The ''Arktika'' class is a Russian (formerly
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
) class of
nuclear-powered icebreaker
A nuclear-powered icebreaker is an icebreaker with an onboard nuclear power plant that produces power for the vessel's propulsion system. , Russia is the only country that builds and operates nuclear-powered icebreakers, having built a number of ...
s. Formerly known as ''Project 10520 nuclear-powered icebreaker'', they were the world's largest and most powerful icebreakers until the 2016 launch of the first
Project 22220 icebreaker
Project 22220, also known through the Russian type size series designation LK-60Ya,The type size series designation "LK-60Ya" (russian: ЛК-60Я) comes from the Russian language word for "icebreaker" (russian: text=ледокол, translit=ledo ...
, also named ''
Arktika''.
Ships of the ''Arktika'' class are owned by the
federal government, but were operated by the
Murmansk Shipping Company
Murmansk Shipping Company (russian: Мурманское морское пароходство), often abbreviated as MSCO, is a Russian shipping company based in Murmansk (hence the name). One of the primary shipping companies operating in Ar ...
(MSCO) until 2008, when they were transferred to the fully
state-owned corporation
A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the government ...
Atomflot
FSUE Atomflot (russian: ФГУП «Атомфлот») is a Russian company and service base that maintains the world's only fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers. Atomflot is part of the Rosatom group, and is based in the city of Murmansk.
, the ...
. Of the ten civilian nuclear-powered vessels built by Russia or the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, six were of this type.
They are used for escorting merchant ships in the
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...
north of
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...
as well as for scientific and recreational expeditions to the
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...
.
History
![50 Let Pobedy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/50_Let_Pobedy.jpg)
On July 3, 1971, construction began on a conceptual design of a larger nuclear icebreaker, dubbed ''
Arktika'', in the
Baltic Shipyard
The OJSC Baltic Shipyard (''Baltiysky Zavod'', formerly Shipyard 189 named after Grigoriy Ordzhonikidze) (russian: Балтийский завод имени С. Орджоникидзе) is one of the oldest shipyards in Russia and is part o ...
in then
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
.
[Olagaard, P. Reistad, O. (April 2006). Russian Nuclear Power Plants for Marine Applications] Four years later, on December 17, 1975,
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
and
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
received radio messages informing them that sea trials had been completed successfully. The newest and largest nuclear icebreaker at the time was ready for the Arctic.
[Pike, J. Project 10520 Arktika/ Global Security.Org. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/10520.htm]
''Arktika'' was the first surface ship to reach the
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...
, on August 17, 1977.
As the leading vessel in Russia's second nuclear icebreaker class, ''Arktika'' became the classification name for five icebreakers to follow: the ''
Sibir'' in 1977, ''
Rossiya'' in 1985, ''
Sovetskiy Soyuz'' in 1989, the
''Yamal'' in 1992 and the ''
50 Let Pobedy
''50 Let Pobedy'' (russian: 50 лет Победы; "50 Years of Victory", referring to the anniversary of victory of the Soviet Union in World War II) is a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker.
History
Construction on project no. 10521 started ...
'' in 2007.
The first of new class of nuclear icebreakers,
Project 22220
Project 22220, also known through the Russian type size series designation LK-60Ya,The type size series designation "LK-60Ya" (russian: ЛК-60Я) comes from the Russian language word for "icebreaker" (russian: text=ледокол, translit=led ...
, was launched in 2016. Also called
''Arktika'', it was launched in anticipation of decreasing ice and increased traffic.
Design and construction
OK-900A reactors
![NSF picture of Yamal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/NSF_picture_of_Yamal.jpg)
Over the period December 1967 to May 1970,
''Lenin'', precursor of the ''Arktika'' and the first nuclear-propelled icebreaker, had its three
OK-150 reactor The OK-150 reactor (1st generation) and its successor, the OK-900 reactor (2nd generation) are Soviet marine nuclear reactors used to power ships at sea. They are pressurized water reactors (PWRs) that use enriched uranium-235 fuel. They have been ...
s, capable of 90 MW each, replaced with two OK-900 reactors, capable of 159 MW each.
The work was carried out at the Zvezdochka yard in
Severodvinsk
Severodvinsk ( rus, Северодвинск, p=sʲɪvʲɪrɐdˈvʲinsk) is a city in the north of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located in the delta of the Northern Dvina, west of Arkhangelsk, the administrative center of the oblast. As of the ...
.
''Arktika'' and the entire ''Arktika''-class icebreaker fleet are outfitted with two OK-900A reactors, which deliver 171 MW each. Each reactor is contained in its own closed compartment and weighs 160 tonnes. They are shielded by water, steel, and high density concrete, and ambient radiation is monitored throughout the ship by 86 sensors.
The reactors were originally fueled by a 90% enriched, zirconium-clad,
uranium
Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...
fuel. Those reactors still in operation today now use a 20%-90% enriched with 60% average enrichment uranium dispersed in an
aluminum
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...
matrix.
[Bukharin, O. (2006), Russia's Nuclear Icebreaker Fleet. Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.] The chain reaction can be stopped in 0.6 seconds by the full insertion of safety rods.
''Arktika'' consumes up to 200 grams of fuel a day when breaking ice. There are 500 kg of
uranium isotopes
Uranium (92U) is a naturally occurring radioactive element that has no stable isotope. It has two primordial isotopes, uranium-238 and uranium-235, that have long half-lives and are found in appreciable quantity in the Earth's crust. The decay ...
in each reactor, allowing for at least 13.7 years between changing reactor cores. The used cores are extracted and replaced in Murmansk, the spent fuel reprocessed and waste disposed of at a
radioactive waste
Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. Radioactive waste is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, rare-earth mining, and nuclear weapons r ...
plant.
Propulsion
The OK-900A is a
pressurized water reactor
A pressurized water reactor (PWR) is a type of light-water nuclear reactor. PWRs constitute the large majority of the world's nuclear power plants (with notable exceptions being the UK, Japan and Canada). In a PWR, the primary coolant (water) i ...
, meaning that cooling water is continually pumped under pressure through the reactor to remove heat, keeping the cores and the reactor cool. The heated water is pumped from the reactor to a
boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centr ...
(four boilers per reactor), where it transfers its heat into another body of water, producing steam at a rate of 30 kgf/cm
2 (2.94 MPa, or approximately 1,084 psi). Each set of four boilers drives two
steam turbines, which turn three
dynamo
"Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, )
A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator. Dynamos were the first electrical generators capable of delivering power for industry, and the foundati ...
s. One kilovolt of
direct current
Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or eve ...
is then delivered to three double-wound motors directly connected to the
propeller, providing an average screw velocity of 120-180 rpm. Five auxiliary steam turbines are tied into the plant to provide electricity, turning generators with a cumulative electric power of 10 MW.
Three fixed-pitch propellers provide ''Arktika'' with its thrust, power, and maneuverability. The starboard and centerline propellers turn clockwise while the port turns counter clockwise to compensate. Each propeller sits at the end of a 20-meter (65.6 ft) shaft and has four blades, which weigh seven tons and are attached by nine bolts to the hub which is 5.7 meters (18.7 ft) in diameter and weighs 50 tonnes. ''Arktika'' also carries four spare blades along with the appropriate diving equipment and tools so that propeller repairs may be made at sea; the operation can take anywhere from one to four days depending on the extent of the damage.
The propellers can deliver a combined
bollard pull
Bollard pull is a conventional measure of the pulling (or towing) power of a watercraft. It is defined as the force (in tonnes force, or kilonewtons (kN)) exerted by a vessel under full power, on a shore-mounted bollard through a tow-line, commonl ...
of 480 tons with 18-43 MW (25,000 shaft horsepower)
otals: 55.3 MW (75,000 shp) This amounts to a maximum speed of on open water, full speed of , and an average speed of while icebreaking thick level ice.
Ships
See also
*
Taymyr (1987 icebreaker)
*
Vaygach (1989 icebreaker)
''Vaygach'' ( rus, Вайгач, p=vɐjˈɡatɕ) is a shallow-draught nuclear-powered icebreaker. She was built in 1989 for the Soviet Union by Wärtsilä Marine Helsinki Shipyard in Finland by order of the Murmansk Shipping Company. Her siste ...
References
External links
Nuclear Powered Icebreakers, Bellona Foundation
Technical information MSCO
Barents Observer
Cool Antarctica
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arktika-class icebreaker
Icebreakers of the Soviet Union
Icebreakers of Russia
Nuclear-powered icebreakers
Soviet inventions
Auxiliary icebreaker classes