Electric plane-flinger for US and Royal navies doing well

The Register ^ | 30th September 2011 | Lewis Page

[rottndog]

Except for the jet fuel withou that they are just moving bricks

Yes, but with nuclear power, the carrier can carry far more jet fuel than it otherwise could.

[CodeToad]

“Locomotives have been using diesel engines to run generators because using electric to run the wheels is far more efficient than steam.”

Um, engines have moving parts that can run generators.

Nuclear has no moving parts, so what part of nuclear do you see turning a generator shaft?? Nuclear plants generate heat, heat coverts water to steam, steam powers turbines that can turn generator shafts. Why inject a generator in between the steam and the propeller shaft? You’ll just lose energy from all that converting.

Smarter guys than you figured that one out.

[CodeToad]

“I, for one, would like to welcome the military to the 20th century!”

So steam is soooo 19th century. So is electricity, telephone wires, piston engines, and all sorts of things. Old doesn’t mean bad. Grow up.

[SoCal Pubbie]

There has been, and still are, efforts to develop modern steam locomotives. Steam technology essentially stopped developing around 1945. Using modern lightweight construction, welded steel boilers and fireboxes, and computer control, steam locomotives can push thermal efficiencies as high as 27%. Emissions are also lower than diesel units. Because they can burn coal, then can also reduce the amount of petroleum demand here in the United States where coal is abundant.

[jonascord]

You should be careful. FREIGHT rail is a good use for these technology advances.

However, PASSENGER rail has never shown a profit, and there are always Steamboat Willies, lurking out there, hoping that, somehow, they can sneak in the People's Light Rail Systems as another government fiscal bottomless pit.

[rabidralph]

Don’t forget floating football field, soccer field and rugby pitch.

[mamelukesabre]

Nuclear fission is expensive and outdated. Until nuclear fusion is feasible, we will see a migration away from fission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the most efficient power plant today is a supercritical steam boiler fired by coal. Second place is a nuclear powered steam boiler. If thorium turns out to be as good as it is hyped up to be(I have my doubts), it will come in second between nuclear and coal. Thorium reactors do not use steam boilers.

[CodeToad]

I live a mile from a train track. It has probably 20 coal trains a day pass through, yet, experts estimate we have at least several hundred years more coal even at that rate. I am all for coal. It can be made clean and efficient, and it is if you look at the output of the electrical plants around here. I am also for nuclear with the big idea that fussion reactors can be had at some time to consume the fission reactor’s waste products.

[OA5599]

Actually, the newest, smaller powerplants are natural gas turbines. Only the older, larger ones still use steam

Actually, new larger ones use steam turbines. All the new coal and nuclear plants in the world are steam turbine generator sets. The new large natural gas power plants in the US are combined cycle units with both gas turbine generator sets and steam turbine generator sets.

[OA5599]

LOL, all the modern tourist ships have electric motors, even the biggest one

When is the last time a cruise liner went out on a six month deployment?

[Vanders9]

I've always suspected that this ability to "deploy anywhere for any amount of time because they dont have to worry about refueling" is vastly overated. Sure its true - they dont need to refuel, and they can make their own water, but they still have to restock with food, and more importantly in a hot war situation, with aviation fuel and ammunition. There is, after all, a finite amount of those commodities that they can carry.

Don't get me wrong - I accept 100% there are huge tactical advantages to be had with nuclear powered warships, it's just that I dont think the advantages are quite as great as is often touted.

[Vanders9]

A carrier for sure could move around on its own, but I would think it would be highly unlikely that one would do. Certainly not in an active theater.

[Vanders9]

A carrier for sure could move around on its own, but I would think it would be highly unlikely that one would do. Certainly not in an active theater.