wat? They most assuredly generate electric power. It's just that the bleed steam the sub needs for electric power is trivial compared to the motive power sent to the main reduction gear. They carry diesel generators for emergency use only.
I believe France’s boomers and the next gen SSBN the US is designing both have electric drive.
Isn’t this a bit of a “if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball” question though? Electricity generation and direct steam propulsion both drive turbines, the principal of shipboard operation is well proven.
The bigger issue in my mind is that the nuclear powered ships spend a tremendous amount of time in port ( at least compared to the downtime of a land based power station) and then often just sail around bad weather rather than get hammered by it.
All nuclear reactors generate steam. That steam then drives a turbine which generates the electricity.
The difference in the Ford class is that the steam turbine is bigger, powering most of the ship’s systems via an electrical bus rather than by piping steam around the ship. This approach reduces complexity and maintenance costs.
The steam is used to run generators and provide electricity, as well as run engines that drive screws (propellers are on airplanes).
Naval reactors are smaller than civilian reactors, but are far more efficient and use different fuel.
And "evacuate and sink" isn't an option in a multi billion dollar strategic asset.
The Soviet Alfa-class used molten lead-bismuth coolant. (Which was run through a separate steam generator to generate steam, granted).
Though there's no principal reason why steam has to be the working fluid. Supercritical CO2, for instance, has many attractive properties.
> Naval reactors are smaller than civilian reactors, but are far more efficient
Hmm, define "efficient"? Efficient as in conversion of heat to mechanical power? Or use of uranium fuel? Or what?
Says that the reactor also powers other systems. And sometimes the motor is electric.
Makes sense. Why would you build a nuclear reactor and then only use the steam to power the motor?
https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-compu...