how does a nuclear submarine work?

Question

I am working on at 'a' level standard so please be spacific with technical info. Thank you

Answer 1

Nuclear reactors are basically heat engines. As uranium fissions, the breaking apart of atoms releases energy, much of it in the form of heat, which can then be used to do work. In a nuclear-powered submarine, reactor heat produces steam to drive the turbines that provide the submarine's actual power. The development of compact, safe, and highly reliable pressurized water reactors for naval use in the early 1950s was the major technological achievement that made nuclear-powered submarines possible.

How Reactors Work
Naval pressurized-water reactors include a primary coolant system and a secondary coolant system. The primary system circulates water, which is pressurized to keep it from boiling, in a closed loop. As water passes through the reactor, it is heated. It then goes through the steam generator, where it gives up its heat to generate steam in the secondary system. Finally, it flows back to the reactor to be heated again. Inside the steam generator, heat energy is transferred across a watertight boundary to the secondary system, also a closed loop. The unpressurized water in the secondary system turns to steam when heated. The steam, in turn, flows through the secondary system to the propulsion turbines, which turn the propellers, and to the turbine generators, which supply electricity. As it cools, it condenses to water and is pumped back to the steam generator.

Answer 2

More than a hundred men eat, sleep, work and take time off in a steel tube for months at a time. Work is focused around several different areas and activities of a nuclear submarine; the attack center—the underwater equivalent of a surface ship's bridge—is the brain, where all of the decisions are made and passed along to the crew. The sonar room represents the ears and eyes of a submarine, where outside sounds are heard, processed and interpreted. The maneuvering room controls the nuclear reactor and converts its heat to energy for powering the submarine's systems and propulsion through the underwater environment.

This should give you more info: http://americanhistory.si.edu/subs/operating/index.html

Answer 3

I remember when nuclear subs were first going active....

The US had their best people on it, and the USSR had their best minds on it too, but the USSR split their scientists up in to different groups for different things.. such as sub design, and seperately teams working on reactor stuff.

Both countries had a big issue with the reactor. How to put the rods in reactor in closed envirnonment to limit radiation exposure to the crew.

In the end the USSR just used a lever, sealed at tightly as they could but not fully sealed. The US had same problem but some bright spark US scientist finally came up with the idea of using an electro magnet to put the rods down with, making reactor fully sealed.

The USSR had the best looking subs, but the USA had the safest ones.

Answer 4

Nuclear powerd submarine work with the principle of using a tiny nuclear reactor (well shielded and mounted well to adjust for the rock, roll of the Sub) which is the heat source used to heat up the water and converts it to steam which powers the propellers through engines.
The conventional submarines use diesel engines to power the propellers and diesel engines need huge quantity of air intake and these submarines carry huge volumes of Air containers for sustained under water operation. But they come to surface often to breathe air(refill the tanks for the diesel engines and for the cabin use). But the Nuclear propelled submarines take advantage of this by no air necessity for propellsion and only air is stored for the supply for people who are onboard. So these nuclear submaries can stay under water for more time, even upto 1 month time without comming to suface.

Answer 5

for the propulsion systems the nuclear reactor heats water to steam which is pressurised and then used to turn the screws which propell the boat through the water, it also has a conventional desil engine or 2 which do the same job but obviously cant to it for as long as the nuclear reactor due to the limitations of fuel supply and that the boat has to either be on the surface or close enough to use its snorkel to get oxygen for the combustion process of the desil engine.

Answer 6

One clarification. The reactor boils water to make steam to drive a turbine, but the turbine does not drive the propellers directly. The turbine drives an electric generator and the propellers are driven with electric motors.

Answer 7

The reactor heats up the water which then drives a steam turbine propelling the sub !.

Answer 8

same as regular sub but nuclear can stay down longer and doesnt need to be refueled as conventional submarines do

Answer 9

probably a bit complicated to answer in a few sentences, join the navy is the easiest way !

Answer 10

They put some soap in that little hole in the top, and it goes "put put put" for, oh, the length of a bath tub.

Cheers!