The Feasibility of Nuclear Icebreakers

摘要

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the feasibility of a nuclear propulsion plant instead of the combined gas turbine and diesel electric propulsion plant selected for the previous class of the U.S. Coast Guard's Polar Icebreakers and their current planned replacements. The discussion will be centered on the size and configuration of the propulsion plant, fuel costs, personnel requirements, maintenance requirements, and the overall mission capacity that would be gained.