A4W reactor
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The A4W reactor is a naval reactor used by the United States Navy to provide electricity generation and propulsion on warships. The A4W designation stands for:
- A = Aircraft carrier platform
- 4 = Fourth generation core designed by the contractor
- W = Westinghouse was the contracted designer
A pair of these nuclear reactors are used aboard the Nimitz-class supercarriers, and are each capable of producing 140,000 shaft horsepower (104 MW) [1] of power, with an expected reactor lifespan of 50 years [2].
[edit] Design
The reactor is a nuclear fission pressurized water reactor (PWR). The Westinghouse Electric Corporation was awarded the building rights to the A4W reactor. The reactor was jointly designed by Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory and Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory.
[edit] References
- ^ A4W by the Federation of American Scientists, Retrieved: 16 October 2006
- ^ US Navy Propulsion Systems by the Federation of American Scientists, Retrieved: 16 October 2006
| United States Naval reactors |
| Aircraft carrier reactors: |
| A1B | A1W | A2W | A3W | A4W |
| Cruiser reactors: |
| C1W |
| Destroyer reactors: |
| D1G | D2G |
| Submarine reactors: |
| S1C | S1G | S1W | S2C | S2G | S2W | S2Wa | S3G | S3W | S4G | S4W | S5G | S5W | S6G | S6W | S7G | S8G | S9G |
| List of United States Naval reactors |
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