3 ms·

No comment on the other points but the reactors in the new Ford-class carriers generate electricity, not steam, which is part of the reason those carriers use e

No comment on the other points but the reactors in the new Ford-class carriers generate electricity, not steam, which is part of the reason those carriers use electric catapult.

topkai22 8y ago
Ford’s propulsion is still steam but it generates a tremendous amount of electrical power for its other systems 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.
sandworm101 8y ago
That is why i said most. The new trend is towards "all electric" drive. But even there, the power isnt being turnef into clean a/c for general use. The reactor, generator, and electric motor are all a tight unit designed to throttle together.
Reason077 8y ago
”the reactors in the new Ford-class carriers generate electricity, not steam” 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.
- opwieurposiu 8y ago
  High temperature reactors use helium as the coolant can use the brayton cycle turbines instead of steam turbines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brayton_cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brayton_cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very-high-temperature_reactor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very-high-temperature_reactor

No comment on the other points but the reactors in the new Ford-class carriers generate electricity, not steam, which is part of the reason those carriers use electric catapult.

topkai22 8y ago

Ford’s propulsion is still steam but it generates a tremendous amount of electrical power for its other systems 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.

sandworm101 8y ago

That is why i said most. The new trend is towards "all electric" drive. But even there, the power isnt being turnef into clean a/c for general use. The reactor, generator, and electric motor are all a tight unit designed to throttle together.

Reason077 8y ago

”the reactors in the new Ford-class carriers generate electricity, not steam” 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.

opwieurposiu 8y ago
High temperature reactors use helium as the coolant can use the brayton cycle turbines instead of steam turbines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brayton_cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brayton_cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very-high-temperature_reactor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very-high-temperature_reactor