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Experimental Complex

Together with military rocketry mastered by the company, the Experimental Complex has got a road to life. On September 5, 1958, the first liquid-propellant rocket engine (LRE) RD0200 developed in the Design Bureau for S. А. Lavochkin’s (General Designer) guided missile (SAM) 5В11 passed its first fire testing at the new KBKhA’s test facility. This date became a start point for Voronezh experimental base establishment intended for final development of LREs.

Over the past decades, the Experimental Complex’s staff has taken part in final developments of practically all LREs created in KBKhA, and has made a valuable contribution to the domestic rocket and space industry development.

The Experimental Complex represents a system of test facilities providing the fire and “cold” tests of LREs, components and subsystems, as well as power units, providing maximum simulation of field operation conditions and meeting the requirements to ecology and safety.

The Experimental Complex composes the following test stands:

  • six fire test stands providing firing of various LREs with thrust up to 300 tf;
  • a vacuum test stand providing testing of electrojet engines;
  • a complex of hydrodynamic test stands providing component hydrodynamic testing of LRE parts and subsystems (pumps, regulators, throttles, valves, flow meters, injection heads, combustion chambers, etc.);
  • a complex of TPA rotor balancing test stands providing low- and high-speed balancing, and rotor dynamics research work;
  • a complex of structural test stands being used for verification tests and technological development tests of LRE assemblies and subsystems;
  • cryogenic production being intended to provide testing using both LOX/LH2/LN2, and GN2 and argon;
  • an area of accelerated environmental tests being arranged to provide experimental development of LOX/Kerosene LREs RD0124 and RD0124А in accordance with comprehensive experimental development program requirements.

To provide test quality and reliability, the experimental stands are equipped with state-of-the-art automated technological process command and control systems (ATP CCS). At present, the fire test facilities introduce the ATP CCS of reliability improved basing on modern industrial controllers. The technical capacities of the ATP CCSs are extended with the help of functional distribution of tasks for management, control, measuring, and safety system that is achieved not only by hardware but also by perfect software.

To provide reliability improvements, management flexibility and regulation accuracy, the multiplex systems based on highly-reliable industrial automation hardware have been developed.

At the same time, a constant work on modification of information-measuring systems has been performed. A great part of these systems has been developed by scientists and engineers of the company. In particular, highly effective and feasible measuring systems for slowly and rapidly varying parameters on base of automated complexes of Russian manufacturers have been introduced.

Nowadays, the Experimental Complex is one of the few in the country able to perform tests of LREs and power units using practically all combinations of propellants currently used in the world (amyl/UDMH, LOX/Kerosene, LOX/LH2, LOX/LNG, GOX/GH2, GOX / natural gas) in a wide range of LRE thrust and dimensions.

The Experimental Complex is located near to the production facility that allows to test and finally develop the items produced, and also to analyze test results in time and with minimum losses in logistics and personnel shifting.

In order to fulfill R&D works for LRE development for new advanced launch vehicles, the company has been reconstructing the Experimental Complex facilities continuously. Thanks to its highly qualified personnel, the test stand base has flexible capabilities to be easily restructured for new tasks.