RYBINSK, Yaroslavl Region. April 10 (Interfax-AVN) - The Rybinsk-based Saturn research and production association and France's Snecma Moteurs have started consultations on prospects of designing stationary gas-turbine drives on the basis of the DEM21 gas-generator and required energy and gas-pumping packages, the Saturn press service said on Thursday.
The DEM21 gas generator is the core of the SM 146 engine, which is a joint project of Saturn and Snecma Moteurs, a press service official told Interfax-Military News Agency. The engine is chosen for powering a future family of Russian regional jets (RRJ).
Saturn Deputy Director General and Director of the SM 146 Program Alexei Zhavoronkov said that joint work of the Russian and French companies is a true example of international cooperation in the hi-tech sphere.
"Saturn is cooperating closely with Snecma Moteurs in various fields ranging from spare parts production on the French party's requests to designing, producing and servicing SM 146 engines on the parity basis. Development of the two companies' partnership resulted in their mutual consent to start joint work on industrial gas turbines on the basis of the DEM21 gas generator," Zhavoronkov said.
According to him, an efficient family of stationary gas turbine drives aimed at the market of medium-capacity power plants (maximum capacity of 25.6MW) will be designed on the basis of DEM21.
Experts who have analyzed the power plants' operational and economic specifications say that the power plants have quite favorable market prospects.
Saturn is a major Russian producer of land- and air-based gas turbines and of makes on their basis. Saturn includes the Lyulka Research Center, Lytkarino Machine-Building Plant, the industrial center consisting of gas turbine engines and gas turbine-based industrial facilities plants, an experimental plant, an instrumental plants, as well as a marketing center, a financial center, and an operation-and-service department. Currently Saturn employs over 20,000 specialists and experts.