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Nuclear reactors
are basically heat engines. As uranium fissions, the breaking apart of
atoms releases energy, much of it in the form of heat, which can then
be used to do work. In a nuclear-powered submarine, reactor heat produces
steam to drive the turbines that provide the submarine's actual power.
The development of compact, safe, and highly reliable pressurized water
reactors for naval use in the early 1950s was the major technological
achievement that made nuclear-powered submarines possible.
How
Reactors Work
Naval pressurized-water reactors include a primary coolant system and
a secondary coolant system. The primary system circulates water, which
is pressurized to keep it from boiling, in a closed loop. As water passes
through the reactor, it is heated. It then goes through the steam generator,
where it gives up its heat to generate steam in the secondary system.
Finally, it flows back to the reactor to be heated again. Inside the steam
generator, heat energy is transferred across a watertight boundary to
the secondary system, also a closed loop. The unpressurized water in the
secondary system turns to steam when heated. The steam, in turn, flows
through the secondary system to the propulsion turbines, which turn the
propellers, and to the turbine generators, which supply electricity. As
it cools, it condenses to water and is pumped back to the steam generator.
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Click diagram to
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