This May marks the 10th anniversary of Alabuga-Volokno, a manufacturer of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor and carbon fiber. Part of Rosatom’s Composite Technologies Division, the factory has become an important link in the composite materials supply chain over the past decade, serving not just the nuclear industry but many other applications.
Construction of the carbon fiber factory began in 2012 in Tatarstan’s Alabuga special economic zone. Its first production line had an annual capacity of 1,500 metric tons of carbon fiber.
The process starts with a creel system, followed by thermal treatment in energy-efficient oxidation and carbonization furnaces, and finishes with surface treatment and fiber winding. Although the production process appears simple on paper, the line is one of its kind — mostly because standardization is rare in the young and fast-evolving carbon composites sector.
On May 15, 2015, the Alabuga-Volokno factory was officially launched. “The launch made us a major player that is recognized worldwide, and specialized media began covering us,” recalls Yury Svistunov, Deputy Director General and Technical Director of Rosatom’s Composite Technologies Division. Alabuga-Volokno produces medium- and high-strength carbon fiber for composite manufacturing. Russian-made carbon fiber quickly gained global demand and is also supplied domestically as part of import substitution efforts (see below for more on application areas).
Meanwhile, the Composite Division worked on establishing the production of PAN precursor, which is the raw material for making carbon fiber. By November 2021, precursor production facilities had become integral to the factory. PAN precursors are made from acrylonitrile, an oil refining product supplied by Lukoil, one of Russia’s largest oil companies. The production process starts in a reactor where polymer molecules are formed. Polymer streams then pass through spinnerets with many tiny holes, forming ultra-thin filaments. “This new production facility completes our carbon composite production chain. The quality of Russian PAN precursor matches that of the world’s leading manufacturers,” said Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev at the official opening of the facility.
With the launch of this new 5,000t/year facility, the Composite Division eliminated reliance on foreign suppliers. The PAN precursor line now feeds not only Alabuga-Volokno but also Rosatom’s second composites factory in Balakovo, Saratov Region. As a result, Rosatom has entered the top four global producers of carbon fiber with diverse product lines.
Alabuga-Volokno’s carbon fiber is used in the 17.5-meter wing consoles and center wing box of the narrow-body MC-21-300 aircraft. Composite materials improve aerodynamics, reduce weight, and ultimately cut fuel consumption and operating costs. Certification flights for the fully import-substituted MC-21 are scheduled to begin in summer 2025.
The second critical use of carbon fiber is in the rotors of gas centrifuges for uranium enrichment. Rosatom’s Fuel Division (TVEL) demands extremely high quality of the fiber since centrifuges operate continuously at over 1,500 revolutions per second for up to 30 years without stopping.
The third major application area is transportation. Carbon composites are used to make lightweight yet strong bodies for race cars, snowboards, stand-up paddle boards, motorcycle fairings, and more. The Composite Division partnered with the Italian racing team Kawasaki Puccetti Racing and has now entered the motorcycle components market. It is true that Russian composites can be found on sports bikes, paddle boards, snowboards —and even in hockey sticks.
Fourth is the production of high-pressure tanks, including those for storing and transporting hydrogen.
Fifth is wind energy: carbon composites account for about 10% of materials used in wind turbine blades. They are used to make spar caps— strips made of multiple layers of carbon fabric running the full length of the blade. These are embedded into shells and support structural elements that help the blades withstand wind loads.
Finally, carbon composites are used to produce numerous small items and parts. Here, the possibilities are limited only by the imagination of designers. This includes laptop casings, musical instruments, and much more.
Photo by: Rosatom State Corporation
