Katie and Ania- How does a nuclear submarine work?

Nuclear submarines have their advantages compared to a “conventional” submarine (typically diesel) such as being independant of air which means the submarine doesn’t need to surface as frequently as a conventional submarine would.

The large amount of power created from the nuclear reactor allows nuclear submarines to operate at high speed for long periods of time.

The only limits of the submarine are resurfacing to restock food etc.

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1- Engine room

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2- Ballast and trim tanks 3- Rudder 4- Propeller

Nuclear reactor-

As Uranium fissions, atoms break apart creating energy(heat) which is then turned to steam.

It is protected by a thick metal encasing which weighs about 100 tons. A specially designed alloy inside the shielding protects the radioactive fuel rods.

Control and attack centre- This is the

nerve centre of the submarine. It contains the operational controls for all navigational, sonar, communications and weapons systems.

Water and atmosphere control- This purifies

salt water for the crew to drink and their breathing air by removing the carbon dioxide and impurities.

It also purifies the water for the engines needs.

Propeller- The

propeller is powered by the steam driven turbine and generators. The steam comes from the nuclear reactor.

The propeller gives the submarine its power to move forward and accelerate.

Engine room- The

engine room contains the main turbine to drive the propeller, hydraulic systems, air compressors and power generators.

Rudder- The rudder

is vertically aligned, by moving is the submarine can be directed side to side.

Stem planes are horizontally aligned, so moving them will guide the submarine upward or downward.

Sail- The sail is the

part of the submarine that sits above the main body of the submarine. It is streamlined and consists of several components. These components are the horizontal diving planes, the radar masts, communications antennas and periscopes.

Sonar sphere- This

is used to detect other objects in the water by using sonar. This sends a sound wave which if it hits an object then a portion of it will be echoed back to the submarine.

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1- Maneuvering room 2- Water and atmosphere control

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1- Control and attack centre

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2- Crews quarters/ mess 3- Hull 4- Nuclear reactor

Maneuvering room- The control

centre for the main operating systems of the vessel. The turbines, generators and nuclear reactor.

Hull- A submarine

has an inner hull which protects the crew from the water pressure, and an outer hull which provides a streamlined shape to the submarine.

Vertical launch systems- Modern

submarines also carry a complement of missiles to attack land based targets.

Crews quarters/ mess- The crew is housed and fed in very small, tight, efficient quarters.

Torpedo room- This is where all the torpedoes are stored and loaded into torpedo tubes to prepare them for launching.

Ballast and trim tanks- These help

control the depth of the submarine by taking on or releasing water. The submarines carry compressed air with them which is blown into the ballast tanks to push the water out and create the necessary buoyancy to allow the

submarine to rise up.

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1- Sonar sphere 2- Vertical launch system 3- Sail 1

4- Torpedo room