View source for S6W reactor

{{Short description|US Navy nuclear reactor}}
[[File:US_Navy_091117-N-1644H-048_The_Seawolf-class_attack_submarine_USS_Connecticut_(SSN_22)_is_underway_in_the_Pacific_Ocean.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|{{USS|Connecticut|SSN-22}}]]
The '''S6W reactor''' is a [[United States Naval reactor|naval reactor]] used by the [[United States Navy]] to provide [[electricity generation]] and [[Nuclear marine propulsion|propulsion]] on [[warship]]s.  The S6W designation stands for:

* S, [[Submarine]] platform
* 6, Sixth generation [[Nuclear reactor core|core]] designed by the contractor
* W, [[Westinghouse Electric (1886)|Westinghouse]] was the contracted designer

== History ==
{{More citations needed|section|date=December 2009}}
This [[pressurized water reactor]] was prototyped in the land-based [[S8G reactor|S8G plant]] at [[Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory]]'s Kesselring Site in [[Milton (town), New York|West Milton, NY]] starting in March 1994.

The three ships of the {{sclass|Seawolf|submarine}} {{USS|Seawolf|SSN-21}}, {{USS|Connecticut|SSN-22}}, and {{USS|Jimmy Carter|SSN-23}} submarines were built with S6W reactors.

== Design ==
The S6W has a thermal power output of {{cvt|220|MW|hp}} and a shaft power output of {{cvt|57000|shp|MW|order=flip}} through 2 steam turbines.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hanson |first1=Brendan Patrick |title=Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors |page=32|url=https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/103656/953286533-MIT.pdf |access-date=23 January 2023}}</ref><ref name=“S6W_globalsecurity”>{{cite web |title=S6W Advanced Fleet Reactor |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/systems/s6w.htm |website=www.globalsecurity.org |access-date=23 January 2023}}</ref> It is believed to be able to utilize natural circulation at a large fraction of its full power without coolant pumps,<ref name=“S6W_globalsecurity” /> which greatly reduces noise.<ref>{{cite web |title=Evolution of Naval Reactor Design |url=http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2016/ph241/diorio2/ |at= S5G - Natural Circulation |website=large.stanford.edu |access-date=23 January 2023}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{United States Naval reactor}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:S6w Reactor}}

[[Category:United States naval reactors]]