S6W reactor
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The S6W reactor is a naval reactor used by the United States Navy to provide electricity generation and propulsion on warships. The S6W designation stands for:
- S, Submarine platform
- 6, Sixth generation core designed by the contractor
- W, Westinghouse was the contracted designer
History
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
This pressurized water reactor was prototyped in the land-based S8G plant at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory's Kesselring Site in West Milton, NY starting in March 1994.
The three ships of the Seawolf-class submarine USS Seawolf (SSN-21), USS Connecticut (SSN-22), and USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23) submarines were built with S6W reactors.
Design
[edit]The S6W has a thermal power output of 220 MW (300,000 hp) and a shaft power output of 43 MW (57,000 shp) through 2 steam turbines.[1][2] It is believed to be able to utilize natural circulation at a large fraction of its full power without coolant pumps,[2] which greatly reduces noise.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Hanson, Brendan Patrick. "Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors" (PDF). p. 32. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ^ a b "S6W Advanced Fleet Reactor". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ^ "Evolution of Naval Reactor Design". large.stanford.edu. S5G - Natural Circulation. Retrieved 23 January 2023.