S5W reactor
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The S5W reactor is a naval reactor used by the United States Navy to provide electricity generation and propulsion on warships. The S5W designation stands for:
- S = Submarine platform
- 5 = Fifth generation core designed by the contractor
- W = Westinghouse was the contracted designer
This pressurized water reactor's simplicity, over design, and redundancy was intended for ease of operation and tolerance of battle damage. These characteristics contributed greatly to the type's reliability, longevity, and sterling safety record. The S5W was the standard reactor for submarines of the United States Navy from its first use in 1959 on USS Skipjack (SSN-585) until the introduction of the Los Angeles class submarines in the mid-1970s. One S5W plant was also used in the United Kingdom on the Royal Navy's first nuclear-powered submarine HMS Dreadnought (S101). As of 2005, two S5W reactor plants remain in service: ex-USS Daniel Webster (MTS-626) and ex-USS Sam Rayburn (MTS-635). These plants are used to train naval nuclear operators; the designation MTS stands for "moored training ship."
Later-model S5W reactor plants were often refueled with a S3G core-3; that is, the third version of the S3G core.
[edit] External links
- Federation of American Scientists, S5W.
| United States Naval reactors |
| Aircraft carrier reactors: |
| A1W | A2W | A3W | A4W| A1B |
| 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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