Many of us have heard the definition of "atomic boat." However, not everyone knows what it is. This essay will examine what it represents, what varieties of it exist, in which areas it is used, as well as interesting facts about it.
Description
Nuclear-powered ship is a nuclear ship, the common name for ships that use a nuclear installation to move. A nuclear power plant on a ship (power unit) is a whole set of special devices for generating electrical, thermal and mechanical energy as a result of a controlled nuclear reaction that occurs in a reactor. Marine nuclear reactors (power units) operate steam and electric generators, steam turbines, pumps and other equipment, which is responsible not only for the movement of the ship, but also for other internal processes. The safety of the crew on nuclear powered ships is ensured by means of biological protection, as well as special control systems for stable operation.
Steam turbines and steam generators are one of the main and main components of a marine nuclear power unit. In fact, from a technical point of view, nuclear powered ships are steamboats, or rather turbine ships (turboelectric ships), with the difference that the nuclear reactor is their source of energy.
Types of nuclear powered ships
Continuing to consider what an atomic boat is, it is necessary to talk about their varieties. There are civilian and military vessels with nuclear power plants. Civilian nuclear powered ships are mostly icebreakers, but there are also merchant and utility ships. The world's first atomic civilian ship was built in the USSR in 1959. This is the icebreaker "Lenin". It is worth noting that this icebreaker became the first nuclear surface vessel in the world. A year earlier, the first Soviet submarine with a nuclear reactor, the Lenin Komsomol, was built.
The world's first civilian nuclear-powered ship was the Savannah ship. He was launched in mid-1959 in the United States. This ship got its name in honor of the steamship that first crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the history of navigation. The Savannah nuclear-powered icebreaker is one of four passenger-cargo ships built with a nuclear power plant.
Lighter carrier (container ship) Sevmorput is a nuclear-powered ship built in the Soviet Union in 1984. This vessel is unique in that it is simultaneously used as a container ship and an icebreaker. There are no analogues in this unique ship in the world.
Nuclear submarines
In addition to civilian nuclear submarines, there are warships with a nuclear installation. The worldβs first ship with a nuclear reactor was the Nautilus submarine launched in the USA in 1954. This submarine was the first not only to descend under water, but also in an underwater position, passing under the ice, and reached the North Pole. In the USSR, a submarine with a nuclear reactor appeared only four years later.
In addition to submarines, the fleet is armed with nuclear missile cruisers. The first such ship was the Long Beach, built in the USA in 1959. This ship is an auxiliary for military operations along with aircraft carriers and destroyers. In addition to missiles, the cruiser is armed with anti-aircraft installations to combat the air threat.
Aircraft carriers
Along with icebreakers, aircraft carriers are the largest nuclear powered ships. These ships, as their name implies, are designed to travel on water along with airplanes. In addition, they have on board a specialized system for launching an aviation group from the deck of the ship, as well as a landing system. Along with this, an entire infrastructure has been created on the aircraft carrier for the self-sufficiency of the team and auxiliary equipment.
The very first aircraft carrier with a nuclear reactor, called the Enterprise, was built and launched in the United States in 1961. This aircraft carrier is the longest warship in the world, its length is 342 meters. It is an interesting fact that a single loading of nuclear fuel will be enough for the ship to operate for as long as 13 years. Despite the advantages of the ship, he did not go into series, primarily because of its high cost. The total price of the aircraft carrier amounted to more than 450 billion US dollars.
Currently, new military and civilian vessels are being built that have a nuclear power plant. In the future, this will continue for many more years, since nuclear energy has enormous potential for the various needs of mankind.