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Access anywhere, anytime: Nuclear power, Ice Camp, and Rickover’s enduring standard of excellence
Admiral William Houston
As U.S. Navy submarines surface through Arctic ice during Ice Camp 2026, they demonstrate more than operational proficiency in one of the harshest environments on Earth. They reaffirm a technological truth first proven in August 1958, when the USS Nautilus completed its submerged transit of the North Pole: nuclear power enables access anywhere, anytime.
The Arctic is unforgiving, with vast distances, extreme cold, shifting ice, and no logistical infrastructure. Conventional propulsion is constrained by fuel, air, and endurance. Nuclear propulsion removes those constraints. Only a nuclear-powered submarine can operate anywhere in the world’s oceans, including under the polar ice, undetected and at maximum capability for extended periods. Nuclear power provides sustained high speed and the endurance to reposition across the globe without refueling.
Lance J. Agee
Nuclear Technology | Volume 142 | Number 1 | April 2003 | Pages 3-9
Technical Paper | RETRAN | doi.org/10.13182/NT03-A3369
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The nuclear industry's current "vision" for 2020 is for growth in U.S. nuclear to a 23% share of generation in 2020. To support this vision, the Electric Power Research Institute's Nuclear Power Division has developed a strategic bridge plan. The major objectives of the plan are discussed. Of key importance is the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff's proposed framework for risk-informed regulations. RETRAN-3D will undoubtedly be used by the industry to support Risk-Informed Regulation, specifically option 3.The reason that RETRAN-3D is the most logical tool to support Risk-Informed Regulation is that in January 2001 the NRC issued a safety evaluation report (SER) on RETRAN-3D. The significance of the SER to the RETRAN community is described, and a list of the most important SER conditions provided.Next, the new and unique applications of RETRAN-3D are referenced. Finally, discussion of the future direction of safety software indicates what the author feels is needed to adequately support both existing plant upgrades and future plant designs.
