The hot water from the reactor heats a separate water circuit in the steam generator.

Water is circulated by pumps at lower power levels, reactors designed for submarines may rely on natural circulation of the water to reduce noise generated by the pumps. Any radioactive contamination in the primary water is confined.

This circuit operates at a temperature of around 250 to 300 ☌ (482 to 572 ☏). A primary water circuit transfers heat generated from nuclear fission in the fuel to a steam generator this water is kept under pressure so it does not boil. Most naval nuclear reactors are of the pressurized water type, with the exception of a few attempts at using liquid sodium-cooled reactors. Power plants Basic operation of naval ship or submarine The low fuel cost is offset by high operating costs and investment in infrastructure however, so nearly all nuclear-powered vessels are military. All the fuel is contained within the nuclear reactor, so no cargo or supplies space is taken up by fuel, nor is space taken up by exhaust stacks or combustion air intakes. Ĭompared to oil- or coal-fuelled ships, nuclear propulsion offers the advantage of very long intervals of operation before refueling. A small number of experimental civil nuclear ships have been built. Nuclear propulsion is used primarily within naval warships such as nuclear submarines and supercarriers. The power plant heats water to produce steam for a turbine used to turn the ship's propeller through a gearbox or through an electric generator and motor. Nuclear marine propulsion is propulsion of a ship or submarine with heat provided by a nuclear reactor. Propulsion system for marine vessels utilizing a nuclear powerplant When the nuclear-powered Arktika class 50 Let Pobedy was put into service in 2007, it became the world's largest icebreaker.

Western union mtcn code generator