A4W reactor
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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]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". 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.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
See also
References
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External links
- [1] (correcting for the power output from 500 megawatts to 105.)