NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

Prof Ir Dr. Ab Saman b. Abd Kader, PEng, MIEM,MCIT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,UTM

INTRODUCTION

Nuclear powered ships are becoming increasingly popular in advancing ship technology. Previous drawbacks for using nuclear power centred mainly around the inherent safety concerns for the crew; installation, maintenance and disposal costs and the exceptionally high standards required for component manufacturing and quality assurance. These hurdles are slowly being overcome as more funds are being allocated to social security and defense worldwide and as a greater demand is being placed on sustained performance efficiency in naval ships. Of course this does not mean to say that nuclear ships were not around in the earlier days. Shown below is the picture of a nuclear ship which was taken nearly 4 decades ago and shows a ship named "Otto Hahn" which was a

HOW DOES A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ON SHIP WORK?

The energy generating house or propulsion plant of a nuclear powered ship utilizes a nuclear reactor to generate heat. The heat is generated within the nuclear reactor as a result of the fissioning of the nuclear fuel. Lead shields are placed around the reactor as a preventive measure against the radiation produced from the fissioning process. The nuclear propulsion plant operates as a pressurized water reactor design containing both a primary and secondary system.

Primary system: This is where water is circulated through the reactor, piping loops, pumps and steam generators. As the heat transferred from the reactor to the water is done at such a high pressure, it does not boil. Instead, the water is pumped from the steam generator back to the reactor for re-heating.

Secondary system: Steam which is produced at the steam generators supply the energy required to drive the turbine generators. The turbine generators then cause the propeller to rotate thereby causing thrust and a forward motion to the ship.
Turbine generators are also utilized in supplying the ship with electricity. Once the steam has passed through the turbines, it is cooled and condensed into water and then fed back to the steam generators by the feed pumps. As can be noted, both the primary and secondary systems involve the recirculation and renewal of water.

A TYPICAL NUCLEAR SHIP ARRANGEMENT

The above mentioned theory is generic in nature and good enough to give you a broad idea what a nuclear powered ship consists of. In this section we will take a look at a specific arrangement of a nuclear ship with the help of a diagram. As you can see in the picture below the diagram is fairly self explanatory and the nuclear components are shown on the left hand side of the diagram and the steam generation system which ultimately drives the propeller shaft on the right hand side. The nuclear reactor produces heat which is used to generate steam and that steam in turn in used to provide motive power for turbines. Of course this arrangement might vary in different kinds of ships but is good enough to explain the overall idea.

INDEPENDENCE

The functionality of the propulsion plant does not require oxygen thereby allowing the ship to operate independently from any external atmospheric requirements. Ship maneuvering and continuosuly changing operating performance requirements dictate highly irregular power demands. As can be imagined, the quality, strength and durability of component parts are of crucial importance to ensure sustained durability under such harsh conditions. One should bear in mind that the internals of a nuclear reactor remain inaccessible for inspection or replacement for an extensive period of time.

FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR NUCLEAR SHIPPING

Preparations are under way for nuclear reactors to make a major comeback in commercial shipping.

Although shipping is already highly energy efficient, pressure has come on the industry to lower emissions. There is the potential for market-based measures for controlling carbon dioxide emissions, while the entry into force of strict International Maritime Organisation controls in 2020 provides a firm deadline against which the industry can weigh the benefits of a range of technology enhancements and fuel options. But with no clear technological fix to lower emissions using traditional diesel or LPG fuels, nuclear energy is emerging as a practical option.

This trend has been developing quickly in recent years and the recent announcement of a major joint research project on the topic is the most significant to date. Marine and energy consultants BMT Group and Enterprises Shipping and Trading have joined with start-up small reactor firm Hyperion and Lloyd's Register to "investigate the practical maritime applications for small modular reactors." "We will see nuclear ships on specific trade routes sooner than many people currently anticipate," said Lloyd's Register CEO Richard Sadler.

The organisation has been an independent service provider to the shipping industry for 250 years. In response to its members' interest in nuclear propulsion Lloyd's Register has recently rewritten its 'rules' for nuclear ships, which concern the integration of a reactor certified by a land-based regulator with the rest of the ship. A draft of the rules was put before Lloyd's technical committee two weeks ago and this represents a further step towards an international regulatory regime to ensure worldwide safety in a potential nuclear shipping sector.

Vince Jenkins of Lloyd's Register told World Nuclear News: "National maritime regulators have little nuclear capability, so land based nuclear regulators will be needed in support. Since there are no internationally traded nuclear powered merchant vessels today, our nuclear powered ship rules have suggested a framework which may allow nuclear powered shipping to operate. Within this suggested framework, we have developed the area where it is felt that a ship classification society can add value and confidence to the safety of nuclear powered vessels, the integration of the reactor plant into the ship. The new program of joint research is meant to produce "a concept tanker ship design based on conventional and modular concepts," said Lloyd's. It noted that "Special attention will be paid to analysis of a vessel's lifecycle cost as well as to hull-form designs and structural layout,

Nuclear power looked set for a maritime role in the 1960s thanks to early vessels like the Savannah and Otto Hahn, although in the end the Savannah worked for only ten years and the Otto Hahn was repowered with diesel engines after nine years. The Japanese-built Mutsuoperated from 1970 until 1992 but none of these ships was a commercial success. A notable exception has been the icebreaker fleet that works Russia's trade routes in the Arctic Ocean. These vessels number only seven, but one is a cargo vessel and small reactors of the same type are currently being fitted to the Akademik Lomonosov, the world's first floating nuclear power plant, set for deployment in Russia's far east.

Nevertheless, there remain about 200 small reactors at sea in military fleets but this technology cannot easily be transferred to the civil sector due to the requirement of using low-enriched uranium (LEU).

In the military sector of recognised nuclear weapons states, highenriched uranium allows more compact reactor designs with weight and controllability benefits.
The reactor of the Hyperion system uses LEU and measures about 1.5 metres by 2.5 metres. It would produce about 70 MWt - enough for about 25 MWe for propulsion. Its 'battery' design simplifies refuelling to a swap-out operation every 810 years with the possibility of managed lease arrangements similar to aircraft engines.

However, incorporation of any reactor in a ship would require extensive radiation shielding, consideration of impact protection. A step change in crew training would be required and there is a strong case for crew to be supplied by reactor vendors. Similar to nuclear power on land, the additional capital cost of nuclear compared to fossil fuels is a significant obstacle despite the fact that savings on fuel and potential emissions charges would make nuclear economic in the long run. One of the most effective ways for a diesel-powered vessel to save fuel and emissions is to travel more slowly and avoiding this practical constraint could make nuclear vessels particularly attractive for certain cargoes and routes.

INTRODUCTION TO SHIPS POWERED BY NUCLEAR ENERGY

The warships of many of the worlds navies are powered by nuclear energy, normally provided by a Pressurized Water Reactor. (PWR) The heat generated in nuclear reactors is used to raise steam to drive steam turbines. The turbine can either drive the ships shafts through a gearbox, or use the electrical power to drive the propeller shaft. Large submarines use nuclear energy because of its high power output coupled with the length of time between refueling. These submarines are able to cruise around under the worlds oceans without surfacing for many months. Other naval ships such as cruisers and aircraft carriers are also powered by nuclear energy.

The use of nuclear energy to power merchant navy ships has not proven very successful, with only a handful being built with nuclear reactors.
However there are numerous icebreakers operating in the Arctic using nuclear energy because of the high power output required to break through ice sometimes over a meter thick. This is another article on the series of Nuclear Energy.

This covers the use of nuclear energy to power warships and submarines.
We shall examine the nuclear fuel enrichment required, the operation of the shipboard power plant, and the different methods of using this power to drive the propeller shafts. We begin with a quick overview of nuclear energy, moving on to its application in powering the worlds warships and submarines.

NUCLEAR ENERGY OVERVIEW

Nuclear energy relies on the reactions of enriched uranium. In a PWR, the enriched uranium is placed in fuel rods which are bundled together to form the fuel assembly. The fuel assembly is placed in the core of the reactor where the reactions take place. The speed and reactions are controlled by control rods and a moderator. In the core, uranium atoms are bombarded with free neutrons producing immense heat. This heat is transferred by a cooling medium to a heat exchanger where process water is converted to dry high pressure steam. The steam is then used to drive a steam turbine, as in a normal steam plant.

SHIPBOARD NUCLEAR REACTOR OPERATION

The operation of a nuclear reactor to raise steam outlined above is similar to a shipboard one. The main differences being as follows, Type of Fuel Used As we have seen the normal fuel used in the reactor is enriched uranium known as UO2, however the fuel used by the PWR for ships propulsion has a different form. This fuel is still uranium based but alloyed with different percentages of aluminum or zirconium.

Fuel Enrichment

The UO2 fuel is normally enriched with 3-5% of U235.

The uranium alloy has been enriched to contain up to 90% U235, but is normally used at between 45-75% U235 enrichment in PWR for ships propulsion.

Internal Neutron Shield

The internal neutron shield is designed to contain the aggressive neutrons movement occurring within the narrow compact pressure vessel containing the reactor core. The neutron shield is fabricated from a high mass/density material which provides a good source of neutron absorption. This prolongs the reactors core life by preventing the embrittlement of the steel of the pressure vessel, with some reactors being designed to last between 40 and 50 years.

The Plants Compactness

The shipboard nuclear reactor is very compact compared to the normal power plant reactor.

This compact plant is normally about 4m high with a diameter of 2m.

This makes these plants particularly suitable for submarines, where space is at a premium

Power output

The power output from ships nuclear energy plants ranges from 200MWt for submarine propulsion to 300MWt for larger warships such as aircraft carriers.

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