Summary
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 edit
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 edit
References edit
- ^ a b "A4W". US Navy Propulsion Systems. Federation of American Scientists. 1999-02-27. Archived from the original on 25 September 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-16.
current cores for the NIMITZ Class aircraft carrier ... last on average about 20 years
- ^ "US Navy Propulsion Systems". Federation of American Scientists. Archived from the original on 9 October 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-16.
power per reactor ... 140,000 shp
External links edit
- [1] (correcting for the power output from 500 megawatts to 105.)