Saturn AL-34

The Saturn/Lyulka AL-34 was an unbuilt turboshaft/turboprop engine for rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, proposed by the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. In turboprop form, the engine was offered for light aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-86 eight-passenger business airplane,^[1] the Myasishchev M-101T Gzhel business jet,^[2] the ROS-Aeroprogress T-101 Grach nine-passenger aircraft,^[3] its derivative T-108 Zolotoy Orel nineteen-passenger aircraft,^[4] and the Krunichev T-511 "AIST-M".^[5] As a turboshaft, the AL-34 was proposed to power the Mil Mi-54^[6] and the Kazan Ansat^[7] helicopters. The engine was also considered for unconventional aircraft such as the Mil Mi-30L Vintoplan tiltrotor aircraft,^[8] and it was to be an auxiliary engine for powering the boundary layer control system and air cushion on the EKIP flying saucer (a flying wing aircraft).^[9]

The AL-34 was one of the few engines to use a recuperator to recover and reuse waste heat from combustion.^[10]

The engine came in two versions. The AL-34-1 was an engine that produced 550 horsepower (410 kW) in cruise conditions.^[2] It weighed 363 pounds (165 kilograms), which included a compact, 88 lb (40 kg) recuperator. The AL-34-2 was a twin-configuration engine producing 1,100 hp (820 kW), weighing about 1,200 lb (540 kg), and using a common gearbox in a single module.^[11]

In October 2000, Saturn/Lyulka confirmed that it was still developing the AL-34 engine in the 1,000 to 1,500 hp (750 to 1,120 kW) power range, and it was working with Kawasaki on stationary powerplant applications.^[12] The AL-34 would cost 200-240 thousand dollars, and it would require about 22 million dollars to complete development.^[13] As late as January 2004, the engine was still being proposed for the T-511 "AIST-M" derivative of the Krunichev T-411 Aist light utility aircraft.^[5] However, the AL-34 never entered production.

Specifications

Data from ^[10][2] (for AL-34-1 only)

General characteristics

• Type: turboshaft or turboprop with recuperator
• Length: 1.609 m (5.28 ft; 1,609 mm; 63.3 in)
• Diameter: 0.676 m (2.22 ft; 676 mm; 26.6 in)
• Dry weight: 165 kg (363 lb)

Components

• Compressor:
• Fuel type: TS-1, T-1, RT, 25%^[3]
• Oil system: MK-32 (MS-20), 75%; MK-8P (MS-8P)^[3]

Performance

• Maximum power output: Takeoff: 1,000 hp (750 kW); Cruise: 550 hp (410 kW)
• Bypass ratio: 6.15^[9]
• Specific fuel consumption: Cruise: 0.348 lb/(hp⋅h) (0.158 kg/(hp⋅h); 0.212 kg/kWh)