In 2025, two companies of Rosatom’s Mechanical Engineering Division — OKBM Afrikantov (OKBM, based in Nizhny Novgorod) and the Central Design Bureau for Mechanical Engineering (CKBM, based in St. Petersburg) — celebrate their 80th anniversary on the same day, December 27. OKBM engineers, manufactures, and tests marine reactors, onshore and offshore small modular reactors (SMRs), and fast neutron reactors. CKBM specializes in primary coolant pumps.
In 1945, a design bureau was established at Plant No. 92 to engineer special machinery and equipment for the Soviet atomic project.
In its early years, the bureau focused on obtaining nuclear materials and researching technologies for handling them. Since 1945, it had been involved in the development of gaseous diffusion machines for uranium enrichment.
Another critical area of the bureau’s R&D activities is marine reactor plants. Its first order, which was received in 1953, was to develop a nuclear steam generator for the Lenin icebreaker. It was completed in 1955. Between 1975 and 2006, OKBM engineers developed and produced three reactor modifications — OK-900A, KLT-40, and KLT-40M — for nine nuclear icebreakers.
Today, OKBM is the chief designer and supplier of reactor plants for Project 22220 and Project 10510 icebreakers. For the former, OKBM supplies RITM-200 reactors; for the Project 10510 Rossiya icebreaker, it supplies the RITM-400, which boasts double the capacity.
The marine designs proved so successful that they were adapted for small-scale power generation. OKBM produced two KLT-40S reactor plants for the world’s first floating nuclear power plant, Akademik Lomonosov. For the new floating power units slated for operation in Chukotka, OKBM developed steam turbines that, unlike the KLT-40S, will generate electricity only. The electric power generated by the floating power unit will be 1.5 times higher compared to the Akademik Lomonosov, rising from 77 to 116 MW. OKBM has developed the RITM-200M reactor with an extended refueling interval for the international market. Floating power units equipped with such reactors can operate in countries with minimal nuclear infrastructure. Another upgraded design is the more powerful RITM-400M reactor.
The pilot onshore small nuclear power plant will feature RITM-200N reactors. Two such reactors will be installed at the station near the town of Ust-Kuyga in Yakutia.
Since 1960, OKBM has been developing fast neutron reactors, including the world’s first commercial reactor BN-350, as well as the BN-600 and BN-800 power reactors. The next project in the pipeline is the BN-1200M reactor for Unit 5 of the Beloyarsk NPP. Its construction is part of the program to close the nuclear fuel cycle.
OKBM Afrikantov is also the chief designer of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors for industrial power generation facilities and hydrogen production.
By the end of 2025, OKBM Afrikantov plans to manufacture and ship RITM-200 units for the Leningrad nuclear icebreaker, deliver the RITM-400 for the Rossiya icebreaker to the customer, and supply RITM-200S units for a new floating power unit. This is far from a complete list of the company’s scheduled shipments and activities.
The story of CKBM also started with the production of primary equipment for gaseous diffusion enrichment. Today, it is a key manufacturer of pumping equipment for nuclear power plants.
Primary coolant pumps manufactured by CKBM are installed at more than 20 plants in Russia and abroad.
A recent example is the production of coolant pumps for Unit 1 of the Kursk II NPP. These are new-generation pumping units featuring a single-shaft layout and utilizing water instead of oil for lubrication and cooling of the pump and motor components. This improves performance and enhances fire safety of the power plant.
An unprecedented pump intended to circulate liquid lead was developed and manufactured for the BREST-OD-300 lead-cooled reactor, currently under construction in Seversk, Tomsk Region, as part of Rosatom’s Proryv (Breakthrough) project. Also, as part of the same project, CKBM has produced equipment for the fuel fabrication/refabrication module.
Previously, the company manufactured equipment for the production of MOX containing fuel rods and fuel assemblies.
Additionally, CKBM develops and manufactures remote handling equipment for radioactive materials and waste, which is used at various types of nuclear power plants in Russia and abroad.
CKBM operates its own testing center. It is the only facility in Russia capable of full-scale testing of pumping equipment under the conditions that simulate all reactor operation parameters (pressure, temperature, coolant type, etc.). Tests are conducted in various modes, allowing engineers to immediately detect deviations in operating parameters and troubleshoot faults.
The company actively deploys new technologies, including robotic welding of pump components, machine vision, and virtual reality technologies.
Earlier this year, CKBM shipped key components primary coolant pumps for China’s Tianwan Unit 8 and Xudabao Unit 3. Pumping and handling equipment was also shipped to other nuclear power plants.
Photo by: Strana Rosatom newspaper
