DREADNOUGHT CLASS NUCLEAR IFEP AIRCRAFT CARRIER

A concept design for a 44,000 tonne nuclear aircraft carrier was carried out as part of the author’s MSc in Marine Engineering. This report briefly covers the overall plant design before examining the nuclear issues in greater detail. Representative costs of an equivalent conventional plant and the nuclear plant have been produced showing that over a 50 year lifespan there are no cost premiums associated with the nuclear option. Should fossil fuel prices increase above inflation the nuclear plant’s through life cost is lower than those for the conventional power plant. This purely financial analysis ignores the further benefits resulting from nuclear power such as reduced emissions, increased endurance, absence of uptakes and downtakes and reduced reliance upon insecure fossil-fuel supplies. A combination of intelligent design, innovative technologies and effective management were recommended to counter the identified disadvantages.