The Vo-Tech Stud Hole Cleaning Machine is a purpose-built tool for cleaning the threaded stud holes in reactor vessel head flanges during refueling outages. A rotating nylon brush head and integrated vacuum attachment remove dried anti-seize residue thoroughly while protecting thread geometry and capturing debris at the source — supporting reliable stud reinstallation and reducing contamination risk during reactor head reassembly.
The Vo-Tech Stud Hole Cleaning Machine is a purpose-built tool for cleaning the threaded stud holes in reactor vessel head flanges during scheduled maintenance outages. After each operating cycle, dried anti-seize residue accumulates in the threads — interfering with stud reinstallation, torque accuracy, and the long-term integrity of the bolted joint. The Stud Hole Cleaning Machine removes that residue thoroughly and consistently while preserving the original thread geometry that traditional hand-cleaning methods routinely damage.
A rotating nylon brush head is engineered to maintain constant contact between the bristles and the thread profile, working residue out of the entire flank-to-flank thread geometry rather than just the crest. The nylon construction is aggressive enough to remove cured anti-seize and yet soft enough to leave the parent threads untouched — eliminating the gouging, burnishing, and thread damage that wire brushes, picks, and improvised tooling can introduce.
A built-in vacuum attachment captures loose debris at the brush head as residue is dislodged. Capturing contamination at the source — rather than allowing it to fall into the reactor cavity, settle onto the flange, or migrate to adjacent surfaces — supports foreign material exclusion (FME) discipline and reduces post-cleaning sweep and decontamination work. The vacuum integration is part of the operating cycle, not a separate step.
The machine is positioned at each stud hole on the reactor vessel head flange and engaged. The rotating nylon brush head enters the threaded hole, maintaining controlled contact with the thread profile through the full depth of the hole. Loosened anti-seize residue is captured by the integrated vacuum at the point of generation. After the cleaning cycle, the machine is repositioned to the next hole and the operation is repeated. The result is a uniform, repeatable cleaning standard across every stud hole on the flange — independent of operator fatigue or technique variation.
Vo-Tech designs and builds engineered training mockups specifically for the Stud Hole Cleaning Machine, allowing operators to qualify on representative reactor head geometry before the tool is deployed in a radiation field. Combining the production tool with its corresponding training mockup compresses the qualification cycle and supports first-pass success during the live evolution. Mockup engineering and tool design are performed in the same shop, ensuring that the geometry the operator trains on is the geometry the tool was designed against.
Every Stud Hole Cleaning Machine is designed, manufactured, and supported at Vo-Tech’s Crystal Lake, Illinois facility. Brush head sizing, vacuum integration, and any custom fixturing are configured at order to match the reactor design and host plant requirements. On-site technical support, operator training, and corresponding mockup development are available for customers operating in regulated nuclear environments.
Contact Vo-Tech to specify a Stud Hole Cleaning Machine for your outage program, request a configuration matched to your reactor head geometry, or arrange a quote.
