Nuclear powered ships?

Not nuclear powered ships but marine based nuclear power stations that is mobile and able to be deployed anywhere in the world:

To be based on small modular reactor (SMR) which I take to be Molten Salt Reactors (MSR) (??)

If so, this is different from the Russian Nuclear Power Barge recently deployed in the Arctic, which is equipped with conventional reactors IFAIK.

PS> If any of these barge mounted power stations are to be deployed in the US (incl. PR) will such barges come under the Jones Act rules? ( i.e. have to be built at a US shipyard)

there was a merchant ship called the SAVANNAH. it was NUC powered. as I recall the manning requirement for operation was so large, you couldn’t make it pay.

on the flip side, most Russian ice breaks are NUC’s.

A nuclear powered power station is a great idea though a prime target for terrorists. how would you keep security?

There’s always enough money and manpower for “security” because “security” has many other benefits.

There have been several nuclear powered merchant ships in the world:
https://www.ans.org/news/article-2010/nuclear-merchant-ships-five-fast-facts/

Now only one is in active service:

Nobody is talking about building a replica of the Savannah, or using reactors of the type typically found in Naval surface vessels, or submarines.

Future nuclear powered merchant ship, or floating power stations, will use Molten Salt Reactors (MSR) that is sealed, plumbed and secured against tampering by itchy fingered Engineers, or terrorists.

PS> Russia also have a number of nuclear powered icebreakers that is in commercial service and are building more. There are also a newly built Nuclear Power Barge in the Russian Arctic and one more under construction.
These are using conventional reactors, but with more modern control and safety features, however.

It doesn’t say in the article but maybe any future Floating Desalination Vessels (FDV) could use MSR as their power source??:

http://www.environor.com/

Not a new idea. MH-1A - Wikipedia

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I’m totally in to Nuclear vessels, Zero emissions ect.
just survived the Florida hurricane, if i owned an electric sh*t box like biden wants i would be dead, no way to evacuate without running out of power, then what? I had no electricity for 4 days.

In another month it will be all back to normal as the Obama retreads crawl back into their hole, gasoline will go down to 2.30$ and re can start rebuilding the economy back to normal

Bruce Cibley
Marine Surveyor C.M.S. R.T.
Cell: 510 919 7554

Evacuation is what smart people do before the hurricane hits, not after.

If you had evacuated you would have had electricity, if you had evacuated in your electric car you would have passed many charging stations because the storm had not yet arrived. Even after the storm you could have driven just a few miles east or south and recharged. It sounds like you just stayed home. Luckily (for you at least) you survived the storm. You lived without power for a few days because you chose not to have a backup generator and now feel a need to whine about things that didn’t happen.

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I had 2 gensets so I was ok. Not sure where you live but the charging station in the Deep South are few and far between
Did I hurt your feelings your obviously a democrat

So, on top of being a whiner and a troll, you are a liar. Unless of course you didn’t have fuel for your pair of generators because you are also a poor planner. Are we supposed to feel sorry for you? Democrats and electricity are the least of your problems, go whine someplace else.

And by the way, I live in south Florida and have 2 really kick-ass electric vehicles and 3 generators, one natural gas, one gasoline, and one diesel.

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So if they’re claiming first operational demonstration ten years out, if successful, how long does it take after that to build a mariner licensing scheme?

On a basic level you’re still looking at a steam plant right? Same as current nuke ships and power plants? Either turbo-generators for electric motors, or main propulsion turbines. Does that mean it’s too early to drop steam from the curriculums and exams?

Does this become the movie Armageddon question: do we train nuke guys to be mariners, or mariners to be nuke guys…

[quote=“shipengr, post:132, topic:62447”]
do we train nuke guys to be mariners, or mariners to be nuke guys…
[/quote

It all depends on which training faction offers the best post retirement options to CG admirals and writes the biggest checks to congressional campaign funds.

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Things are happening in the field of nuclear powered ships, although not much in the news.
Came across this article from The Royal Institute of Naval Architects mentioning nuclear powered trawlers:
https://www.rina.org.uk/nemo.html

Today an article about the project apparent in a Norwegian maritime publication:
https://www.kystens.no/energi/fortsetter-trolig-prosjektet-med-atomdrevet-reketraler/2-1-1389800

PS> This does NOT involve MSR and Thorium, but use of mini-reactors of the more “traditional” type.

Nuclear powered ships is getting a lot of news coverage lately:

Why did Norway pass on this project?
https://www.intrafish.com/technology/it-doesnt-get-more-radical-than-micro-reactors-one-of-the-worlds-largest-coldwater-shrimp-suppliers-is-pursuing-a-nuclear-powered-trawler/2-1-1393047?zephr_sso_ott=v6tMGa

Some of the best reactor operators come from GOM shrimp boats. You could have gotten them to transfer the technology like on the old drilling days.

I was wondering about that too when I read the article in the local paper some time ago.
Maybe for the same skepticism as there is to the idea of nuclear powered ships everywhere else; thinking that it is similar to the Savannah, or to naval vessels?

Not likely. We learnt the last time not to thrust “coonas* engineering” skills. That is why Norway is where they are today in the offshore marine industry, both oil & gas and renewables.
Look and learn how not to do it, then improve and innovate.