https://twitter.com/i/status/1438251763862212614Original Post Deleted
https://twitter.com/i/status/1438251763862212614Original Post Deleted
Serious question, do we have any idea what sort of nuclear reactors Australia will get for their submarines? For example, from Rolls Royce? And also the number of expected SSNs?
At least 8 subs.
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/australi...anced-security
Plus a bunch of Tomahawk missiles, missile upgrades to the older F18 and future F35s.
It's going to be a long time to see delivery, unless it's an off-the-shelf model.
Agree with Hull - this post deserves more than a "like". It made me laugh - twice Very witty!Original Post Deleted
Woof woof
Rolls Royce....that reminds me, Rolls Royce's Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) have been used for Royal Navy's nuclear powered subs since the 1960's starting with the Valiant class SSNs. One of the later Valiant class, the Churchill class's HMS Conqueror, sank the Argentine's General Belgrano, a WW2 ex-US Navy cruiser during the 1982 Falklands War, the first time a nuclear powered sub sank another enemy vessel.
Nuclear marine propulsion's basic principle is essentially not much different from steam turbines used in the late 19th and early 20th century ships. Turbines extract the thermal energy of the steam to produce mechanical power. The main difference is the source of thermal heat to produce the steam that drives the turbines. Instead of boilers in traditional steam propulsion, you got a nuclear reactor acting as the source of heat. A primary circuit of light water, kept in liquid form due to the high pressure, obtains thermal energy from the reactor. This primary circuit then transfer the heat to a secondary circuit steam generator. This steam drives the turbine which in turn spins a driveshaft which goes through a reduction gear and eventually turns the propeller or screw at the back of the submarine.
The problem with nuclear powered submarines is that this system require pumps to move the water in the primary and secondary circuits. These pumps produce noise which made early nuclear subs easier to detect and noiser than their diesel counterparts. Later generation of Western nuclear subs however, have developed many ingenious quieting engineering solutions to lower this noise. Such as tiles on the external surface of the submarine to absorb internal noise. The Royal Navy also suspended their pumps and water circuits on rafters away from the hull to reduce vibration and noise. The propeller was also made into a pumpjet starting from the Trafalgar class to cut down on the noise further.
Last edited by Coolboy; 16-09-2021 at 08:34 PM.