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Nuclear Reactors And Marine Propulsion

NUCLEAR REACTORS AND MARINE PROPULSION
A nuclear reactor is a device in which nuclear chain reactions are initiated, controlled and sustained at a steady state (opposed to a nuclear bomb, in which the chain reaction occurs in a fraction of a second and is uncontrolled causing an explosion). The reactor is used to convert nuclear energy into heat.
The largest experience in operating nuclear power plants since 1950’s has been in the nuclear marine propulsion, particularly aircraft carriers and submarines. The nuclear powered vessels comprise about 40% of the USA Navy’s combat fleet, including the entire sea based strategic nuclear deterrent. All the USA Navy’s operational submarines and over half of its aircraft carriers are nuclear powered. The USA Navy as of 2008 operated 99 vessels powered by nuclear reactors including 10 nuclear powered aircraft carriers and 71 submarines. It has operated nuclear powered ships for more than 50 years. As of 2001, about 235 naval reactors had been built at a unit cost about $100 million for a submarine and $200 for an aircraft carrier.

The most significant use of nuclear reactors is as an energy source for the generation of electrical power known as Nuclear power, and for the power in some ships (Nuclear marine propulsion). Nuclear marine propulsion is propulsion of a ship powered by a nuclear reactor. Naval nuclear propulsion is propulsion that specifically refers to naval warships. U.S navies rely on steam turbine propulsion.
The conceptual analysis (design, development and production) of nuclear marine propulsion started in the 40’s, under the leadership of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover. The first test reactor was started up in USA in 1953. By the 1955 the first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus was put into sea. The second nuclear submarine was the USS Seawolf was initially powered by a sodium-cooled reactor (LMSR). But because of the difficult to maintain and the reduced space that the superheated steam...