensors and devices (electronic gas pedal, crankshaft position sensor, oxygen quantity sensor, knock sensor, etc.).

All system components are controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU).

A set of components for installation on the engine will look something like this:

Will engine performance change when running on methane?

Power There is a common belief that an engine loses up to 25% in power when using methane. This opinion is true for dual-fuel gasoline-gas engines and is partly true for naturally aspirated diesel engines.

For modern engines equipped with supercharging, this opinion is erroneous.

The high strength life of the original diesel engine, designed to operate with a compression ratio of 16-22 times, and the high octane number of gas fuel allow us to use a compression ratio of 12-14 times. This high compression ratio allows you to get the same (and even greater) power densities, operating on stoicheometric fuel mixtures. However, meeting toxicity standards higher than EURO-3 is not possible, and the thermal stress of the converted engine also increases.

Modern inflatable diesel engines (especially with intermediate cooling of the inflatable air) make it possible to operate on significantly lean mixtures while maintaining the power of the original diesel engine, keeping the thermal regime within the same limits and meeting EURO-4 toxicity standards.

For naturally aspirated diesel engines, we offer 2 alternatives: either reducing operating power by 10-15% or using a water injection system into the intake manifold in order to maintain acceptable operating temperatures and achieve EURO-4 emission standards

Type of typical dependence of power on engine speed, by fuel type:

Torque The maximum torque value will not change and may even be slightly increased. However, the point at which maximum torque is achieved will shift towards higher speeds. This is certainly not pleasant, but in practice drivers hardly complain and quickly get used to it, especially if there is a reserve of engine power.

A radical solution to the problem of shifting the torque peak for a gas engine is to replace the turbine with a special type of oversized turbine with a high-speed wastegate solenoid valve. However high cost such a solution does not give us the opportunity to apply it for individual conversion.

Reliability The engine life will increase significantly. Since gas combustion occurs more evenly than diesel fuel, the compression ratio of a gas engine is less than that of a diesel engine and the gas does not contain foreign impurities, unlike diesel fuel. Oil Gas engines are more demanding on the quality of oil. We recommend using high-quality all-season oils of SAE 15W-40, 10W-40 classes and changing the oil at least 10,000 km.

If possible, it is advisable to use special oils, such as LUKOIL EFFORSE 4004 or Shell Mysella LA SAE 40. This is not necessary, but with them the engine will last a very long time.

Due to more content water in the combustion products of gas-air mixtures in gas engines may cause water resistance problems motor oils, also gas engines are more sensitive to the formation of ash deposits in the combustion chamber. Therefore, the sulfate ash content of oils for gas engines is more limited low values, and the requirements for oil hydrophobicity increase.

Noise You will be very surprised! A gas engine is a very quiet car compared to a diesel engine. The noise level will decrease by 10-15 dB according to instruments, which corresponds to 2-3 times quieter operation according to subjective sensations.

Of course, no one cares about the environment. But still...?

The methane gas engine is significantly superior in all respects environmental characteristics an engine of similar power that runs on diesel fuel and is second only to electric and hydrogen engines in terms of emissions.

This is especially noticeable for such an important major cities indicator as smokiness. All city residents are pretty annoyed by the smoky tails behind LIAZs. This will not happen on methane, as there is no soot formation when the gas burns!

As a rule, the environmental class for a methane engine is Euro 4 (without the use of urea or a gas recirculation system). However, by installing an additional catalyst, the environmental class can be increased to Euro 5 level.

Funding for the project is provided for by the new Federal Space Program for 2016–2025

Roscosmos plans to begin development of a rocket engine at natural gas in the near future. Funding for the corresponding development is included in the draft Federal Space Program for 2016–2025 (FSP), sent for approval by the ministries (a copy is in Izvestia). Work on creating a methane engine is provided for in the development work of “DU SV” (“Propulsion systems for launch vehicles”). Within the framework of DU SV, it is planned to develop basic elements of cruising propulsion systems using oxygen-hydrocarbon fuel. Roscosmos is asking for 25.223 billion rubles to be allocated for R&D at DU SV (with the start of funding this year - in the amount of 470.8 million rubles), however, not all of the funds are intended for the creation of a methane engine. "DU SV" includes work on the creation of prototypes of new generation liquid rocket engines, equipped with a diagnostic and emergency protection system, and basic engine elements based on composite materials, namely nozzles, radiation cooling nozzles and bottom screens.

We plan to make a demonstrator of a methane engine, even taking into account the fact that there are no plans to build a carrier with such an engine yet,” says one of the drafters of the FKP project. - By doing so, we are thinking of providing a foundation so as not to lag behind foreign competitors in terms of technology. Bye we're talking about on the creation of a medium thrust engine for the second stage of a promising rocket. Initially, it was planned that the Phoenix rocket would be equipped with methane engines (its development is also planned by the FKP project), but later, taking into account the budget situation, they decided not to make a fundamentally new rocket, but to return to the idea of ​​recreating the Russian Zenit with a modernized RD-171 engine .

The possibility of using methane as rocket fuel was studied back in the USSR. In Russia, the topic of methane engines was studied by the Khimki NPO Energomash, the Voronezh Chemical Automatics Design Bureau and the Samara TsSKB Progress. In 2012, NPO Energomash held a scientific and technical council on the creation of a rocket engine running on natural gas, where it was proposed to begin the development of a single-chamber engine with a thrust of 200 tons using liquid oxygen - liquefied methane fuel.

In 2014, TsSKB Progress presented its vision of the rocket of the future - a promising super-heavy class carrier, all of whose engines run on liquefied natural gas (LNG). At the same time, Samarans justified their choice of methane as a fuel with the following arguments: “The proposed fuel is promising, is being actively developed by other industries, has a wider raw material base compared to kerosene and is low in cost - this is important point, taking into account the period of creation and the planned period of operation of the complex, as well as possible (predicted) problems with kerosene production in 30–50 years.”

TsSKB is already experiencing problems in the production of rocket kerosene. Soyuz rockets, which are made in Samara, now fly on artificially created fuel, because initially only certain types of oil from specific wells were used to create kerosene for these rockets. This is mainly oil from the Anastasievsko-Troitskoye field in the Krasnodar Territory. But oil wells are being depleted, and the kerosene used today is a mixture of compositions that are extracted from several wells. According to experts, the shortage problem here will only get worse.

TsSKB Progress considered that the use of LNG engines will make it possible to “ensure relatively low cost start-up - 1.5–2 times lower than on kerosene engines, high environmental friendliness, higher specific characteristics, a single type of engine and fuel “LNG + liquid oxygen”, which will significantly simplify the ground infrastructure.”

The chief designer of NPO Energomash, Vladimir Chvanov, previously told Izvestia that, from a design point of view, methane is attractive when creating reusable carriers.

To free the engine cavities, you only need to go through an evaporation cycle - that is, the engine is more easily freed from product residues,” explained Chvanov. - Due to this, methane fuel is more acceptable from the point of view of creating a reusable engine and a reusable aircraft. At the same time, the specific impulse of an LNG engine is high, but this advantage is offset by the fact that methane fuel has a lower density, so the total energy advantage is insignificant.

The methane engine is mentioned in relation to flights to Mars: it is believed that it makes sense to equip a Martian rocket with a methane engine, since methane can be synthesized from water and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere of Mars.

Ivan Cheberko

Further development of rocket technology and liquid rocket engines is associated with a reduction in launch costs payloads into space and increasing flight safety. Reducing the cost of launching payloads can be achieved by creating reusable launch vehicles.

To increase the reliability of the design of launch vehicles, it is proposed to use propulsion systems of the first stages of the launch vehicle, consisting of several modular engines, and in the event of failure of one of the engines, the emergency protection system (EPS) turns off the failed engine, and the remaining operational engines are boosted to an amount of thrust that compensates for the loss of the failed one engine. This ensures that the mission of the launch vehicle is completed.

The development of liquid rocket engines using environmentally friendly fuel components: methane (liquefied natural gas) paired with liquid oxygen meets the development trends of modern launch vehicles.

Firstly, the use of two cryogenic components in the engine largely contributes to solving the problems of reusable engine use, since after turning off the oxygen-methane rocket engine, the remaining fuel quickly evaporates from its lines.

Secondly, the possibility of implementing liquid-propellant rocket engine schemes with afterburning of reducing generator gas on these fuel components makes it possible to increase the reliability of the design of launch vehicles: the consequences of malfunctions in the gas path with excess methane from the generator to the chamber develop much more slowly than in the gas path with excess oxygen, which makes it easier for the SAZ to turn off a failed engine in time.

The study of methane rocket engines began in Japan about 20 years ago as an opportunity to improve the H-II rocket. Recently, Japan began considering the possibility of creating a two-stage medium-class "J-l upgrade" rocket, as a replacement for the existing J-1 rocket, using a methane rocket engine in the second stage. Fire tests of the engine were carried out. The main engine was developed by XCOR Aerospace and is not yet ready for use in spaceflight, but if the technology proves itself, rocket engines of this type could be the key to interplanetary flights and deep space exploration.

Video: methane engine tests in the Mojave Desert

Surprisingly, this highly flammable gas has never been used as a rocket fuel before. Only now groups of scientists and engineers from various research centers are developing liquid-oxygen-methane engines of the future to facilitate the process of space exploration and make interplanetary flights possible.

Methane has many benefits. Liquid hydrogen fuel used in spacecraft must be stored at -252.9 degrees Celsius - just 20 degrees above absolute zero! Liquid methane, in turn, can be stored at more high temperatures(-161.6 oC). This means that methane tanks do not require powerful thermal insulation, i.e. are becoming lighter and cheaper. In addition, the tanks may be smaller in size, because Liquid methane is denser than liquid hydrogen, which can also save a lot of money for launching a rocket into space. Methane is also safe for humans and environmentally friendly, in contrast to some types of toxic rocket fuel currently used in spacecraft. The main advantage of methane is its significant reserves and relatively low cost. In addition, methane evaporates quickly enough, making it easier to clean reusable fuel tanks and engines. In addition, methane fuel has a higher specific impulse, and in terms of thrust per kilogram, it exceeds kerosene by seven to ten percent.

However, the new fuel also has disadvantages. Methane has a lower density, which means its use will require larger fuel tanks.

Big problem In the development of methane engines, the question remains about the ignition ability of methane. Some rocket fuels ignite spontaneously when oxidizers are used, but methane requires an ignition. It is very difficult to make such a fuse on distant planets, where the temperature drops hundreds of degrees below zero. Currently, development is underway on an igniter that would work reliably in any conditions. Methane has slightly worse momentum than hydrogen, but is still better than kerosene. At the same time, it is much cheaper, which is important for frequent flights. In addition, it can be stored at much higher temperatures, which means it will not subject the tank material to embrittlement, as happens with liquid hydrogen.

But the most important thing is that methane exists on many planets and satellites that NASA plans to visit in the future. Among them is Mars. And although Mars is not very rich in methane, methane can be produced using the Sabatier effect: mix some carbon dioxide (CO2) with hydrogen (H), then heat the mixture to produce CH4 and H2O - methane and water. The atmosphere of Mars contains huge amounts of carbon dioxide, and the small amount of hydrogen required for the process can be brought with us from Earth or extracted from ice directly on Mars.

Roscosmos announced that the industry financing program for the period until 2025 includes funds for the development of the latest rocket engine. It is reported that we are talking about an engine that can run efficiently on methane. Development work will start in the coming year, and in the coming year, project financing should amount to about 470 million rubles. In total, Roscosmos estimates the cost of developing a new rocket engine capable of traction on natural gas at 25.2 billion rubles.

As Roscosmos experts note, not all of this amount will go towards the development of a methane rocket engine (propulsion system for launch vehicles) as such. The program includes work on the creation of so-called bottom screens, cooling nozzles, prototypes of new generation liquid rocket engines with multi-stage protection systems.

The tests were successfully carried out on a special vacuum stand and confirmed the compliance of the engine parameters with the characteristics laid down in the technical specifications.

Work on the engine continues: a series of new fire tests are planned to build up its service life and check the stability of the confirmed characteristics during long-term operation.

Unlike liquid rocket engines (LPRE), which KBHA specialists have been developing for more than half a century, electric rocket engines recent years became a new direction of work at the enterprise. Intended for use as part of spacecraft, they can help solve a wide range of problems: correction and stabilization of the working orbit of satellites, their launch from low to high orbits, as well as flights into deep space.