What is a submarine nuclear reactor?

Nuclear submarines employ nuclear reactors for this task. These engines are able to provide emergency electrical power for reactor decay heat removal, as well as enough electric power to supply an emergency propulsion mechanism. Submarines may carry nuclear fuel for up to 30 years of operation.

Why are nuclear subs loud?

Reactor coolant pumps on nuclear submarines are three decks tall dwarfing by far any other single piece of mechanical equipment in the engineering plant. The flow of steam and the piping and turbine pump noises are louder than simply running a electric motor off batteries in the underwater mode.

Are nuclear submarines quiet?

Are nuclear subs quieter? It depends. Diesel-electric subs are quieter while running in electric mode, but must at some point surface or pop up a snorkel to run their diesel engines and recharge the batteries.

What is the ping noise on a submarine?

Active sonar sends out acoustic sounds, or “pings,” which can reach thousands of yards. If the ping bounces back, that means it hit an object—like a whale, a ship, or another submarine. But stealth subs often avoid active sonar, since the ping could give away their location.

Are nuclear submarines silent?

Silent running is a stealth mode of operation for naval submarines. Nuclear submarines can run even more quietly, at very low speeds only, by turning off active reactor cooling during silent running. The reactor is then only cooled by natural convection of the water.

How Big Is the reactor in a nuclear submarine?

Reactor sizes range up to ~500 MWt (about 165 MWe) in the larger submarines and surface ships. The French Rubis-class submarines have a 48 MW reactor that needs no refueling for 30 years. The nuclear navies of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Russian Federation rely on steam turbine propulsion.