One of the supporting systems of the Rostov NPP – the nitrogenous oxygen station* - has been equipped with air separation facilities. This modernization was required due to the expiration of the AK-0.135 term of services. The new ones with the AzhKzh-0.06 modification have been installed instead.

“The former facilities have worked ever since the NPP was launched, and these were obsolete. Due to the fact that such installations were no longer manufactured, they were difficult to maintain. The new ones have proven to be well-operational at other NPPs; besides, they are two times more efficient and economical”, Vladimir Chebotarev, the head of the supporting systems workshop at the Rostov NPP, said.


The new equipment possesses an air separation products supply pump with the capacity of 4 kilowatts. When running 24/7, the pump consumes 34560 kilowatt of electric power per year, which is twice as low as the former one used to.
Additionally, the modernization of the nitrogenous oxygen station cuts the consumption of the unit compressor’s cooling system process waters.

However, the main goal of the modernization is to make the technological equipment run in a more reliable way and to facilitate safe operation of the NPP’s power blocks.

* The aim of the nitrogenous oxygen station is to produce nitrogen and oxygen required for power blocks’ operation and maintenance. This installation separates the air into nitrogen and oxygen. The indifferent gases (such as neon, helium, argon) contained in the air are returned back to the atmosphere via the blow units. The system gives four types of output: liquid and gasiform oxygen, liquid and gasiform nitrogen.

The gasiform oxygen produced at the station is then filled into bulbs and used for power blocks maintenance. The liquid nitrogen is used for radiation safety and nuclear security and reliability department equipment, while the gasiform nitrogen is utilized to operate the reactor and the turbine hall’s equipment and to fix the nuclear power plant’s equipment.

The Rostov NPP is an affiliate company for Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC. The plant is based at the Tsymlianskoe reservoir shore 13.5 km away from Volgodonsk. The NPP operates VVER-1000 reactors with the installed capacity of 1000 megawatts. The power block No.1 commenced commercial operations in 2001, with the second and the third power blocks to follow in 2010 and on September 17, 2015, respectively. The power block No. 4 is currently under construction.


The Rostov NPP Information and Public Relations Administration.