Scientific Activity of the Department of Aerospace Heat Engineering
of the Faculty of Aviation Engines
of the National Aerospace University
"Kharkiv Aviation Institute"
Cryogenic technique
Multiphase jet devices created by the employees of the Laboratory of Engineering Thermophysics are used not only for cooling cryogenic fuel components of liquid rocket engines, but also for heat treatment of milk and juices, providing a cooling rate of more than 500 degrees per second. The dimensions and weight of such devices are 50-100 times smaller than those of traditional heat exchangers.
Apparatus for obtaining hydrogen in the form of hydrogen, methods for calculating the processes of freezing and refueling cryogenic systems, drying and cooling kerosene, recondensation of liquefied natural gas vapors are proposed.
Ground energy installations
In the field of power engineering and engine engineering, the department is working on the problem of converting aviation gas turbines into land-based power plants with waste gas heat regeneration based on steam-gas, utilization, and regenerative cycles. Prospective schemes of installations and heat and mass exchange devices are proposed. The effective efficiency of convertible engines increases by 20-30%, the fuel efficiency reaches 85%.
The system of utilization and regeneration of the heat of exhaust gases developed by a group of department specialists made it possible to increase their efficiency.
In addition, the air cooling system at the entrance to the GTU by water injection, developed by a group of specialists of the department, made it possible to prevent "sag" of power plant power at elevated air temperatures.
The results of the research are used in ZMKB "Progress", OJSC "Motor Sich", OJSC "Sumy NVO named after M.V. Frunze" and a number of other enterprises in the industry.
Also, within the framework of the Horizon 2020 European program, department 205 conducts scientific research on the cooling systems of turbojet engine supports. The results of these works are actively implemented in practice. Research on heat and mass transfer processes in aircraft engine supports will significantly increase the efficiency and reliability of new generation aircraft engines.
Systems of ensuring the thermal regime of spacecraft
Thermoregulation systems of spacecraft with a single-phase coolant have proven their efficiency. But the technical improvement of space vehicles, the growth of their size and the power of on-board equipment requires revolutionary changes in their design.
The solution was to switch to two-phase heat removal systems. With long heat transfer distances and high heat loads, they are lighter and consume less energy. But there was no experience of their operation in space flight conditions. At the same time, the processes of boiling and condensation in weightlessness do not occur at all like on Earth! Moreover, these processes were practically not studied.
In order to solve this problem, the specialists of the Department of Aerospace Heat Engineering of the KhAI used the accumulated experience of researching processes in the heat transfer circuits of nuclear power plants. Together with the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Keldysh Research Center" on the order of the Korolev Energy Rocket and Space Corporation, a large amount of research was carried out.
Studies of the processes of evaporation and condensation made it possible to design a number of types of evaporators and condensers capable of operating in weightlessness. They were tested both at KhАІ and at the Keldysh Center.
KhAI scientists developed a schematic diagram of the two-phase thermal regulation system of the space station. The concept of this system was based on the idea of a thermal bus, when single-phase thermoregulation systems of individual modules are connected to the central system through evaporative heat exchangers, which ensures stable heat removal conditions under different thermal loads. A circuit control system was developed, which allows it to function in a wide range of thermal loads under all possible heat dissipation conditions in orbital flight conditions.
The efficiency of this system was proven by experiments on the FV-A stand created at the KhAI - an analogue of the thermoregulation system of the International Space Station.
The FV-A stand is an analogue of the thermoregulation system of the International Space Station. Built and used for research by specialists of the department.
For the final check of the functionality of the nodes of the proposed thermoregulation system, the LEU-1M stand - an experimental thermoregulation system - was developed by the specialists of the Department of Aerospace Heat Engineering of the KhAI. It was built at RKK "Energia", installed on board the transport spacecraft "Progress M-42" and tested in the conditions of space flight. The unique data obtained during the tests fully confirmed the effectiveness of the system design.
The results of the work of the specialists of the Department of Aerospace Thermal Engineering of the KhAI were used in the design of the International Space Station.
Employees of department 205 of the KhAI, NASA and RKK "Energy" at the spaceship "Progress", on which the thermoregulation system stand for tests in space, developed with the participation of the KhAI Institute, is installed.
The experience accumulated at the National Aerospace University in the design of spacecraft systems attracted the attention of the company Thales Alenia Space (France), which is engaged in the construction of telecommunication satellites.
At the request of this company, a number of variants of thermoregulation systems for communication satellites were developed at Khai, as well as two analogue stands of thermoregulation systems were built. After a series of experiments conducted at the KhAI, these stands were transferred to the Cannes Mandelieu Space Center for further testing.
Thales Alenia Space employees master the booth at KhAI.
Employees of the Department of Aerospace Heat Engineering of the KhAI during tests at the Cannes Mandelieu Space Center.
The stand of the thermal regulation system of the communication satellite was created by the specialists of the department during tests at the Cannes Mandelieu Space Center.
Air conditioning and cooling systems
The department of aerospace thermal engineering conducts work on design, installation and commissioning of refrigeration units and air conditioning systems. Among the completed works, it is worth highlighting the participation in the design of the air conditioning system of the launch complex of the launch vehicle "Zyklon-4" for the Alcantara cosmodrome (Brazil). However, the main customers of the works are enterprises of the food and processing industry of Ukraine. In particular, these are Nasha Ryaba holding, Koblevo OJSC, Vovchansky meat processing plant OJSC, ROSHEN. Thanks to the widespread implementation of advanced technical solutions, energy-saving technologies, modern calculation methods and work experience accumulated by the department's employees, the systems are characterized by high reliability and economy.
The management system of the "Scandinavia" logistics complex. The first warehouse in Ukraine that uses the efficient, environmentally safe, cheap intermediate coolant R744 (СО2) for cooling a large part of the cameras. It was created with the participation of specialists of the department.
