| Description |
1 online resource (10 pages) : illustrations, color photographs |
| Series |
Special report / Federation of American Scientists |
|
Special report (Federation of American Scientists)
|
| Contents |
Executive summary. -- Introduction: the advantages of nuclear energy for naval propulsion. -- A brief history of French naval nuclear propulsion. -- Nuclear energy in France. -- Nuclear safety rules. -- Loading and unloading of the reactor core. -- Enrichment versus performances. -- Enrichment and power of the core. -- Enrichment and lifetime. -- Enrichment and maneuverability. -- Enrichment and circuit contamination. -- Conclusions for naval reactors' lifetime and performance. -- Economic considerations. -- Overall conclusions: France's choice |
| Summary |
While HEU offers very high energy density for compact reactor cores and thus can be used for lifetime cores, the choice for LEU fuel made sense given France's technical, regulatory, and economic context. In this report, Alain Tournyol du Clos, a lead architect of France's naval nuclear propulsion program, explains the reasons for France's decision. Is LEU fuel the right choice for other nations? The author points out that it depends on the technical and economic context. For non-nuclear weapon states that only want a small nuclear navy, such as Brazil, this choice would be very suitable. For nuclear weapon states with existing large nuclear navies, such as the United States or Russia, this choice could help promote the establishment of a fissile material cutoff and serve as an example to other nations |
| Notes |
"December 2016"--Cover |
|
Online resource; title from PDF cover page (FAS, viewed January 30, 2017) |
| Subject |
Nuclear submarines -- France -- Fuel
|
|
Nuclear fuels -- Government policy -- France
|
|
Military policy.
|
|
Nuclear fuels -- Government policy.
|
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Ship propulsion reactors.
|
| SUBJECT |
France -- Military policy
|
| Subject |
France.
|
| Form |
Electronic book
|
| Author |
Federation of American Scientists, publisher.
|
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