Where is PD 35 produced in Russia? Development of the PD‑35 engine begins. Another interesting detail

01 February 2018

In parallel with the completion of the certification program for the new generation PD-14 turbofan engine for the MS-21 passenger aircraft, in 2018 the United Engine Corporation begins designing the base engine of the promising family of high-thrust turbofan engines (from 25 to 50 tf). It is called PD‑35 and is designed for takeoff thrust of 35 tf. As reported on the official government procurement portal, the state contract for research and development work on the PD-35 was concluded on December 25, 2017. They are designed for six years and should be completed in 2023 with the production and testing of the technology demonstrator engine, which will become a prototype for future production PD‑35 for use on promising wide-body and heavy transport aircraft. The Perm-based UEC-Aviadvigatel JSC has been identified as the lead contractor for the work, but, as in the case of PD-14, broad cooperation between UEC enterprises and industry research institutes will be involved.

“When we were planning the PD-14 family, we chose the largest market niche - about 55–60% of the market volume in the next 30 years,” said Alexander Inozemtsev, general designer of JSC UEC-Aviadvigatel, two years ago at the International Engine Forum MFD-2016 . – But there is also a market for small turbofan engines and a market for ultra-large engines – from 25 to 50 tf. The latter is approximately 25–30% of the total potential market. We spent a long time analyzing which basic technologies, which basic gas generator to choose in order to enter this market niche. Conducted an analysis. If we take the technologies and materials of the PD-14 and simply simulate the dimensions of a 35 tf engine, then its diameter will be 3.5 m, length – 7 m, and weight – about 7 tons. Enter the market with such an engine in 10–15 years - not serious. Therefore, we understood that we needed a breakthrough in technology, reaching the next level in terms of unit efficiency, and this entails an increase in the temperature in front of the turbine by almost another 100° (compared to PD-14), which means we need to have materials that are not just durable, but also with a minimum density in order to be competitive in weight. In addition, enormous resources are needed. We pose this problem to ourselves and to industry institutes today. But we already have the aerodynamic basis for such an engine; a simulated high-pressure compressor with one added stage and a new high-pressure turbine made from new materials will allow us to create such a family. The base engine will be 35 tf.”

The bypass ratio of the PD‑35 should reach 11 (with a fan diameter of 3100 mm). At the heart of the engine it is planned to use a gas generator with a nine-stage high-pressure compressor and a two-stage turbine (gas generator circuit PD-14 - “8-2”), it will receive a five-stage low-pressure compressor and a seven-stage low-pressure turbine. Like the PD-14, the fan drive gearbox is not planned to be used on the PD-35.

Alexander Inozemtsev notes that, together with industry institutes, a list of 18 main critical technologies has already been determined, without which it will be impossible to ensure the competitiveness of such an engine in a decade. Among them, he primarily names new high-temperature materials and the next step in the technology of producing fan blades - the transition to a composite blade, which provides 30% mass savings: “We are convinced that if we do not master this technology of a composite blade and a ballistic-resistant casing fan, then we won’t get a competitive mass.” Other tasks include the creation of a “thin” engine nacelle, which requires placing a drive box under the hood of the gas generator, the introduction of additive technologies, the creation of a new generation of units, etc.

A demonstration gas generator for a 35-ton engine is expected to be designed, tested in individual components, assembled and put on bench tests by the end of 2021, and the entire engine - a technology demonstrator - is to be assembled and tested in 2023. Based on these works, it is planned to prepare for production of pilot batch PD-35 engines for bench and then flight tests.

It is assumed that one of the first aircraft equipped with the PD-35 should be the Russian-Chinese wide-body passenger aircraft CR929, which is currently being developed. But this will most likely happen no earlier than in 8-10 years, but today’s development of ODK-Aviadvigatel - the 14-ton PD-14 - will be able to “register” under the wing of serial airliners within three years.

In December 2017, the final, third stage of flight testing of the experimental PD-14 began on the Il-76LL flying laboratory. Large-scale bench tests of the pilot batch engines are also at the final stage. The Russian type certificate for the PD-14 is expected to be received in 2018, and by the end of the year UEC should begin shipping the first production PD-14. The starting contract for the supply of five PD-14s for certification tests of the re-motorized version of the MS-21 aircraft was concluded between UEC - Perm Motors and Irkut Corporation in January 2018. Flight tests of the MS-21 with power plant of the two, PD-14 should begin in 2019, and certification of MS-21 with PD-14 is planned for 2021, after which aircraft with this configuration will be able to begin entering service. The first MC-21-300 with PD-14 should arrive at airlines " Red Wings" and Aeroflot: contracts stipulate that of the 16 aircraft ordered by Red Wings, four will be equipped with PD-14, and Aeroflot announced that up to half of its fifty MC-21-300 will receive domestic engines.

United Engine Corporation has begun creation of the PD-35 high-thrust engine for promising long-haul civil aircraft.

The start of flight testing at the flying laboratory of the new Russian PD-35 aircraft engine for long-haul wide-body passenger aircraft is scheduled for 2020.

PD-35 is a promising civil high-thrust engine, which will be created in broad cooperation between UEC enterprises using technologies obtained during the implementation of the PD-14 project for MS-21.It is planned to scale the gas generator from PD-14, which is being developed for MS-21, with the addition of an additional stage at the outlet of the high-pressure compressor (as a result, the number of stages of the PD-35 compressor and turbine will be 9 + 2). The fan diameter of the new motor will be 3100 mm, the motor length will be more than 8 m, and the weight will be about 8 tons.

The letters “PD” stand for advanced engine, and the number 35 is the thrust in ton-force. The PD-35, which is being developed by the Aviadvigatel design bureau (Perm), will be the first Russian aircraft engine with a thrust of 35 tons, while the D-18T engine installed on the heavy transport An-124 has this figure of 23 tons.

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Testing an engine in the air is a complex and lengthy part of the product creation program. By 2020, in addition to the engine itself, the engine nacelle in which it will be installed, the pylon for attaching it to the wing of the aircraft, as well as all the necessary systems that will connect the PD-35 with the aircraft’s on-board equipment must also be ready.All work is designed for ten years - by 2026 it shouldserial production of aircraft engines will begin.

The developers estimated the creation of the engine at 180 billion rubles, which have already been allocated from the presidential fund. First of all, the new aircraft engine is planned to be installed on a promising Russian-Chinese long-haul wide-body passenger aircraft, the memorandum on the creation of which was signed in the spring of 2014 during Vladimir Putin’s visit to .

Development of PD-35- the most ambitious project in the Russian aircraft industry. In addition to the UEC and UAC enterprises, almost all leading Russian research centers are involved in the work. In particular,All-Russian Research Institute of Aviation Materialswill help developers create new materials. will conduct research that will allow you to choose the optimal shape for the engine nacelles and pylon. AInstitute of Applied Mechanicswill provide assistance to Aviadvigatel in physical and mathematical modeling and research in the field of mechanics.

A modern engine takes 2 times longer to create than the aircraft itself. Modern methods design can significantly reduce the period of work, but nevertheless, even according to the most optimistic forecasts, this work requires at least 5 years. But at present, the PD-14 engine is already being tested in Russia, on which the most advanced technical solutions are being developed, in particular, on combustion chambers and fans, which will later be implemented on the PD-35, PD-10 and a number of other engines. Undoubtedly, this should speed up work on the PD-35.

The newest heavy-duty engine is not created to compete with foreign products. It is primarily necessary to solve pressing problems of the Russian aviation industry.Russia has an excellent long-range wide-body Il-96. But its competitiveness is negated by the four engines that are currently installed on it.The reason is that four-engine long-haul aircraft are strategically inferior to their twin-engine competitors. With a slightly lower capacity (about 400 passengers), modern twin-engine aircraft provide the same range and better economic characteristics- in particular, specific costs per seat-kilometer.

The PD-35 will definitely solve this problem by reducing the number of engines to two, and if the “ninety-sixth” is lightened and equipped with a composite wing, you will get a very decent aircraft with good export prospects.

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A factor that contributed to the development of high-thrust engines was the need for civil and transport aircraft to make transcontinental non-stop flights, which required highly efficient engines. The first in this class were the engines of the JT9D (Pratt & Whitney), CF6-6 (General Electric) and RB211 (Rolls-Royce) families, which appeared in the mid-1960s - early 1970s.

Since then, the technical level of high-thrust engines has increased immeasurably. This has led to dramatic improvements in environmental, resource and economic indicators, increased reliability, reduced operating costs. Such engines are not currently produced in Russia.

From an analysis of development trends in the global aviation market, it follows that in order to achieve competitiveness, a promising high-thrust engine (2025–2030) must provide:

reduction in noise level by more than 20 EPNdB (compared to the norms of Chapter 4 of the ICAO standard);

reserve for NOx emissions of 60% (compared to CAEP/6 standards);

operating time on the wing is more than 15,000–20,000 hours;

have an in-flight shutdown time of more than 300,000 hours, and by 2030 – 550,000 hours;

the service life of the main parts is not less than 10,000–20,000 flight cycles (at rated speed – 8 hours);

compliance with ETOPS rules (single engine flight for twin engine aircraft) for 330 min. (instead of 180 minutes for PD-14);

specific fuel consumption is 10-15% less compared to the level of 5th generation engines.

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The creation of an engine that meets these requirements is impossible without the development of new generation materials and protective coatings, design and technical solutions, and the creation of new technological processes.

"ODK-Perm Motors" and "ODK-Aviadvigatel" have begun implementing a project to create Russia's first high-thrust aircraft engine, the PD-35. According to the managing director of the UEC-Perm Motors company Sergei Popov, the PD-35 series may go into production in 2028. The demonstrator will be ready by 2023.

PD-35 engines are planned to be installed on promising wide-body long-haul and heavy transport aircraft. The cost of the project is 180 billion rubles, of which 60 billion rubles. - investment costs, and 120 billion rubles. - creation of the engine itself.

The new engine will use Newest technologies: composite polymer materials in engine parts and assemblies, additive technologies for the manufacture of large-sized and complex-shaped body parts, intermetallic compounds.

Now the project is at the research and development stage - UEC - Aviadvigatel has purchased from a single supplier for 125.6 million rubles. to carry out research and development work related to the PD-35 engine. In particular, the contractor must carry out work to prepare conclusions on preliminary designs technology demonstrator engine (DDT) components.

The terms of reference also contain a clause on the development of “critical” technologies necessary for the creation of DDT units and systems. We are talking about developing a strength design for a fan blade, which will be made of polymer and composite materials. In addition, the front device and flame tube for the combustion chamber of the new engine will be developed. Requirements for the design and power circuit of the engine will be formed from the point of view of minimizing critical events, as well as recommendations will be given and approval will be held terms of reference on the development of critical systems technology automatic control PD-35 and a demonstration engine gas generator.

According to the Kommersant-Perm newspaper, it follows from the procurement protocol that sole supplier"Aircraft engine" itself was selected.

To date, experts have determined the design of the engine, formed cooperation between industry enterprises, and determined technical directions for creating engines. The developers also carried out a set of computational and experimental work, which confirmed the feasibility of the project.

One of the most important breakthrough technologies of the PD-35 is the creation, in collaboration with VIAM, of the first composite fan blade in the history of the Russian aircraft industry. As experts note, the creation of the PD-35 will require major modernization production capacity. Experts also note that new engine will become a locomotive not only for the United Engine Corporation, but will also pull the entire economy of the country along with it.

Managing Director of JSC UEC-Perm Motors Sergey Popov: “PD-35 is a product about which we can say that today only the first center line is being drawn in the creation of this engine. First of all, this is the stage of research and development - research work that will determine the appearance of the engine. At the research stage, the technologies necessary to create this engine will also be developed. This is a large, long list: fundamentally new materials that must first be tested at VIAM, CIAM, and only after that a decision must be made to introduce them into mass production. Engines of this size in Soviet history, Russian aviation have not yet been created. Therefore, major modernization and reconstruction of the production facilities of not only UEC-Perm Motors, but also other UEC enterprises will be required. It is necessary to create an entire testing complex, already by 2021-2022 here at the site in Perm.

This will happen in stages. First of all, the designers will create the product first. At some stage it will become clear: we are satisfied with this design, let’s put it into production and create a prototype. This is approximately 2022. And by this time we should already have a testing base where we could test these prototypes. First of all, it is necessary to start with testing the gas generator - the heart of the engine, its hot part. After this, having made sure that the right materials and technical solutions have been used, we will move on to creating a demonstrator engine. The demonstrator engine is somewhere in 2023. And for this we must carry out a certain series of tests on joint processing stands. A stand must be created for testing compressors, a stand for testing the combustion chamber... This is a whole complex that must be created before the very first demonstrator engine is “launched into production.”

Despite the fact that the level of applied software products, the level of digitalization of engine creation today is completely different; hardware testing is still required. The main years are spent on this verification. I believe that the launch of the PD-35 into production will be around 2028. 10 years to create such an engine is really the period during which you need to work systematically, diligently, without relaxing for a minute.

PD-35 is new materials, including composite ones, a wide range of their applications and a higher level of all characteristics. The task is set to use Russian components and technologies. Such products should serve as locomotives not only for the aircraft engine industry, but also for the entire industry, which works together with us in cooperation. For example, for metallurgists who produce iron, factories that then make bearings for us from this iron. It turns out, industrial production the country as a whole is switching to new level. The same can be said about the composite materials industry. One of the trends that we support in cooperation with VIAM is the creation, for the first time in the history of the Russian aircraft industry, of a composite fan turbine blade. It is likely that the very first sample of the PD-35 will use a steel blade, but we know for sure that the designers include in this project the possibility of production with composite blades. In addition, it will be necessary to develop other new technologies, for example, moving from the use of bolts to rotational welding. This may sound like a cliché, but the PD-35 really should be some kind of technological breakthrough that needs to be achieved in these 10 years.”

Director of Infrastructure at UEC-Perm Motors Nikolay Andreev:“This is truly a very serious project, so the whole country will work on the creation of such an engine - hundreds of enterprises and dozens scientific institutes. Such an engine is needed not only for the product itself, but also so that we do not lose our level of competence in the field of design, in the field of technology, in the field of materials, and develop and multiply them. This project is truly like a big locomotive that will pull the entire economy of the country along with it. Just like the PD-14, this engine will be created in broad cooperation with enterprises throughout the country, including UEC.

How to make such an engine? We must understand that by simply scaling the results achieved when creating the PD-14 engine, we will obtain only part of the necessary characteristics. We can provide the remaining characteristics only by mastering completely new technologies and new materials. I must say that simply R&D work is impossible without serious investments in production and testing facilities. It is necessary to master new critical technologies, produce new materials, and create parts and units of dimensions that have not yet been created in our engine-building industry. This requires certain investments.

Our working groups are working on a number of investment projects. In particular, aimed at the development information systems- this is a large amount of calculations that designers need to make. This requires serious investments in the calculation base here on the territory of UEC - Aviadvigatel. Big investment necessary for preparation production base. These are machines and equipment for the production and assembly of large-sized parts.

And, of course, preparing a test base. Today in the country there is no testing base for development and pilot testing of engines of this size and thrust. The bench testing facility for the creation of this engine will be built at our test station - there will be a logistics center, a final assembly and test preparation building, as well as a whole complex of test benches.

It must be said that not all components of the new motor can be modeled mathematically. You still have to make parts and test them on certain installations, get the result, fine-tune it and test it again. Therefore, a test base must be created before the engine is created. This necessary condition. The diameter of the PD-35 fan is 3.1 meters, the diameter of the propulsion system itself is already approaching 4 meters. This suggests that it is impossible to transport such an assembled engine. We assume that we will transport it to the test station in several units. By that time, the assembly building will have already been built. We will assemble the engines, test them, then disassemble them and send them to aircraft factories, where they will be assembled again directly under the wing of the aircraft.

Eight test benches will be built here: high-pressure compressor test benches, a combustion chamber and full-size combustion chamber test bench, a vacuum test bench for rotor parts, an indoor gas generator test bench, two stands and a preparation room for full-size engine testing. And an open stand where it will be produced different kinds tests: acoustic, ice throwing tests, bird throwing tests, blade breakage tests, and so on. The goal is to begin developing design and estimate documentation this year. The commissioning deadlines are very tight, so we have very little time. Active work is already underway on these projects.”

In conclusion, we can only note some facts. Today, the United Engine Corporation employs more than 90,000 people. The total budget for the project to create the PD-35 engine is 180 billion rubles, of which 60 billion are investment costs, 120 billion are the creation of the engine itself, including the work of designers and scientific institutes. The PD-35 project plans to use such promising technologies as:

- use of composite polymer materials in engine parts and components;
- production of large-sized engine nacelles from composite materials with laminar flow;
- production of large-sized and complex-shaped body parts using additive technologies;
- use of new heat-resistant alloys and intermetallic compounds;
- creation of a low-emission combustion chamber.