Early submarines used petrol engines and later diesel
engines to charge their batteries. The arrival of nuclear
power in the 1950s, requiring no air to operate, freed
submarines from the oceans surface enabling them to
operate independently and unseen in their true environment.
Simplified schematic of a nuclear submarine propulsion
system
The submariners ability to live submerged for long
periods and the stores that could be carried became
the new limits on a submarines endurance.
Features and benefits
- Has supported continuous at sea deterrent since
April 1968
- Long-life core lasts the entire life of the submarine
eliminating costly mid-life refuelling
- Designed by Rolls-Royce on behalf of the MoD
- Allows submarines to operate for long periods submerged
only restricted by food on board
- Each generation of reactor plant has seen improvement
in stealth for the submarine
PWR1 - was the first reactor plant designed and manufactured
by Rolls-Royce for the British nuclear submarine programme.
Through its life it was regularly updated in the quest
for improved performance with quieter operation. The
design evolution spanned three core designs, all designed
and manufactured in Derby. The first core based on the
American design was fitted to Valiant and Resolution
classes of nuclear submarines.The final core designed
for the PWR1 reactor is now the standard fit in the
current Swiftsure and Trafalgar class submarines, delivering
improved operational availability and increased time
between refits for refuelling.
PWR2 - The larger PWR2 plant was designed to meet the
operational requirements of the larger Vanguard class
submarines. The steady evolution in reactor design has
culminated in the long-life core, which began shore
based testing in 2002. So successful have the improvements
been that it has over six times the energy output and
over four times the service life of the original PWR1
core. Long-life cores will be standard fit in the latest
Astute class submarines - the first was back-fitted
to HMS Vanguard during refit in 2005.
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