RD-0120

RD-0120

Country of origin	Soviet Union
Date	2001
Designer	KBKhA Design Bureau
Manufacturer	TsSKB Progress
Application	Upper stage booster
Predecessor	RD-0124
Status	Not in use
Liquid-fuel engine
Propellant	LOX / LH2
Cycle	Staged Combustion cycle
Configuration
Chamber	1
Nozzle ratio	85.70
Performance
Thrust, vacuum	1,961 kN (440,850 lbf)
Thrust, sea-level	1,517.1 kN (341,058 lbf)
Chamber pressure	218 bar
Specific impulse, vacuum	455 sec
Specific impulse, sea-level	359 sec
Dimensions
Length	4.55 m
Diameter	2.42 m
Dry mass	3,450 kg

The Soviet RD-0120 (also designated 11D122) was the Energia Core rocket engine, fueled by LH2/LOX, roughly equivalent to the Space Shuttle main engine (SSME). These were attached to the Energia Core rather than the orbiter, so were not recoverable after a flight, but created a more modular design (the Energia Core could be used for a variety of missions besides launching the shuttle). Baselined from the more mature American hydrogen-oxygen engine technology, but considerably modified with Russian innovations and methods, the RD-0120 and the SSME have both similarities and differences. The RD-0120 achieved nearly identical specific impulse and combustion chamber pressure with reduced complexity and cost, as compared to the SSME, primarily at the expense of lower thrust-to-weight ratio. It use fuel-rich staged combustion cycle and a single shaft to drive both the fuel and oxidizer turbopumps. Some of the Russian design features, such as the simpler and cheaper channel wall nozzles, were evaluated by Rocketdyne for possible upgrades to the SSME. It achieved combustion stability without the acoustic resonance chambers that the SSME required.

Specifications

RD-0120

Thrust (vacuum): 1.8639 MN (190 tons), (sealevel): 1.5171 MN
Specific impulse (vacuum): 454 s (4449 m/s), (sealevel): 359 s
Burn time: nominal 480-500 s, certified for 1670 s.
Basic engine weight: 3,449 kg.
Length: 4.55 m, Diameter: 2.42 m
Propellants: LOX & LH2
Mixture ratio: 6:1
Contractor: Chemical Automatics Design Bureau (Конструкторское Бюро Химавтоматики)
Vehicle Application: Energia Core stage.

See also

• Energia
• SSME
• RD-170

References

• Hendrickx, Bart (2007). Energiya-Buran: The Soviet Space Shuttle. Chichester, UK: Praxis Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-387-69848-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

External links

• Molniya Research & Industrial Corporation's Buran page (english)
• RD-0120 details (in Russian)
• RD-0120 specifications and design (in Russian)
• Energiya Booster details (in Russian)
• Encyclopedia Astronautica RD-0120 page