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 = Fourth-generation core designed by the contractor
- W = Westinghouse, the contracted designer
These nuclear fission pressurized water reactors (PWRs) were jointly designed by Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory and Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory[1] and built by Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Their reactor cores are expected to operate for about 23 years.[citation needed] The only ships to use these nuclear reactors are the Nimitz class supercarriers, which have two apiece, each of which generates enough steam to produce 140,000 shaft horsepower (104 MWe).[2]
References
- ^ "A4W". US Navy Propulsion Systems. Federation of American Scientists. 1999-02-27. http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/eng/a4w.htm. 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. http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/eng/index.html. Retrieved 2006-10-16. "power per reactor ... 140,000 shp"
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