Nuclear ship: Future new star over the Arctic Pole Route

Nuclear ship: Future new star over the Arctic Pole Route

Arctic glacier melting caused by global climate warming over recent years makes it possible to open the Arctic route. Geographically, compared with traditional routes via the Suez and Panama canals to connect Asia, Europe and Americas, a voyage traveling the Arctic route in highlatitude area from the east of Asia to the west of Europe is shorter and can avoid threat of Southeast Asian and Somali pirates. With possible further melting of Arctic glaciers in future, commercial value of the Arctic route will increasingly rise.

Nevertheless, chilliness special for the Arctic region is the biggest barrier to shipping in the polar sea area. Compared with other ships, ships navigating in the polar sea area have to consume more fuel. Further, marine engine fuel consumption in low-temperature environment will increase substantially,and this will to some extent increase fuel consumption for ships navigating in the polar sea area. Therefore, from technical perspective, compared with diesel engine power device common for current commercial ships, nuclear power device can match future power demand for polar ships.

Despite many technical and regulatory difficulties, against the macro background of high fuel cost, applying nuclear power device with even better comprehensive performance in the polar sea area remains optimal choice for polar navigation shipowners.

With continuous progress of marine power plant technology in recent years, there will possibly be two types of future polar navigation ship power plants. The HP steam turbine driven propeller power plant scheme will very likely become the preferred alternative for future polar navigation ship power plants. Application of steam turbine power plant in power-driven vessel propulsion has the longest history, with mature technology and very high reliability at large, dispelling the problem of high fuel cost.With continuous progress of electric propulsion technology,a new electric propulsion method with LP steam turbine driving generator and electricity providing ship propulsion will be another way to be selected for future polar navigation and power-driven vessel power plant. Compared with big-power main propulsion steam turbine,steam turbine driving generator does not excessive steam,hence fairly high overall heat efficiency. The multi-generator parallel operation power supply method is superior to single main propulsion turbine