Atomenergomash, Rosatom’s mechanical engineering division, has completed the construction of the Europe’s first and the third in the world test rig intended for equipment of medium- and large-scale LNG plants. The commissioning permit for the system installed at the NIIEFA site in St. Petersburg, has been granted. The project was implemented in accordance with the decree of the Russian government.
Certification tests of both Russian and imported LNG production facilities are planned to be conducted at the test rig. The rig is a large laboratory facility intended for testing pumps, expanders, and compressors. If necessary, the facility may be adapted for testing other equipment.
“Completion of the test rig for testing medium- and large-scale LNG production facilities in Russia will reduce dependence on equipment import while contributing to the development of a new sector of the Russian industry. Moreover, increased availability of testing at a dedicated site in Russia will allow domestic manufacturers to expand the range of equipment and give it competitive advantage over its foreign counterparts,” Atomenergomash Director General Andrey Nikipelov said commenting on the event.
Today, manufacturing of LNG project facilities is one of the key areas of the development of non-nuclear businesses for Rosatom’s mechanical engineering division. In 2020, the first large-scale LNG pump in the history of the Russian gas and petrochemical industry was put into commercial operation. Afrikantov OKBM (an Atomenergomash company) developed and manufactured the electric pump intended for loading LNG into gas carriers. Earlier, Atomenergomash companies mastered the manufacturing of medium coil-wound LNG heat exchangers and drill mud treatment systems for the gas and petrochemical industry. Atomenergomash plans include the expansion of the LNG equipment range as well as localization of a wide range of equipment for large-scale LNG production projects, LNG-powered icebreakers and LNG carriers.
