RD-864 - Misplaced Pages

Soviet rocket engine

RD-864 (РД-864)
Liquid-fuel engine
Country of origin	Soviet Union
First flight	31 October 1977
Designer	Yuzhnoye Design Bureau
Manufacturer	Yuzhmash
Application	Upper stage
Associated LV	R-36M UTTKh and Dnepr
Successor	RD-869
Propellant	N₂O₄ / UDMH
Mixture ratio	1.8
Cycle	Gas-generator
Configuration
Chamber	4
Performance
Thrust	High thrust mode: 20.2 kN (4,500 lb_f) Low thrust mode: 8.45 kN (1,900 lb_f)
Chamber pressure	High thrust mode: 4.1 MPa (590 psi) Low thrust mode: 1.7 MPa (250 psi)
Specific impulse	High thrust mode: 309 s (3.03 km/s) Low thrust mode: 298 s (2.92 km/s)
Burn time	Up to 600 seconds
Restarts	Up to 25
Gimbal range	±55°
Dimensions
Length	4,020 mm (13 ft 2 in)
Diameter	1,420 mm (4 ft 8 in)
Dry mass	199 kg (439 lb)
Used in
R-36M UTTKh and Dnepr third stage
References
References

RD-869 (РД-869)
Liquid-fuel engine
Country of origin	Soviet Union
First flight	March 1986
Designer	Yuzhnoye Design Bureau
Manufacturer	Yuzhmash
Application	Upper Stage
Associated LV	R-36M2
Predecessor	RD-864
Propellant	N₂O₄ / UDMH
Mixture ratio	1.8
Cycle	Gas-generator
Configuration
Chamber	4
Performance
Thrust	High thrust mode: 20.47 kN (4,600 lb_f) Low thrust mode: 8.58 kN (1,930 lb_f)
Chamber pressure	High thrust mode: 4.1 MPa (590 psi) Low thrust mode: 1.7 MPa (250 psi)
Specific impulse	High thrust mode: 313 s (3.07 km/s) Low thrust mode: 302.3 s (2.965 km/s)
Burn time	Up to 700 seconds
Restarts	Up to 50
Gimbal range	±55°
Dimensions
Length	4,020 mm (13 ft 2 in)
Diameter	1,420 mm (4 ft 8 in)
Dry mass	196 kg (432 lb)
Used in
R-36M2 third stage
References
References

The RD-864 (Russian: Ракетный Двигатель-864, romanized: Raketnyy Dvigatel-864, lit. 'Rocket Engine 864', GRAU index: 15D177) is a Soviet liquid-fuel rocket engine burning a hypergolic mixture of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) fuel with dinitrogen tetroxide (N₂O₄) oxidizer in a gas generator combustion cycle. It has a four combustion chambers that provide thrust vector control by gimbaling each nozzle in a single axis ±55°. It is used on the third stage of the R-36M UTTKh (GRAU index: 15A18) and Dnepr. For the R-36M2 (GRAU index: 15A18M), an improved version, the RD-869 (GRAU index: 15D300) was developed.

History

When the Soviet military developed an improved version of the R-36M ICBM, Yangel's OKB-586 developed a new engine for the third stage, the RD-864. Developed between 1976 and 1978 it flew for the first time on October 31, 1977. With the START I and START II the some 150 R-36M and R-36M UTTKh were retired and to be destroyed by 2007. So, a civilian application was looked for and during the 1990s, Yuzhnoe Design Bureau (the R-36M designer) successfully developed the Dnepr launch vehicle. It flew for the first time on April 21, 1999 and as of June 2016 it is still operational. So, while the production of the RD-864 has long since been finished, the engine is still to this day operational.

The RD-869 was an improved version for the most powerful Soviet ICBM ever, the R-36M2 (15A18M). It had improved efficiency, restart capability and burn life over the RD-864. As of January 2016 there are still 46 operational R-36M2 (RS-20V, SS-18) and thus the RD-869 is still in service, if out of production.

Versions

There are two versions of this engine:

RD-864 (GRAU Index: 15D177): First developed as the third stage engine for the R-36M UTTKh (15A18) ICBM and, by extension, on the Dnepr launch vehicle.
RD-869 (GRAU Index: 15D300): An improved version of the RD-864. It has improved efficiency, restart capability and burn life. It is used on the R-36M2 (15A18M).

References

^ "Двигатели 1944-2000: Аавиационные, Ракетные, Морские, Промышленные" [Aviadvigatel 19442-2000: Aviation, rocketry, naval and industry] (PDF) (in Russian). pp. 341–342. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
Brügge, Norbert. "Dnepr Propulsion". B14643.de. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
^ Wade, Mark. "Dnepr". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on October 15, 2002. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
^ Wade, Mark. "R-36MU 15A18". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
^ Wade, Mark. "RD-864". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on June 26, 2002. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
^ Wade, Mark. "RD-869". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on May 6, 2002. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
Pillet, Nicolas. "Le troisième étage de Dniepr" [The Dnepr third stage] (in French). Kosmonavtika.com. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
"Dnepr". Yuzhnoye. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014.
"Dnepr Launch Vehicle". Yuzhmash. Archived from the original on 15 December 2012.
^ Wade, Mark. "R-36M2 15A18M". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on September 10, 2010. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
Pal'kov, V. A.; Timchenko, A. Ju.; Stecenko, A. Ja. (2014). Tkachenko, V. D. (ed.). Шестьдесят лет в ракетостроении и космонавтике. 1954-2014 [Sixty years in rocketry and astronautics. 1954-2014] (in Russian). Yuzhnoye SDO. pp. 183–185. ISBN 978-966-348-349-8.
^ Krebs, Gunter Dirk (2016-06-13). "Dnepr". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
^ "Strategic Rocket Forces". January 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-07.

External links

Yuzhnoye Design Bureau English-language home page Archived 2021-06-29 at the Wayback Machine

Rocket engines and solid motors for orbital launch vehicles

Comparison of orbital rocket engines

Liquid
fuel

Cryogenic

Hydrolox (LH₂ / LOX)	China YF-73 YF-75 YF-75D YF-77 YF-79 YF-90 Europe HM7B Vinci Vulcain India CE-7.5 CE-20 Japan LE-5 LE-7 LE-9 Russia KVD-1 (RD-56) RD-0120 RD-0146 United States BE-3U BE-7 J-2 RL10 RS-25 RS-68
Methalox (CH₄ / LOX)	China BF-20 Lingyun Longyun TQ-11 TQ-12 TQ-15A YF-209 YF-215 United States BE-4 Raptor Archimedes Aeon 1 Aeon R Russia RD-0169 Europe Prometheus M-10