Published on: 2026-07-08
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
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A delegation of students and teachers from the Polytechnic University participated for the first time in an introductory internship at leading energy engineering enterprises in the Urals. A key element of the trip was the practice of practical skills on the training stand of the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant—the only station in the world with fast neutron reactors of industrial-level power. The trip took place within the framework of the implementation of the Roadmap for personnel, technological, and scientific cooperation between SPbPU and JSC “Rosenergoatom Concern” for 2025–2028.
An engineer cannot be formed solely through classroom lectures and sessions. At the Polytechnic, top-notch specialists are taught not only fundamental theoretical disciplines but are also practically introduced to the activities of leading industrial enterprises. Thus, representatives of the Institute of Energy for the first time in the university’s history conducted an introductory internship at enterprises in the Urals. Future engineers went through the entire life cycle of power machines: they saw how they are operated, how they are manufactured, and how they are returned to service after repair.
The highlight of the trip was a visit to the machine hall of the Beloyarsk NPP. The station operates 2 power units with fast neutron nuclear reactors BN-600 and BN-800. This provides the opportunity for nuclear fuel production and the use of liquid sodium as a coolant.. The polytechnic students were shown the first and second power units of the station; they also visited the machine hall and the block control panel of power unit No. 4 with the BN-800 reactor. This is, without exaggeration, a unique place: with the help of an operational reactor, the station’s specialists work with the parameters of power unit No. 4 with the BN-800 reactor, which supplies over 800 MW to the grid (enough energy to power a large metropolis for a day).
The most interesting part awaited the guests at the station’s training and exercise point. On a full-scale simulator used to train nuclear power plant operators, students and instructors themselves performed several block control operations: practiced shutting down one of the three sodium loops, compensating for excess reactivity, and then went through a complete station blackout scenario. Three-dimensional equipment models helped them understand the design of the reactor, where liquid sodium serves as the coolant.
I am sincerely grateful to the university for the opportunity to visit the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant — the only fast neutron nuclear power plant in Russia. This truly makes it unique,” shared Victoria Golubkova, a student in the “Nuclear Power Plants: Design, Operation, and Engineering” program.
At the Ural Turbine Plant, a delegation from Polytechnic saw what is studied at the Higher School of Power Engineering Machinery on lectures and stands — steam turbines. The guests toured the workshops, following the entire production chain: from raw material to the assembled turbine at the assembly site, they saw how parts are processed and how the machine takes its final form before being sent to the customer. Throughout its history, the plant has produced more than 950 steam turbines; its equipment operates in 27 countries, and more than half of the cogeneration turbines at power plants in Russia are of Ural production. The Polytechnic visitors were shown the legendary T-100, of which more than 260 have been made, and were told about the record holders in the lineup: the most powerful cogeneration turbine in the world at 335 MW, the turbine for waste incineration plants, and the power unit of the turbo installations for the nuclear icebreakers of project 22220 — “Arktika,” “Sibir,” and “Ural.”
The polytechnic students also visited the machine halls of Russia’s largest service company for gas turbine installations, “TurboService Rus.” Engineers guided the guests through the entire process of the part: incoming inspection, diagnostics, repair, application of protective coatings, and final quality check. The production complex specializes in repair of the hot section of gas turbines from leading global manufacturers.
It is important for us to show students what the industry is like today. When future engineers see the production firsthand, they better understand both the profession and the challenges they will face, noted Alexey Kultyshev, President of TurboService Rus.
For some students, the trip was their first such close acquaintance with production. A very inspiring experience. When you see firsthand what the industry lives by, you want to dedicate yourself to it with even greater zeal,” said Daniil Grinyuk, a student in the “Nuclear Energy and Thermophysics” program.
Such field trips for the Polytechnic are not one-time excursions, but part of a systematic effort to bring classroom lessons closer to practical production experience. We prepare engineers who, by graduation, already understand the language of production. Therefore, the factory and the station are just as much learning platforms for us as the laboratory: a student must physically touch with their own hands what they previously calculated on paper, noted Alena Aleshina, Director of the Higher School of Power Engineering.
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