Heat Exchangers and Mechanical Filters for Russian Nuclear-Powered Icebreakers Complete Testing

On August 11, 2026, the manufacturing project for equipment supporting Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers achieved a milestone. InterPolaris has completed testing of multiple key equipment items, including two shell-and-tube heat exchangers and two mechanical filters.

The shell-and-tube heat exchangers that completed testing this time are primarily used to heat water containing purification solutions using heating steam. Compared with conventional heat exchange equipment, the operating environment of marine nuclear power platforms is more complex, imposing higher requirements on structural strength, sealing performance, and operational stability. The horizontal heat exchanger is designed to accommodate prolonged vessel inclination conditions, with mounting brackets capable of withstanding loads from different directions and maintaining stable equipment parameters under complex operating conditions.

According to project documentation, the design service life of this type of heat exchanger is approximately 40 years. Before the first factory overhaul, the equipment can operate for 20 years or 30,000 hours.

The mechanical filters that completed testing simultaneously are used to remove mechanical impurities from pumped fluids and are suitable for critical circuits such as turbine condensate feedwater systems, as well as reactor makeup water and water treatment systems. The single-section filter is equipped with a metal filter element, inlet and outlet piping, and vent and drain connections. To enhance operational flexibility, the equipment can also adopt a dual-section configuration, in which two housings containing metal filter elements are connected through a set of three-way ball valves to enable flow switching; when one housing is under maintenance, the other can maintain continuous system operation.

The design service life of the mechanical filters is also approximately 40 years, with an average operating time before maintenance of 25,000 hours and a specified period of 20 years before the first factory repair.

This round of testing covered strength, sealing, vibration resistance, temperature fluctuation adaptability, and other operational load checks. Test results show that the relevant heat exchangers and filters have met the specified parameter requirements.