Nuclear Ship Propulsion Research Papers (original) (raw)

The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia The Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade VISITS TO AUSTRALIA BY NUCLEAR POWERED OR ARMED VESSELS: Contingency Planning for the Accidental Release of Ionizing... more

The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia
The Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
VISITS TO AUSTRALIA BY NUCLEAR POWERED OR ARMED VESSELS: Contingency Planning for the Accidental Release of Ionizing Radiation
Australian Government Publishing Service
Canberra

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- Nuclear Ship Propulsion, Nuclear Safety

In its 1992 assessment of "The safety of Nuclear Powered Ships", the government's Special Committee on Nuclear ropulsion estimated how hazardous it would be for nuclear ships to use New Zealand ports. Unfortunately, the Special Committee failed to evaluate the hazards in terms of the product of risk and impact and thus failed to recognize that the day-by-day hazard of nuclear accidents accrues from rare catastrophes--almost Chernobyl-sized accidents.

- by Leonam L S Guimaraes
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- Nuclear Ship Propulsion, Nuclear Safety
- by Leonam L S Guimaraes
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- Nuclear Ship Propulsion, Nuclear Submarines

In 1984, New Zealand became a nuclear- free country, prohibiting the entry of nucleararmed
and nuclear-powered vessels to domestic ports. This caused a rift with the United States.
Today, the ban on nuclear arms is no longer a factor straining U.S.-New Zealand relations. Therefore,
the thesis focuses on the ban on naval nuclear reactors which remains an impediment to a
better relationship between New Zealand and the U.S. The thesis uncovers the various lines of
argument advanced by both proponents and opponents of the ban to analyze the options on how
to proceed with the ban on nuclear-powered ships. Numerous interviews with selected actors in
the debate surrounding nuclear-propelled ship visits provide the methodological centerpiece and
allow for a focus on the current political situation.
The thesis begins with a historical and theoretical overview of the emergence of antinuclearism
in New Zealand. After that, it examines concerns about the safety of naval nuclear
reactors, the importance of symbolism and morality, as well as aspects regarding national identity
and the ‘clean-green’ image. Next follows an analysis of the ban’s impact on the economy and
defense relations. Then, the thesis looks at how the nuclear- free legislation is perceived abroad,
what the likelihood of future nuclear ship visits is, and how the United States has contributed to
the prolongation of the row with New Zealand. Afterward, the thesis establishes that there are
four potential courses of action a New Zealand government can follow. The government can
· extend the applicability of the nuclear-free legislation to extraterritoriality,
· repeal the legislated ban while maintaining the ban as policy,
· remove the ban on nuclear-propelled ships altogether,
· maintain the status quo.
The thesis finds that neither the first nor the second option is a feasible course of action. Moreover,
a government intending to repeal the ban would have to ascertain in a referendum or public
discussion whether the public would support such a move. Since the circumstances for having a
public discussion on this sensitive topic are currently not present, the status quo will remain.

- by Leonam L S Guimaraes
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- Nuclear Ship Propulsion, Nuclear Safety

Nuclear powered attack submarine (SSN) acquisition by Non-Proliferation Treaty NoNuclear Weapon State (NPT-NNWS) Navies does not imply nuclear weapon proliferation risks higher than those related to stationary research and power reactors. It must then be recognized that stringent restraints on supplies and political pressures on governments, both exercised very effectively by No-Proliferation Treaty Nuclear Weapon State (NPT-NWS) against NPT-NNWS indigenous development of SSN and associated fuel cycle facilities, are fundamentally based on geopolitical and military strategic objectives. This practice is far from being related exclusively to the NPT spirit: in fact, it is a matter of freedom at seas and not of nuclear proliferation.

In September 2021, Australia’s Prime Minster startled almost everyone by declaring the replacement submarine for the nation’s COLLINS class boats would now be nuclear-powered. The United States and United Kingdom had just agreed to share nuclear propulsion technology with Australia to allow eight nuclear-powered submarines to be acquired. Moreover, these would be built in Australia with the first boat delivered by 2040. [Please click here to read the full “Australia’s nuclear submarine surprise (https://msd-mag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/MSD_5_2021.pdf)” article published in Maritime Security and Defence December 2021 issue (pp 7-12).]

The passage of a nuclear propelled vessel through the maritime zones of a coastal state and the entry of such vessels into its port bring about environmental and security concerns within the coastal state. As prospective investment in the vessels in this scenario is to be done by a company, it implies that these vessels will be for commercial purposes. Before providing advise on the liability and requirement of vessels using nuclear propulsion, it should be mentioned that while coastal states are expected to argue the precedence of their duty to protect the marine environment, this contention can be opposed by the notion that the need to protect commercial efficacy should be ensured; in other words, international instruments to regulate the operation of such vessels must be equitable and not favour coastal states over the operation of these vessels or vice versa.

Even though Article 23 of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea explicitly acknowledges the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea to nuclear vessels, many coastal states have recently forbidden or submitted to authorization the passage of ships carrying radioactive materials: this reveals a trend towards a more restrictive concept of “innocent passage.” As to straits used for international navigation and archipelagic sea lanes, the ius communicationis is still prominent and every measure that might prejudice the navigational rights of nuclear ships would not be consistent with the Montego Bay Convention.

- by Marco Roscini
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- History, Law, International Law, International Security
- by Leonam L S Guimaraes
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- Nuclear Engineering, Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Ship Propulsion, Brazilian Navy

Nuclear powered attack submarine (SSN) acquisition by Non-Proliferation Treaty No-Nuclear Weapon State (NPT-NNWS) Navies does not imply nuclear weapon proliferation risks higher than those related to stationary research and power reactors. It must then be recognized that stringent restraints on supplies and political pressures on governments, both exercised very effectively by No-Proliferation Treaty-Nuclear Weapon State (NPT-NWS) against NPT-NNWS indigenous development of SSN and associated fuel cycle facilities, are fundamentally based on geopolitical and military strategic objectives. This practice is far from being related exclusively to the NPT spirit: in fact, it is a matter of freedom at seas and not of nuclear proliferation.

João Roberto Loureiro de Mattos* e Leonam dos Santos Guimarães**
*Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP
Av. Lineu Prestes 2.242 – Cidade Universitária
05508-000 São Paulo, SP, Brasil
**Centro Tecnológico da Marinha em São Paulo - CTMSP
Av. Lineu Prestes 2.468
05508-900 Butantã, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
RESUMO
Constituindo-se em um dos maiores empreendimentos de desenvolvimento autóctone de
tecnologia já realizados no País, o programa de desenvolvimento da propulsão nuclear naval,
desenvolvido pela Marinha do Brasil através do Centro Tecnológico da Marinha em São Paulo –
CTMSP, tem cumprido um importante papel de integração de competências técnicas e institucionais,
bem como a manutenção de massa crítica de pessoal ao longo das décadas de 80 e 90, onde a falta de
política clara para a área nuclear indicava um iminente desmonte do setor. O programa de
desenvolvimento da propulsão nuclear naval funciona como um agregador e catalisador de
competências num setor altamente competitivo e especializado como é o nuclear.
Este artigo apresenta os interesses do Brasil na sua fronteira marítima, a inserção da propulsão
nuclear naval neste contexto, a estratégia da Marinha do Brasil para obter este tipo de tecnologia, a
descrição do protótipo em terra – INAP, a situação atual deste empreendimento e o seu caráter de
integração no cenário nuclear brasileiro.

- by João Roberto Loureiro de Mattos and +1
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- Nuclear Engineering, Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Ship Propulsion, Brazilian Navy
- by Leonam L S Guimaraes
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- Nuclear Ship Propulsion

This book has been written within the framework of the IAEA’s innovative reactor and fuel cycle technology development activities. It elucidates the role that peaceful air & space related nuclear power research and development could play in terrestrial innovative reactor and fuel cycle technology development initiatives. This book gives an introduction to Direct Cycle Nuclear engines which would resemble a conventional jet engine, except that there would be no combustion chambers. The air gained from the compressor section would be sent to a plenum that directs the air into the nuclear reactor core. An exchange takes place where the reactor is cooled, but it then heats up the same air and sends it to another plenum. The second plenum directs the air into a turbine, which sends it out the exhaust. The end result is that instead of using jet fuel, an aircraft could rely on nuclear reactions for power. Dr.Ugur Guven and Rohan M Ganapathy, both specialists in the field of Nuclear Propulsion discuss and explain how nuclear power plants and nuclear propulsion devices work by describing the fundamental physics of these devices and their conceptual application on UAV's.

Even though Article 23 of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea
explicitly acknowledges the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea to
nuclear vessels, many coastal states have recently forbidden or submitted to authorization
the passage of ships carrying radioactive materials: this reveals a trend towards
a more restrictive concept of “innocent passage.” As to straits used for international
navigation and archipelagic sea lanes, the ius communicationis is still prominent and
every measure that might prejudice the navigational rights of nuclear ships would
not be consistent with the Montego Bay Convention.

- by Marco Roscini
- •
- Law, International Law, International Security, Nuclear Weapons