New Russian engine PD 14

26.09.2019

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

Aircraft engine PD-14

Currently, the developers, represented by the Perm Motor Plant, have managed to complete the first flight test phase and bring the second test round to an end. This event can be considered as very significant, because it is quite possible that in the coming years Russian heavy production will reach new level. And it is this aircraft engine that deserves special attention.

By starting to mass-produce aircraft power units, domestic aircraft manufacturers will be able to save a lot cash. Indeed, at present, aircraft engines in various configurations are purchased from foreign partners so that Russian designers can equip both passenger and cargo aircraft with such an installation. Taking into account statistics, to equip 45 aircraft, 40 have to be purchased abroad, and only 5 are produced by domestic manufacturers.

Engine creation

To conduct the second flight test of the PD-14 engine, the unit was installed on the MS-21 aircraft. The test tour was successfully completed; experts clearly noted the excellent technical characteristics of the PD-14 engine.

The second level of the experiment was supposed to help answer the question regarding the operation of the unit at a significant altitude and maximum speed, so that experts could make a comparison with foreign analogues. The power plant, created by Russian designers, coped with its task “excellently”.

Experts noted not only the high-quality and reliable assembly of the unit, but also latest technologies, used in the creation of the PD-14 bypass turbojet 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 creation process.

Universal aircraft engine

According to experts, the production of PD-14 will accelerate the development of domestic aircraft manufacturing several times, both in relation to the creation of long-haul and medium-haul airliners. After all, if previously 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 their foreign counterparts.

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

passenger airliners models MS-21-200, 300 and 400;
military vessels Il-214 and Il-76;
The PD-18 engine, which provides more powerful thrust, up to 18 tons, is recommended by experts to be used to equip the Tu-124 passenger airliner.

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

Considering that the expected use of PD engines is quite extensive, 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 calculations, the approximate volume of cash investments is about 70 billion rubles.

Table of TX motors PD

TX of the new unit

Until recently, Russian designers were manufacturing 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 of the aircraft several times, on which the newest power plant will be installed. Let's look at how to improve the performance of the Il-76 military transport vessel after equipping it with a new engine:

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.
Without additional load, the flight range will increase from 9.6 thousand km to 10.9 thousand km.
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 approximately 9-10%.

The installation of PD-14 will provide the airliner with the following:

maximum speed will increase to 800 km/h;
the flight range will be 2 thousand km at maximum load;
during a ferry flight, the flight range will be about 7 thousand km.

To summarize, we can come to the following conclusion: in recent years The Russian aircraft industry has begun new stage its growth and development. And the creation of a new PD-14 engine will undoubtedly help make a confident breakthrough.

Model of the PD-14 engine / Photo: avid.ru

On October 30, 2015, testing of the newest Russian aircraft engine PD-14 began on the Il-76LL flying laboratory. This is an event of exceptional importance. 10 interesting facts about turbojet engines in general and about PD-14 in particular.

1. Achievement of humanity

The turbojet engine (TRE) is one of the main technical achievements of mankind, which can be placed on a par with the invention of the wheel, sail, steam engine, engine internal combustion, rocket engine and nuclear reactor. It was 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 loss of life. Even if you boarded 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. A miracle of technology

But a turbojet engine is an extremely complex device. Its turbine operates in the most difficult conditions. Its most important element is the blade, with the help of which the kinetic energy of the gas flow is converted into mechanical rotational energy. One blade, and there are about 70 of them in each stage of an aircraft turbine, develops a power equal to the power of a Formula 1 car engine, and at a rotation 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.

PD-14 engine diagram / Image: vtbrussia.ru

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 problem: you need to prevent an ice cube from melting in an oven heated to 200 °C. Designers manage to solve the problem of cooling the blade using internal air channels and special coatings. It is not surprising that one spatula costs eight times more than silver. To create just this small part that fits in the palm of your hand, it is necessary to develop more than a dozen complex technologies. And each of these technologies is protected as the most important state secret.

3. TRD technologies are more important than atomic secrets

In addition to domestic companies, only US companies (Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, Honeywell), England (Rolls-Royce) and France (Snecma) possess technologies for the full cycle of creating modern turbojet engines. That is, there are fewer countries producing modern aviation turbojet engines than countries possessing nuclear weapons or launching satellites into space. China's decades-long efforts, for example, have so far failed to achieve success in this area. The Chinese quickly copied and equipped own systems Russian fighter Su-27, releasing it under the symbol J-11. However, they were never able to copy its AL-31F engine, so China is still forced to purchase this no longer the most modern turbojet engine from Russia.

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

Progress in aircraft engine manufacturing is characterized by several parameters, but one of the main ones is the temperature of the gas 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 of 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. Turbine blades of 5th generation engines, the first examples of which appeared in the West in the mid-90s, operate at a temperature of 1900 °K. Currently, only 15% of engines in use in the world are of the 5th generation.

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

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

PD-14 was developed for the Russian medium-range aircraft MS-21 / Photo: PJSC "UAC"

Currently, Russia produces the only 4th generation civil aircraft engine - the PS-90. If we compare the PD-14 with it, then the two engines have similar weights (2950 kg for the basic version PS-90A and 2870 kg for the PD-14), dimensions (fan diameter for both is 1.9 m), compression ratio (35.5 and 41) and take-off 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 of the PD-14 is twice as high (4.5 for the PS-90 and 8.5 for the PD-14) with the same fan diameter. As a result, the specific fuel consumption in cruising flight for the PD-14 will drop, 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 is the first aircraft engine created in Russia after the collapse of the USSR

When Vladimir Putin congratulated Russian specialists on the start of testing the PD-14, he said that last time a similar event occurred in our country 29 years ago. Most likely, this meant December 26, 1986, when the first flight of the Il-76LL took place under the PS-90A test program.

The Soviet Union was a great aviation power. In the 1980s, eight powerful aircraft engine design bureaus operated in the USSR. Often firms competed with each other, since there was a practice of giving the same task to two design bureaus. Alas, times have changed. After the collapse of the 1990s, all industry forces had to be brought together to implement the project of creating a modern engine. Actually, the formation in 2008 of the United Engine Corporation (UEC), with many of whose enterprises VTB Bank actively cooperates, was aimed at creating an organization capable of not only preserving the country’s competencies in gas turbine construction, but also competing with the world’s leading companies.

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 is organized at the Perm Motor Plant, but parts and components will be manufactured throughout the country. The cooperation involves the Ufa Engine Production Association (UMPO), NPO Saturn (Rybinsk), NPCG Salyut (Moscow), Metallist-Samara and many others.

6. PD-14 - engine for long-haul aircraft of the 21st century

One of the most successful projects in the field of civil aviation of the USSR was the Tu-154 medium-range aircraft. Produced in a quantity of 1026 pieces, it for many years formed the basis of Aeroflot's fleet. Alas, time passes, and this hard worker no longer meets modern requirements either in terms of efficiency 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 countries producing modern aviation turbojet engines than countries possessing nuclear weapons

The medium-range 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 airlines around the world), is the most widespread, and presence in it is a necessary condition for preserving 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 the MS-21 (Mainline Aircraft of the 21st Century), developed by the United Aircraft Corporation. The task is incredibly difficult, since not only the Tu-204, but also no other aircraft in the world could withstand the competition with Boeing and Airbus. It is for 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 - basic design for a family of engines

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

On October 30, 2015, testing of the newest Russian aircraft engine PD-14 began on the Il-76LL flying laboratory / Photo: Aviadvigatel OJSC

The family of engines based on the PD-14 will make it possible to equip almost all Russian aircraft with modern power plants: 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-10V helicopter engine to replace the Ukrainian D-136 on the world's largest Mi-26 helicopter. The same engine can also be used on the Russian-Chinese heavy helicopter, the development of which has already begun. On the basis of the PD-14 gas generator, gas pumping installations 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 the PD-14, with the leading role of the Central Institute of Aviation Engine Manufacturing (CIAM), the leading research institute of the industry and the Aviadvigatel Design Bureau, 16 critical technologies were developed: monocrystalline high-pressure turbine blades with a promising cooling system, a hollow wide-chord fan blade made of titanium alloy, thanks to which managed to increase the efficiency of the fan stage by 5% in comparison with PS-90, a low-emission combustion chamber made of an intermetallic alloy, sound-absorbing structures made of composite materials, ceramic coatings on the hot part parts, hollow low-pressure turbine blades, etc.

PD-14 will continue to be improved. At MAKS 2015, one could already 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 the hollow titanium blade currently used. At the CIAM stand, one could also see a prototype of the gearbox that is supposed to be equipped with the modification of the PD-18R. The gearbox will allow you to reduce the fan speed, due to which, not tied to the turbine speed, it will operate in a more efficient mode. It is expected to raise the gas temperature in front of the turbine by 50 °K. This will increase the thrust of the PD-18R to 20 tf, and reduce 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. Here, the All-Russian Institute of Aviation Materials (VIAM) played a leading role, with the participation of which about 20 new materials were developed for the PD-14.

But creating the 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 Russia. The rules here are very strict because we are talking about people's safety. The same applies to the engine manufacturing process: enterprises in the industry require certification according to the standards of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). All this will force us to improve production standards, and it is necessary to re-equip the industry to accommodate new technologies. The development of the PD-14 itself took place using new, digital technology, thanks to which the 7th copy of the engine was assembled in Perm using mass production technology, while previously a pilot 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 take 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 retrofitted with equipment. Work has also been 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. Unfortunately, aircraft manufacturers are faced with a situation where the engine does not have time to start testing the aircraft for which it is intended. The rollout 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 provided an alternative from the very beginning: MS-21 customers could choose between the PD-14 and Pratt & Whitney’s PW1400G. It is with the American engine that the MC-21 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.

Wide-chord hollow titanium fan blades are one of the critical technologies of the PD-14 / Photo: Ramil Sitdikov

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 therefore less resistance. And one more feature: Russian specialists deliberately went for 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 makes it easier to achieve 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 context of falling oil prices, it is lower operating costs, and not efficiency, that become the driving factor and the main competitive advantage aircraft engine. In general, the direct operating costs of the MS-21 with the PD-14 can be 2.5% lower than that of the version with the American engine.

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

When writing the material, data from the websites of PJSC UAC, JSC Aviadvigatel, and RIA Novosti were used.

Currently, the domestic aircraft industry is in a sort of “suspended” state: on the one hand, it exists, but on the other, we have not seen a single modern aircraft of purely domestic design in recent years. And the “Super-Jet” does not count, since it is made from Russian and is exclusively a “screwdriver assembly”. The hope for the resurrection of the aviation industry is the PD-14 engine, the characteristics of which (compared with analogues) 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 impact on the state of the entire domestic aviation industry, and will also contribute to the creation of many new jobs.

New project

Why was it created at all? new engine PD-14? The characteristics (comparison with foreign models) of modern Russian engines were such that the development of something radically new was urgently required. The designers were guided by the idea of creating a power plant that would 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 completely Russian origin- Tu-214 aircraft. Its production in small batches continues today.

But there is an urgent shortage of these aircraft; we need equipment to renew the entire aircraft fleet of our country. But doing this without completely new engines is absolutely impossible. By technical specifications and their capabilities were in no way inferior to their counterparts from the world's leading manufacturers.

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 problems 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 areas of responsibility and re-create the division of labor in the production of aviation products, which was completely destroyed at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The project’s creators also expect to create new polymer and composite materials, which are urgently needed in the modern aerospace industry.

How did it all start?

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

But at this time, the organization’s specialists carefully and purposefully studied world experience in the production of engines, and also analyzed the domestic transportation market, trying to predict what type of engine in the civil aircraft industry would be in high demand. What exactly was the PD-14 engine supposed to stand out about? Its characteristics (comparison and comparison) with foreign models simply had to reveal its noticeable superiority.

Why? It's simple. In those days, the products of foreign aircraft manufacturers were “pushed” into our markets using extremely aggressive methods. Alas, some leaders contributed to this to a large extent. Today, due to sanctions, this issue is no longer so relevant. Moreover, the state itself “suddenly” became interested in the possibility of producing domestic engines. So the Aviadvigatel OJSC enterprise then quickly became the center of attention of both domestic and foreign media.

Main objectives of the project

The main task at that time was to ensure an acceptable price 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 our country will have the opportunity to create a huge list of its own industrial equipment, which cannot but rejoice.

What is a turbofan motor, principles of operation

How can we better understand the benefits that the new turbofan engine provides? The operating principle 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 clear.

In the specialized literature, turbofan engines are called engines with a high bypass ratio. 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 external nozzle of the engine often becomes too “monumental”, and therefore it is shortened. To prevent dangerous air turbulence from occurring, the design includes fixed blades that turn the flow of the air mixture in the desired 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 coming out of 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 traction force. Thus, the PD-14 aircraft engine is extremely economical. The internal contour of these engines almost completely replicates the design of rocket models, but their last stages “concurrently” act as a 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 routes.

What disadvantages does it have? The most significant is its very large dimensions and decent weight. Despite all the efforts of engineers and scientists, turbofan engines create significant resistance to the oncoming air. air flow in flight. It is expected that this problem will be solved when ways are found to reduce their overall dimensions.

Comparative differences

The new turbofan engine, the operating principle of which is similar to “classic” domestic models, is still very different from its predecessors. Of course, differences are visible only to engineers. If you compare it with the PS-90A model (Il-96, Tu-214, Il-76), you will immediately notice, let’s not be afraid of this word, a qualitative leap in technological process and possibilities.

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

Weight savings

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

This results in a weight saving of 30%; in total, the new PD-14 aircraft engine is lighter by about 10%. Also, the Perm Engine Plant is currently mastering the technology for producing monocrystalline turbine blades. It is reported that this approach will allow raising the operating temperature of gases immediately to 2000 K.

In addition, for the first time, domestic manufacturers are going to use such a quantity of polymer composite materials when designing and manufacturing engines. This approach will not only significantly reduce the weight of the engine, but also increase its strength and resistance to overloads.

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 starting to get better: testing of the PD-14 engine in the form of a State inspection will start soon... But what cars will be equipped with them?

It is assumed that the MS-21 aircraft (long-haul, 21st century) will be created specifically for these engines. If this is really implemented, then we can talk about a real breakthrough; for the first time since the times of the USSR, something new will actually 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-distance flights and domestic routes. Until recently, everyone said that domestic aircraft would 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 with it?

It is already obvious today that the unified design of the new engine will allow it to be successfully used not only on passenger aircraft, 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 it will be acceptable to equip the IL-214 with them. 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. Let us remind you 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 to produce the long-suffering Superjets, for which no one now wants to buy engines from France. 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 this day, Ukrainian D-136 engines were used in the production of these machines. Even preliminary calculations show that the existing need for these engines is more than enough to cover all the costs that were incurred during the development of new technology. In total, it is planned to attract at least 70 billion rubles of investment, half of which will come from the federal budget. The last circumstance shows how much this project is needed by the country.

What's bad about the old PS90-A?

The newest engine for the MS-21, PD-14, is a new generation. In addition, it is perfectly compatible with relatively old modifications of aircraft. Thus, the honored “veterans” of the IL-76, the modernization of which has been intensively carried out since last year, can fly several tens of thousands more hours when a new engine is installed on them. In addition, it will be possible to increase the flight range from four to five thousand kilometers, the unloaded distance will also increase by one thousand kilometers, and fuel consumption will be reduced by approximately 14%. The last circumstance is especially important, since thanks to it it will be possible to reduce the cost of transporting a ton of cargo by 10%.

Thus, the old motor, which has faithfully served its time in service and was developed in the USSR, is still coping with its responsibilities, 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 concrete steps towards correcting the situation and creating a new engine have been taken only now. To be fair, it is worth saying that only today have all the necessary means for this work appeared.

Official information about the progress of work

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

In 2012, a full-fledged demonstration version was assembled for the first time. At the same time, intensive development of the gas generator systems was underway, which caused the designers the main problems. To date, all shortcomings have been successfully eliminated. This Permian engine was first launched in mid-2012. At the same time, the designers found out that the high design indicators were fully consistent with the practical state of affairs, which further strengthened their conviction in the need to urgently establish the production of new engines.

It was originally planned to be completed three years ago, but due to some problems there is information that they are partially continuing to this day. It is expected that mass production will begin this year, and Perm residents should assemble at least two to three dozen new engines per year. And this is very little, since domestic aviators believe that if the current pace of flights is maintained, 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.

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 Irkutsk Aircraft Plant is already in full swing assembling the first fuselage of the new domestic airliner, which is better known in its environment under the “unofficial” name of the Yak-242.

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

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

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, in which foreign components are not used. This brand will enter the flight routes 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 engines, 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 service life 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 airplane. Since sanctions have been introduced against our state, there are no opportunities to buy anything abroad, and the skyrocketing exchange rate does not add to the attractiveness of this decision. So the domestic project has great prospects. I would like to hope that the industry will not let us down and will be able to provide manufacturers with all the necessary components.

The press service of the United Engine Corporation noted that the PD-14 engine, designed for the newest Russian MS-21 airliner, confirms the declared characteristics during testing. RNS reports this.

According to UEC representatives, today we can confidently say that in a number of parameters the PD-14 engine is ahead of its Western counterparts. We are talking about the release of pollutants into the atmosphere, noise levels, etc.

Testing of the PD-14 is proceeding in accordance with the previously drawn up schedule for development work. Currently, bench tests are ongoing in thermal pressure chambers of the CIAM Research Institute and tests as part of a flying laboratory.

The PD-14 project is a whole family of aviation power units with a thrust from 9 to 18 tons. This engine is the main one for the newest MC-21 airliner. More powerful modifications can be installed on heavy vehicles, including the Il-96. It is planned to use it to produce a modern helicopter engine. It will also find application at gas pumping stations and other facilities.

The developer of the PD-14 is the Perm Aviadvigatel plant, and the manufacturer is UEC-Perm Motors. Work on it started back in 2008. During this time, we managed to create a truly advanced product.

Photo: irkut.com/Irkut Corporation Press Service

For this project, 15 new technologies and 20 unique composite materials were created. All leading Russian aircraft engine manufacturing enterprises take part in the development and testing of the engine.

The new engine, as noted by the UEC press service, has unique characteristics. In particular, it has 10-15% less fuel consumption compared to foreign analogues. Thanks to this, it will be possible to reduce operating costs and costs by approximately 15%. life cycle. The PD-14 is also highly reliable.

Simultaneously with the tests, the certification process takes place. We are talking not only about Russian, but also Western standards. Serial production of the PD-14 engine will begin in 2018. 20-30 units will be produced per year. The cost of the project is estimated at 70 billion rubles.

The PD-14 project is a major event for the domestic aircraft engine industry. Its implementation will demonstrate the serious capabilities of Russian industry.

February 23rd, 2016

Originally posted by arslan.ayupoff. at PD-14 - the engine of progress

1. Achievement of humanity

The turbojet engine (TRE) is one of the main technical achievements of mankind, which can be placed on a par with the invention of the wheel, sail, steam engine, internal combustion engine, rocket engine and nuclear reactor. It was 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.

2. A miracle of technology

3. TRD technologies are more important than atomic secrets

In addition to domestic companies, only US companies (Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, Honeywell), England (Rolls-Royce) and France (Snecma) possess technologies for the full cycle of creating modern turbojet engines. That is, there are fewer countries producing modern aviation turbojet engines than countries that have nuclear weapons or launch satellites into space. China's decades-long efforts, for example, have so far failed to achieve success in this area. The Chinese quickly copied and equipped the Russian Su-27 fighter with their own systems, releasing it under the designation J-11. However, they were never able to copy its AL-31F engine, so China is still forced to purchase this no longer the most modern turbojet engine from Russia.

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

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

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

At the same time, the PD-14 high-pressure compressor consists of 8 stages, and the PS-90 - of 13 with a lower total compression ratio. The bypass ratio of the PD-14 is twice as high (4.5 for the PS-90 and 8.5 for the PD-14) with the same fan diameter. As a result, the specific fuel consumption in cruising flight for the PD-14 will drop, 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 is the first aircraft engine created in Russia after the collapse of the USSR

When Vladimir Putin congratulated Russian specialists on the start of testing the PD-14, he said that the last time such an event occurred in our country was 29 years ago. Most likely, this meant December 26, 1986, when the first flight of the Il-76LL took place under the PS-90A test program.

6. PD-14 - engine for long-haul aircraft of the 21st century

One of the most successful projects in the field of civil aviation of the USSR was the Tu-154 medium-range aircraft. Produced in a quantity of 1,026 units, it formed the basis of Aeroflot's fleet for many years. Alas, time passes, and this hard worker no longer meets modern requirements either in terms of efficiency 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 countries producing modern aviation turbojet engines than countries possessing nuclear weapons

7. PD-14 - basic design for the engine family

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

The family of engines based on the PD-14 will make it possible to equip almost all Russian aircraft with modern power plants: 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 the Russian-Chinese heavy helicopter, the development of which has already begun. On the basis of the PD-14 gas generator, gas pumping installations 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 the PD-14, with the leading role of the Central Institute of Aviation Engine Manufacturing (CIAM), the leading research institute of the industry and the Aviadvigatel Design Bureau, 16 critical technologies were developed: monocrystalline 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, thanks 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 the hot part parts, hollow low-pressure turbine blades etc.

9. PD-14 is 20 new materials

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

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

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 therefore less resistance. And one more feature: Russian specialists deliberately went for 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 makes it easier to achieve 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 context of falling oil prices, it is lower operating costs, and not efficiency, that become the driving factor and the main competitive advantage of an aircraft engine. In general, the direct operating costs of the MS-21 with the PD-14 can be 2.5% lower than that of the version with the American engine.

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

Text: Leonid Sitnik

Photo: PJSC UAC, JSC Aviadvigatel, RIA Novosti