Britain’s nuclear-powered subs have potentially unsafe reactors
MAR 11, 2011
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.025124
Guardian : A declassified and heavily redacted report from Britain’s defense ministry has raised concerns about the robustness of the pressurized water reactors in the Royal Navy’s fleet of 11 nuclear-powered submarines. The report notes that the reactors lack safety features that are now standard in civilian reactors. In particular, the reactors’ primary circuits, if compromised, could lead to the release of highly reactive fission products. The design flaw is troubling because the four nuclear submarines in the Vanguard class carry nuclear missiles.
© 2011. American Institute of Physics