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Kuznetsov NK-12

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NK-12
NK-12M Turboprop engine on a Tu-95 at RIAT Fairford 1993
Type Turboprop
National origin Soviet Union
Manufacturer Kuznetsov Design Bureau
Major applications Antonov An-22
Tupolev Tu-95
Tupolev Tu-114
The exhaust ports of a NK-12 in an outboard nacelle on a TU-95
A pair of Kuznetsov NK-12MAs installed on an Antonov An-22

The Kuznetsov NK-12 is a Soviet turboprop engine of the 1950s, designed by the Kuznetsov design bureau. It drives two large four-bladed (eight per engine) contra-rotating propellers, 5.6 m (18 ft; 4.5 in) in diameter, and 6.2 m (20 ft; 4.1 in) in the NK-12MA and NK-12MV. It is the most powerful turboprop engine ever built.[1]

Design and development

The design that eventually became the NK-12 turboprop was developed after World War II by a team of Russian scientists and deported German engineers under Ferdinand Brandner, who had worked for Junkers previously; the design bureau was headed by chief engineer Kuznetsov. Thus, the NK-12 design evolved from late-war German turboprop studies. This started with the postwar development of the wartime Jumo 022 turboprop design that developed 6000 eshp in a 3000 kg engine. The effort continued with a 5000 ehp engine that weighed in at 1700 kg, completed by 1947. The evolution to the TV-12 12000 Ehp engine required extensive use of new Soviet-developed alloys and was completed in 1951.[2]

The NK-12M developed 8,948 kW (12,000 ehp), uprated in the NK-12MV to 11,033 kW (14,795 ehp) and reaching 11,185 kW (15,000 ehp) in the NK-12MA. The NK-12 remains the most powerful turboprop engine ever built. The Progress D-27 and Europrop TP400 came close to this only recently. It powered the Tupolev Tu-95 bomber and its descendants such as the Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft and the Tupolev Tu-114 airliner (with NK-12MV), which is still the world's fastest propeller-driven aircraft (despite the fact that all Tu-114s have been retired). It also powered the Antonov An-22 Antei (with NK-12MA), the world's largest aircraft at the time, and several types of amphibious assault craft, such as the A-90 Orlyonok "Ekranoplan" and the Zubr class LCAC.

The engine has a 14-stage axial-flow compressor, producing compression ratios between 9:1 to 13:1 depending on altitude, also controlled by variable inlet guide vanes and blowoff valves. The combustion system used is a cannular-type: each flame tube is centrally mounted on a downstream injector that ends in an annular secondary region. The contra-rotating propellers and compressor are driven by the five-stage axial turbine. Mass flow is 65 kg (143 lb) per second.[3]

Applications

Specifications

General characteristics

  • Type: turboprop
  • Length: 4.8m[3]
  • Diameter: 1.2m[3]
  • Dry weight: 2,900kg (6393 lbs), for NK-12MV

Components

Performance

See also

Related lists

References

  1. ^ Tewari A. Atmospheric and Space Flight Dynamics: Modeling and Simulation with MATLAB® and Simulink®. Springer Science & Business Media. 2007. P. 272
  2. ^ Kuznetsov NK-12 (Russian Federation) - Jane's Aero-Engines
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Creation of the TV-2 (NK-12) turboprop engine
  4. ^ Civil Turboshaft/Turboprop Specifications
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