Russian Nuclear Plant Deploys Robots to Scrub Turbines
At Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, robots have replaced humans in one of the most grueling maintenance tasks: cleaning the heat exchanger tubes of turbine condensers.
Engineers at Kursk NPP have deployed robots for hydrodynamic cleaning of turbine condenser tubes, making it the first Russian nuclear station to automate this labor-intensive procedure.
According to the plant’s press service, the job normally involves extreme heat and high humidity. To improve safety and efficiency, engineers from BendRT and Prolog developed two robotic tools: the RP.001 programmable feeder for heat exchangers and the GDO-104 cleaning mechanism.
The GDO-104 machine is placed inside the low-pressure condenser’s water chamber. A worker targets a specific group of tubes, then switches the unit to automatic mode. From there, the machine moves along a guide rail, while operators monitor its progress through cameras.
The system requires little energy, is easy to operate, and works at high speed. In 2025 alone, the unit cleaned a record 19,146 tubes.
Meanwhile, the RP.001 unit, produced by BendRT, automatically feeds a high-pressure hose equipped with a micro-hydraulic cleaning nozzle. The system scrubs the tubes along their entire inner surface at a constant pace.
The technology is expected to expand to other Russian nuclear plants. Engineers say the machines could be adapted for any type of heat exchange equipment installed at reactor units.
