U.S. Navy nuclear reactor
The USS Carl Vinson
The A4W reactor is a naval reactor used by the United States Navy to propel warships and generate onboard electricity .
The A4W designation stands for:
A = Aircraft carrier platform
4 = Contractor's fourth core design generation
W = Westinghouse, the contracted designer
History
These nuclear fission pressurized water reactors (PWRs) were jointly designed by Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory and Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory [ 1] [failed verification ] and built by Westinghouse Electric Company . Their reactor cores are expected to operate for about 25 years before refueling is required.[ 1] The only ships to use these nuclear reactors are the Nimitz -class supercarriers , which have two reactors rated at 550 MWth each. These generate enough steam to produce 140,000 shaft horsepower (104 MW) for each pair of the ship's four shafts[ 2] – two per propulsion plant – plus approximately 100 MW of electricity.[citation needed ]
See also
References
External links
[1] (correcting for the power output from 500 megawatts to 105.)
Aircraft carrier Cruiser Destroyer Submarine