For series of research and development in high-efficiency liquid propellant rocket engines with cryogen fuel to enable reliable functioning of aerospace system with increased power parameters for peaceful use of Outer Space
RAS Academician, Head of MAI Department of Energy and Physics Systems
Boris Ivanovich Katorgin is a renowned Russian scientist and a product engineer in the field of power engineering, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, member and director of R&D group for development of high-efficiency liquid propellant rocket engines (LPRE) for peaceful use of Outer Space. He dedicated 52 years of efforts to this scientific area working for the same research and production association – NPO “Energomash named after academician V.P.Glushko”. He started and worked there as a simple design engineer, in 1991 – 2005 he was at the head of this enterprise, in the position of General Director and Chief Designer, and since 2005 he worked in the position of Chief Designer. Today he is the director of Educational and Scientific Center “Physical and power engineering systems” at Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University) and the Department Chairman at this Institute.
Boris Katorgin was born in 1934 in the Moscow Region, in Solnechnogorsk city. Married, father of two sons. Honored citizen of the Moscow Region and the city of Khimki (in the Moscow Region). Has the following awards: Badge of Honor Order (USSR), Order of Merit for the Fatherland 3rd class (Russia), Order of Yaroslav the Wise 5th class (Ukraine) and medals. Laureate of the State Prize, Russian Governmental Prize and Prize named after Tsander F.A. established by the Russian Academy of Sciences. Master of sport in art of self-defense (sambo), member of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Sambo Federation.
Boris Katorgin was one of those people who created the basis for development of high-output liquid propellant rocket engines with the use of advanced process flow-sheets, studied and adopted the processes of engines start-up and deep throttling to optimize rocket launch cycles. They successfully solved the problem of high-frequency combustion instability in LPRE and suggested a design solution for anti-variation devices which have been introduced for today in the most up-to-date Energomash engines powered by ecologically friendly cryogen fuel.
With Boris Katorgin at the head of the enterprise, NPO Energomash managed to survive in challenging economic environment, kept its intellectual potential and production facilities, and successfully entered the global market. As a result of these efforts in 1992 NPO Energomash signed a contract with U.S company “Pratt & Whitney” – “Agreement on co-marketing and co-licensing of Energomash engines in the USA”.
As part of international cooperation Boris Katorgin also managed the project of development of the world renowned rocket engine RD 180 powered with cryogen fuel. The project was introduced for the international contest announced in the USA by Lokheed Martin Corporation to select a variant of liquid propellant rocket engine for Atlas III and Atlas V launch rockets.
This project won the competition and the engine was developed in tight schedule. Today it is in serial production, marketed to the USA and is used for launching the above types of rockets, moreover RD 180 engine is considered the best LRPE worldwide.
It is worth mentioning that USA plans to replicate the technology of the Global Energy Prize laureate Boris Katorgin – his liquid-propellant rocket engines, RD-180, that are considered globally the best. They aim to do that within the next 6 years. Before the advent of country’s own engines, Washington will use the Russian products and therefore will buy 18 more engines from Russia for that purpose.
He uses his broad scientific expertise in cryogen fuel components for research projects to develop cryostatting plants for superconducting electrotechnical systems.
Author of over 330 schшутешашс works, among them: 5 monographs and 180 inventions and patents. Honored doctor at Research and Scientific Center “Applied Chemistry”, at Samara State Aerospace University named after S.P.Korolev, at Moscow Aviation Technical University. Chairman of Grant Committee by the President of Russia for section “Engineering and Exact Sciences”. Member of editorial boards at some science and technical magazines, Chairman of the State Attestation Commission at Moscow Aviation Institute. Over 40 years of teaching experience.
Brief biography:
Борис Каторгин лично участвовал и внес неоценимый вклад в следующие направления:
- Основа для создания высокоэффективных ЖРД с подогревом выхлопных газов;
- Разработана первая в мире замкнутая конфигурация высокоэффективного ЖРД с газификацией обоих компонентов топлива в газогенераторах;
- Разработана сферическая силовая схема для газогенераторов;
- Выполнено теоретическое обоснование и разработана конструкция узла смешения камеры сгорания с противовариантными перегородками, образованными топливными форсунками, выступающими во внутреннее пространство камеры сгорания;
- Получены фундаментальные результаты в области ядерных ракетных двигателей с высокой плотностью импульса;
- С помощью теоретических исследований и экспериментов было продемонстрировано, как высокоэнергетическое пылевидное топливо может быть использовано в ракетных двигателях;
- Проведены теоретические исследования и эксперименты по разработке и оптимизации номинальных параметров непрерывно действующих химических лазеров; получены уникальные результаты по надежности и мощности;
- Первым в мире получил результаты испытаний при разработке экспериментальной гибридной линии электропередачи с использованием жидкого водорода и сверхпроводящего кабеля.