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11 - Nuclear-Powered Vessels

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2021

By
Richard John (Jan) Pentreath
Edited by
Stephen de Mora ,
Timothy Fileman  and
Thomas Vance
Stephen de Mora
Affiliation:
Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Timothy Fileman
Affiliation:
Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Thomas Vance
Affiliation:
Plymouth Marine Laboratory
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Summary

This chapter outlines the development of nuclear-powered marine propulsion, considering submarines and other naval vessels, together with icebreakers and unsuccessful commercial ships. During shipboard operations, nuclear wastes such as metallic and gaseous radioisotopes are captured by ion exchange and eventually returned to land for disposal. The principal environmental concerns with respect to all reactor operations, apart from something going wrong, are the issues surrounding the decommissioning and ultimate disposal of the spent nuclear fuel, the reactor, and other components that have become contaminated or made radioactive as a result of neutron activation. Incidents relating to nuclear powered submarines are catalogues, noting that the fate of some of the vessels remain unknown. Finally, the Human and environmental consequences of reactors lost and dumped at sea are discussed.

Type
Chapter
Information
Environmental Impact of Ships , pp. 282 - 302
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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