The nuclear icebreaker fleet of Russia is a unique potential that only our country possesses throughout the world. With its development, intensive development of the Far North began, since nuclear icebreakers are designed to ensure a national presence in the Arctic using advanced nuclear achievements. Currently, the state enterprise Rosatomflot is engaged in ensuring the maintenance and operation of these vessels. In this article we will look at how many operational icebreakers Russia has, who commands them, and what purposes they serve.
Activities
The Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet is aimed at solving specific problems. In particular, it ensures the passage of ships through the Northern Sea Route to the freezing ports of Russia. This is one of the main goals fulfilled by the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet.
Also participates in research expeditions, provides rescue and emergency operations in non-Arctic frozen seas and ice. In addition, the responsibilities of the Rosatomflot company include carrying out repairs and maintenance of icebreakers, and implementing projects for the environmental restoration of the northwestern part of the country.
Some icebreakers even participate in organizing tourist cruises to the North Pole for everyone; they can be used to travel to the archipelagos and islands of the Central Arctic.
An important area of activity for the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet is the safe handling of radioactive waste and nuclear materials, which form the basis of ship propulsion systems.
Since 2008, Rosatomflot has officially been part of the state corporation Rosatom. In fact, the corporation now owns all nuclear maintenance vessels and vessels equipped with a nuclear power plant.
Story
The history of the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet dates back to 1959. It was then that the ceremonial launching of the planet’s first nuclear icebreaker, called “Lenin,” took place. Since then, December 3 has been celebrated as the Day of the Russian Nuclear Icebreaker Fleet.
However, it began to turn into a real transport artery only in the 70s, when one could talk about the emergence of a nuclear fleet.
After the launch of the nuclear icebreaker "Arktika" in the western sector of the Arctic, navigation became possible throughout the year. At this time, the so-called Norilsk industrial region played a key role in the development of this transport route, when the first year-round port of Dudinka appeared on the route.
Over time, icebreakers were built:
- "Russia";
- "Siberia";
- "Taimyr";
- "Soviet Union";
- "Yamal";
- "Vaigach";
- "50 years of Victory".
This is a list of Russian nuclear icebreakers. Their commissioning for decades to come predetermined significant superiority in the field of nuclear shipbuilding throughout the world.
Local tasks
Currently, Rosatomflot solves a large number of important local problems. In particular, it ensures stable navigation and safe navigation throughout the entire Northern Sea Route.
This makes it possible to transport hydrocarbons and other various products to the markets of Europe and Asia. This direction is a real alternative to the existing transport channels between the Pacific and Atlantic basins, which are currently connected through the Panama and Suez Canals.
In addition, this path is much more time-efficient. From Murmansk to Japan you will have to sail about six thousand miles along it. If you decide to go through the Suez Canal, the distance will be twice as long.
Thanks to nuclear icebreakers, Russia managed to establish a significant cargo flow on the Northern Sea Route. About five million tons of cargo are transported annually. The number of significant projects is gradually increasing, some customers enter into long-term contracts, up to 2040.
Rosatomflot is also engaged in sea research and assessment of raw materials and mineral resources on the Arctic shelf, which is adjacent to the northern coast of the country.
There are regular operations in the port area called Sabetta. With the development of Arctic hydrocarbon projects, an increase in the flow of cargo along the Northern Sea Route is expected. In this regard, the development of oil and gas fields in the Arctic is becoming one of the key areas in the work of Rosatomflot. According to forecasts, in 2020-2022 the volume of transported hydrocarbon products may increase to 20 million tons per year.
Military bases
Another direction in which work is being carried out is the return of the domestic military fleet to the Arctic. Strategic bases cannot be restored without the active participation of the nuclear icebreaker fleet. The task facing us today is to provide the Arctic garrisons of the Ministry of Defense with everything they need.
In accordance with the long-term development strategy, in the future the main emphasis will be on creating a safe, reliable and efficient fleet.
Composition of the nuclear fleet
Currently, the list of operating nuclear icebreakers in Russia includes five ships.
These are two icebreakers with a 2-reactor nuclear installation - "50 Let Pobedy" and "Yamal", two more icebreakers with a single-reactor installation - "Vaigach" and "Taimyr", as well as a lighter carrier with an icebreaker bow "Sevmorput". This is how many nuclear icebreakers there are in Russia.
"50 years of Victory"
This icebreaker is currently the largest in the world. It was built at the Leningrad Baltic Plant. Officially launched in 1993, and put into operation in 2007. Such a long break is due to the fact that in the 90s, work was actually suspended due to lack of money.
Now the vessel’s permanent home port is Murmansk. In addition to the task of guiding caravans through the Arctic seas, this icebreaker takes tourists on board to participate in Arctic cruises. He delivers those who wish to the North Pole with a visit to Franz Josef Land.
The captain of the icebreaker is Dmitry Lobusov.
"Yamal"
"Yamal" was built back in the Soviet Union, it belongs to the "Arctic" class. Its construction began in 1986 and was completed three years later. It is noteworthy that at first it was called “October Revolution”, only in 1992 it was renamed “Yamal”.
In 2000, this operational Russian nuclear icebreaker made an expedition to the North Pole, becoming the seventh ship in history to reach this point on planet earth. In total, the icebreaker has reached the North Pole 46 times so far.
The vessel is designed to overcome sea ice up to three meters thick, while maintaining a stable speed of up to two knots per hour. "Yamal" is capable of breaking ice, moving both forward and backward. On board are several Zodiac class boats and a Mi-8 helicopter. There are satellite systems that provide reliable navigation, Internet, and telephone communications. There are a total of 155 crew cabins on the ship.
The icebreaker is not specifically designed for transporting tourists, but still participates in cruises. In 1994, a stylized image of a shark's mouth appeared on the bow of the ship as a striking design element for a children's cruise. Later it was decided to leave it at the request of travel companies. It is now considered traditional.
"Vaigach"
The Vaygach icebreaker is a shallow-draft icebreaker; it was built as part of the Taimyr project. It was laid down at a Finnish shipyard, delivered to the Soviet Union in 1989, and construction was completed at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad. It was here that the nuclear power plant was installed. It is considered to have been put into operation in 1990.
Its main distinguishing feature is its reduced draft, which allows it to serve ships on the Northern Sea Route with entry into Siberian rivers.
The icebreaker's main engines have a power of up to 50 thousand horsepower, which allows it to overcome ice thickness of more than one and a half meters at a speed of two knots per hour. Operation is possible at temperatures down to -50 degrees. The vessel is mainly used to escort ships from Norilsk that transport metal, as well as ships with ore and timber.
"Taimyr"
Knowing how many nuclear icebreakers there are in Russia now, it is worth remembering about the ship called “Taimyr”, built as part of the project of the same name. First of all, it is intended for guiding ships along the beds of Siberian rivers, which is similar to the Vaygach ship.
Its building was built in Finland in the 80s by order of the Soviet Union. In this case, Soviet-made steel was used, and the equipment was also all domestic. Nuclear equipment was already supplied in Leningrad. The ship has the same technical characteristics as the Vaygach vessel.
"Northern Sea Route"
"Sevmorput" is an icebreaking transport ship with a nuclear installation on board. It is considered one of the largest non-military nuclear vessels on the planet. It is the largest lighter carrier in the world by displacement.
Design and estimate documentation was originally developed back in 1978. Construction was carried out at the Zaliv plant in Kerch. It was launched in 1984, the ship was launched two years later. Officially commissioned in 1988.
"Sevmorput" remained the only vessel of this type. The Zaliv plant planned to create another such ship, but due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, work was stopped.
First of all, the ship is designed to transport cargo in lighters to the northern regions. Automatically cuts through ice up to one meter thick. Unlike most other icebreakers, it is capable of operating in warm waters. For example, at one time he carried out cargo transportation between Murmansk and Dudinka.
At one time the ship was idle, and there was even a threat that it would have to be scrapped if the situation did not change. Since 2014, it has been being retrofitted. Now the ship is back in service, making regular voyages, remaining the only operating cargo ship with a nuclear power plant.
Now let's start with the story...
The nuclear icebreaker Arktika went down in history as the first surface ship to reach the North Pole. The nuclear-powered icebreaker "Arktika" (from 1982 to 1986 was named "Leonid Brezhnev") is the lead ship of the Project 10520 series. The keel of the vessel took place on July 3, 1971 at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad. More than 400 associations and enterprises, research and development organizations took part in the creation of the icebreaker, including the Experimental Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau named after. I. I. Afrikantov and Research Institute of Atomic Energy named after. Kurchatova.
The icebreaker was launched in December 1972, and in April 1975 the ship was put into operation.
The nuclear-powered icebreaker "Arktika" was designed to guide ships in the Arctic Ocean to perform various types of icebreaking work. The length of the vessel was 148 meters, width - 30 meters, side height - about 17 meters. The power of the nuclear steam generating plant exceeded 55 megawatts. Thanks to its technical characteristics, the nuclear-powered icebreaker could break through ice 5 meters thick and reach speeds of up to 18 knots in clear water.
The icebreaker Arktika's first voyage to the North Pole took place in 1977. This was a large-scale experimental project, within which scientists had to not only reach the geographic point of the North Pole, but also conduct a series of studies and observations, as well as test the capabilities of the Arktika and the stability of the vessel in constant collision with ice. More than 200 people took part in the expedition.
On August 9, 1977, the nuclear-powered ship left the port of Murmansk, heading for the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. In the Laptev Sea, the icebreaker turned north.
And so on August 17, 1977, at 4 o’clock in the morning Moscow time, the nuclear icebreaker, having overcome the thick ice cover of the Central Polar Basin, for the first time in the world reached the geographical point of the North Pole in active navigation. In 7 days 8 hours, the nuclear-powered ship covered 2,528 miles. The age-old dream of sailors and polar explorers of many generations has come true. The crew and members of the expedition celebrated this event with a solemn ceremony of raising the State Flag of the USSR on a ten-meter steel mast installed on the ice. During the 15 hours that the nuclear-powered icebreaker spent on the top of the Earth, scientists carried out a complex of research and observations. Before leaving the pole, the sailors lowered into the waters of the Arctic Ocean a commemorative metal plate with the image of the State Emblem of the USSR and the inscription “USSR. 60 years of October, a/l “Arktika”, latitude 90°-N, 1977.”
This icebreaker has high sides, four decks and two platforms, a forecastle and a five-tier superstructure, and is propelled by three four-blade fixed-pitch propellers. The nuclear steam production plant is located in a special compartment in the middle part of the icebreaker. The icebreaker's hull is made of high-strength alloy steel. In places exposed to the greatest ice loads, the hull is reinforced with an ice belt. The icebreaker has trim and roll systems. Towing operations are provided by a stern electric towing winch. To conduct ice reconnaissance, a helicopter is based on the icebreaker. Monitoring and management of the technical means of the power plant is carried out automatically, without constant watch in engine rooms, rooms of propulsion electric motors, power plants and at switchboards.
Operation control and control of the power plant are carried out from the central control station; additional control of the propulsion electric motors is located in the wheelhouse and aft station. The pilothouse is the ship's control center. On the nuclear-powered ship it is located on the top floor of the superstructure, from where a greater view opens. The pilothouse is stretched across the vessel - 25 meters from side to side, its width is about 5 meters. Large rectangular portholes are located almost entirely on the front and side walls. Inside the cabin there is only the most necessary things. Near the sides and in the middle there are three identical consoles, on which there are control knobs for the movement of the vessel, indicators for the operation of the icebreaker’s three propellers and the position of the rudder, direction indicators and other sensors, as well as buttons for filling and draining ballast tanks and a huge typhon button for sounding. Near the left side control panel there is a chart table, near the central one there is a steering wheel, and at the starboard side control panel there is a hydrological table; All-round radar stands are installed near the navigation and hydrological tables.
At the beginning of June 1975, the nuclear-powered icebreaker guided the diesel-electric icebreaker Admiral Makarov along the Northern Sea Route to the east. In October 1976, the icebreaker Ermak with the dry cargo ship Kapitan Myshevsky, as well as the icebreaker Leningrad with the transport Chelyuskin, were rescued from ice captivity. The captain of the Arctic called those days the “finest hour” of the new nuclear-powered ship.
Arktika was decommissioned in 2008.
On July 31, 2012, the nuclear icebreaker Arktika, the first ship to reach the North Pole, was excluded from the Register of Ships.
According to information announced by representatives of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rosatomflot to the press, the total cost of dismantling the Arktika a/l is estimated at 1.3-2 billion rubles, with funds allocated under the federal target program. Recently, there was a broad campaign to convince management of the refusal to dismantle and the possibility of modernizing this icebreaker.
Now let’s come closer to the topic of our post.
In November 2013, at the same Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg, the laying ceremony of the lead nuclear icebreaker of Project 22220 took place. In honor of its predecessor, the nuclear-powered icebreaker was named “Arktika”. The universal double-draft nuclear icebreaker LK-60Ya will become the largest and most powerful in the world.
According to the project, the length of the vessel will be more than 173 meters, width - 34 meters, draft at the design waterline - 10.5 meters, displacement - 33.54 thousand tons. It will be the largest and most powerful (60 MW) nuclear icebreaker in the world. The nuclear-powered ship will be equipped with a two-reactor power plant with the main source of steam from the RITM-200 reactor plant with a capacity of 175 MW.
On June 16, the Baltic Shipyard launched the lead nuclear icebreaker “Arktika” of Project 22220,” the company said in a statement, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
Thus, the designers passed one of the most important stages in the construction of the ship. "Arktika" will become the lead ship of Project 22220 and will give rise to a group of nuclear icebreakers necessary for the development of the Arctic and strengthening Russia's presence in this region.
First, the rector of the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral baptized the nuclear icebreaker. Then Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko, following the traditions of shipbuilders, broke a bottle of champagne on the hull of the nuclear-powered ship.
“It is difficult to overestimate what has been done by our scientists, designers, and shipbuilders. There is a feeling of pride in our country, the people who created such a ship,” Matvienko said. She recalled that Russia is the only country that has its own nuclear icebreaker fleet, which will allow it to actively implement projects in the Arctic.
“We are reaching a qualitatively new level of development of this rich region,” she emphasized.
“Seven feet under your keel, great “Arktika”!” - added the speaker of the Federation Council.
In turn, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy for the Northwestern Federal District Vladimir Bulavin noted that Russia is building new ships, despite the difficult economic situation.
“If you like, this is our response to the challenges and threats of our time,” Bulavin said.
General Director of the Rosatom state corporation Sergei Kiriyenko, in turn, called the launch of the new icebreaker a great victory for both the designers and the staff of the Baltic Shipyard. According to Kiriyenko, the Arctic opens up “fundamentally new opportunities both in ensuring the defense capability of our country and in solving economic problems.”
Project 22220 vessels will be able to conduct convoys of ships in Arctic conditions, breaking through ice up to three meters thick. The new ships will provide escort for vessels transporting hydrocarbons from the fields of the Yamal and Gydan Peninsulas, the Kara Sea shelf to the markets of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The double-draft design allows the vessel to be used both in Arctic waters and at the mouths of polar rivers.
Under a contract with FSUE Atomflot, the Baltic Shipyard will build three nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220. On May 26 last year, the first production icebreaker of this project, Siberia, was laid down. Construction of the second nuclear-powered submarine "Ural" is planned to begin this fall.
The contract for the construction of the lead nuclear icebreaker of Project 22220 between FSUE Atomflot and BZS was signed in August 2012. Its cost is 37 billion rubles. The contract for the construction of two serial nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220 was concluded between BZS and the state corporation Rosatom in May 2014, the cost of the contract was 84.4 billion rubles.
sources
Andrey Akatov
Yuri Koryakovsky
Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education "St. Petersburg State Technological Institute (Technical University)", Department of Engineering Radioecology and Radiochemical Technology
annotation
The development of the Northern Sea Route is unthinkable without the development of a nuclear icebreaker fleet. Our country also takes the lead in creating a nuclear-powered surface vessel. The article provides interesting facts related to the creation and operation of nuclear-powered ships, their structure and principles of operation. The new requirements for the icebreaker fleet in modern conditions and the prospects for its development are considered. A description of new projects of nuclear icebreakers and floating power units is given.
The Arctic is conquered only by people with a strong will, who are able to move towards their intended goal, regardless of the circumstances. Their ships should be the same: powerful, autonomous, capable of long, exhausting journeys in difficult ice conditions. We will talk about precisely such vessels, which are the pride of Russia - nuclear icebreakers.
Nuclear-powered icebreakers provide guidance for tankers and other vessels along the Northern Sea Route, evacuation of polar stations from drifting ice floes that have become unsuitable for work and dangerous to the lives of polar explorers, as well as rescue ships stuck in ice and conduct scientific research.
Nuclear icebreakers differ from conventional (diesel-electric) icebreakers, which cannot sail for a long time without calling at ports. Their fuel reserve is up to a third of the ship's weight, but it only lasts for about a month. There have been cases when convoys of ships got stuck in the ice only because the icebreakers ran out of fuel ahead of time.
A nuclear icebreaker is much more powerful and has greater autonomy, i.e., it is capable of performing ice tasks for a longer period of time without entering ports. This multifunctional vessel is a miracle of engineering, which Russians have the right to be proud of. Moreover, the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet is the only one in the world, and no one else has such ships. And the championship in the creation of a nuclear-powered surface vessel also belongs to our country. This happened in the 50s. last century.
Ice "Lenin"
The successes of scientists and engineers in mastering atomic energy led to the idea of using a nuclear reactor as a ship engine. New ship installations promised unprecedented advantages in the power and autonomy of ships, but the path to obtaining the coveted technical characteristics was thorny. No one in the world has ever developed such projects. It was necessary to create not just a nuclear reactor, but a powerful, compact and at the same time fairly light nuclear power plant that would be conveniently placed in a housing.
The developers also remembered that their brainchild would experience pitching, shock loads and vibrations. They also did not forget about the safety of personnel: radiation protection on a ship is much more difficult than at a nuclear power plant, because bulky and heavy protective equipment cannot be used here.
The first designed nuclear icebreaker had high power and was twice as powerful as the world's largest American icebreaker, Glacier, which placed special demands on the strength of the hull, the shape of the bow and stern, as well as the survivability of the ship. The designers, engineers and builders were faced with a fundamentally new technical problem, and they solved it in the shortest possible time!
While the country was launching the world's first nuclear power plant (1954) and launching the first Soviet nuclear submarine (1957), the world's first nuclear surface vessel was being created and built in Leningrad. In 1953–1956 The TsKB-15 (now Iceberg) team under the leadership of chief designer V.I. Neganov developed a project, the implementation of which began in 1956 at the Leningrad shipyard named after. Andre Marty. The design of the nuclear plant was carried out under the leadership of I. I. Afrikantov, and the hull steel was specially developed at the Prometheus Institute. Leningrad factories equipped the icebreaker with turbines (Kirov Plant) and electric propulsion motors (Elektrosila). Not a single foreign detail! 75 km of pipelines of different diameters. The length of the welds is the same as the distance from Murmansk to Vladivostok! The most difficult technical problem was solved in the shortest possible time.
Launching took place on December 5, 1957, and on September 12, 1959, the nuclear icebreaker "Lenin" under the command of P. A. Ponomarev from the shipyard of the Admiralty Plant (the renamed shipbuilding plant named after A. Marti) set off for sea trials. It became the world's first nuclear-powered surface ship, since the first foreign-made nuclear-powered ship (nuclear-powered missile cruiser Long Beach, USA) was put into operation much later - on September 9, 1961 - and the first merchant ship with a nuclear power plant, Savannah (also American) set sail only on August 22, 1962. The journey from Leningrad to Murmansk was memorable.
Icebreaker "Arktika"
While the ship was sailing around Scandinavia, it was accompanied by NATO aircraft and ships. The boats took water samples from the side to ensure the radiation safety of the icebreaker. All their fears turned out to be in vain - after all, even in the cabins adjacent to the reactor compartment, the background radiation was normal.
The operation of the nuclear icebreaker "Lenin" made it possible to increase the navigation period. During its operation, the nuclear-powered ship covered 1.2 million km and carried 3,741 ships through the ice. There are many interesting facts about the first nuclear-powered icebreaker. For example, he consumed only 45 grams of nuclear fuel (less than a matchbox) per day.
Icebreaker "Sibir" It could be converted into an Arctic military cruiser. Among other things, the icebreaker served as a camouflage function for Soviet nuclear submarines: the ship followed a given course, leading nuclear submarines sliding in the depths under its hull to a given high-latitude area.
Having worked well for 30 years, in 1989 the nuclear icebreaker Lenin was decommissioned and is now at its eternal mooring in Murmansk. A museum has been created on board the nuclear-powered ship, and an information center for the nuclear industry operates. But even today, the date December 3 (the day the national flag was raised on the world’s first nuclear-powered ship) is celebrated as the birthday of the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet.
From the Arctic to the present day
The nuclear icebreaker "Arktika" (1975) is the first ship in the world to reach the North Pole on the surface. Before this historic voyage, not a single icebreaker dared to go to the Pole. The top of the world was conquered on foot, by plane, by submarine. But not on an icebreaker.
The experimental scientific and practical voyage set off from Murmansk in an arc through the Barents and Kara seas into the Laptev Sea and then turned north towards the pole, encountering multi-year ice several meters thick along the way. On August 17, 1977, having overcome the thick ice cover of the Central Polar Basin, the nuclear-powered icebreaker reached the North Pole, thereby opening a new era in the study of the Arctic. And on May 25, 1987, another nuclear-powered icebreaker of the Arctic class, the Sibir (1977), visited “the top of the planet.” To date, both vessels have been taken out of service.
Currently, the nuclear icebreaker fleet operates four vessels.
Two icebreakers of the Taimyr class - Taimyr (1989) and Vaygach (1990) - are shallow-draft, which allows them to enter the mouths of large rivers and break ice up to 1.8 m thick. Indeed, icebreaking ships of the Arctic class from -due to their large draft, they are not able to enter shallow northern bays and rivers, as well as diesel-electric icebreakers (the latter due to low power and dependence on fuel supplies). The problem was solved within the framework of a joint Soviet-Finnish project: specialists from the USSR designed the nuclear power plant, and the Finns designed the icebreaker as a whole.
Icebreaker "Taimyr" The other two remaining nuclear-powered icebreakers are of the Arktika class; they are capable of breaking ice up to 2.8 m at a steady speed:
- “Yamal” (1993) - on the bow of the nuclear-powered ship there is a smiling shark’s mouth, which appeared in 1994, when it took children from around the world to the North Pole as part of one of the humanitarian programs; Since then, the shark's mouth has become his brand;
- "50 Years of Victory" (2007) - the world's largest icebreaker; An environmental compartment has been created on the ship, equipped with the latest equipment for the collection and disposal of all waste products of the ship.
As already mentioned, nuclear icebreakers are capable of sailing for a long time without entering ports. The same "Arktika" clearly demonstrated this advantage, operating without a single breakdown and without calling at the home port (Murmansk) for exactly a year - from May 4, 1999 to May 4, 2000. The reliability of nuclear-powered ships was also proven by the "Arktika": August 24, 2005 The ship passed the millionth mile, which no ship of its class had previously achieved. Is it a lot or a little? A million nautical miles on the scale we know is 46 revolutions around the equator or 5 trips to the Moon. What a 30-year Arctic odyssey!
In addition to escorting Arctic caravans in the northern seas, since 1990, nuclear icebreakers (“Soviet Union”, “Yamal”, “50 Let Pobedy”) are also used to organize tourist trips to the North Pole. The cruise departs from Murmansk and, passing the islands of Franz Josef Land, the New Siberian Islands, the North Pole, returns to the mainland. Tourists are disembarked from the islands and ice floes by helicopter; All Arctic-class icebreakers are equipped with two helipads. The ships themselves are painted red, which is clearly visible from the air.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the Northern Sea Route. This unique transport vessel (lighter carrier) with a nuclear power plant and an icebreaker bow is also assigned to the port of Murmansk. It is called a lighter carrier because the Sevmorput can carry so-called lighters - non-self-propelled sea vessels designed to transport goods and ensure their processing. If there are no berths on the shore or the harbor is not deep enough, then the lighters are unloaded from the ship and towed to the shore, which is very convenient, especially in the conditions of the northern coast. Using special grips, the lifting device rigidly fixes the lighters and quickly lowers them into the water through the stern of the vessel. Containers can also be unloaded on the move, which has been used in special cases.
Icebreakers "Sevmorput" and "Sovetsky Soyuz" at the berth of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Atomflot" in Murmansk It should be noted that until recently, the future of the one-of-a-kind nuclear lighter carrier seemed very bleak: for many years the ship stood idle, and in August 2012, Sevmorput was completely excluded from the register book of ships and was awaiting the start of work to remove it from operation. However, in 2013, they decided that a ship of this class would still be useful to the fleet: an order was signed to restore the nuclear-powered ship. The service life of the nuclear installation will be extended, and the vessel's return to service is expected in the coming years.
So, we met representatives of the family of nuclear icebreakers. Now it's time to understand their structure.
How does a nuclear icebreaker work and how does it work?
In principle, all nuclear-powered icebreakers are designed almost the same, so let’s take as an example the newest of Russia’s nuclear-powered icebreakers - “50 Years of Victory”. The very first thing that can be said about it is that it is the largest icebreaker in the world.
Inside the nuclear icebreaker there are two nuclear reactors, enclosed in durable housings. Why two at once? Of course, to ensure its continuous operation, because the nuclear-powered ship faces the most difficult tests, which its diesel counterparts are sometimes unable to cope with. Even if one of the reactors exhausts its resource or stops for some other reason, the ship can proceed on the other. During normal navigation, the reactors work together. There are also backup diesel engines (in extreme cases).
During the operation of a nuclear reactor, a chain reaction of fission of uranium nuclei (or rather, its isotope uranium-235) occurs in it. As a result, nuclear fuel heats up. This heat is transferred through the shell of the fuel element, which acts as a protective coating, to the primary circuit water. The containment shell is necessary to prevent radionuclides contained in the fuel from entering the coolant.
The primary circuit water heats up above 300 °C, but does not boil because it is under high pressure. Then it enters steam generators (each reactor has four of them), threaded with tubes through which the secondary circuit water circulates, turning into steam. The steam is sent to the turbine unit (two turbines are installed on the ship), and the slightly cooled primary coolant is pumped back into the reactor by circulation pumps. To prevent rupture of pipelines during pressure surges in the primary circuit, a special module is provided, which is called a pressure compensator. The reactor itself is located in a casing filled with clean water (third circuit). There is no leakage of radioactive water from the primary circuit - it circulates in a closed circuit.
The steam generated from the secondary circuit water rotates the turbine shaft. The latter, in turn, rotates the rotor of the electric generator, which generates electric current. The current is supplied to three powerful electric motors that rotate three reinforced propellers (propeller weight - 50 tons). Electric motors provide very rapid changes in the direction of rotation of the screws and speed when the reactor is operating at constant power. Indeed, the icebreaker sometimes has to suddenly change direction (for example, sometimes it cuts the ice, moving back, accelerating and hitting the ice floe). The reactor is not suitable for such work (its task is to produce electricity), and the electric motor can easily be switched to reverse.
The secondary circuit steam, having worked in the turbine, enters the condenser. There it is cooled by sea water (fourth circuit) and condenses, that is, turns back into water. This water is pumped through a desalting plant to remove corrosive salts, and then through a deaerator, which removes corrosive gases (carbon dioxide and oxygen) from the water. Then, from the deaerator tank, feedwater from the secondary circuit is pumped into the steam generator - the cycle is closed.
Separately, it is necessary to say about the design of the reactor, which is called “water-water”, since the water in it performs two functions - a neutron moderator and a coolant. A similar design has proven itself well on nuclear submarines and was later brought onto land: land-based VVER-type reactors, which are already operating and will be installed at new Russian nuclear power units, are the heirs of the boat ones. Icebreaking nuclear power plants have also received excellent certification: not a single accident involving the release of radioactive substances into the environment in its entire fifty-year history.
The reactor is not harmful to the crew and the environment, since its durable body is surrounded by biological protection made of concrete, steel and water. In any emergency situation, in the event of a complete power outage and even during an overkill (turning the ship upside down), the reactor will be shut down - this is how the active protection system is designed.
The main job of an icebreaker is to destroy the ice cover. For these purposes, the icebreaker is given a special barrel-shaped shape, and the bow end has relatively sharp (wedge-shaped) formations and a slope (cut) in the underwater part at an angle to the waterline. The icebreaker "50 Let Pobedy" has a spoon-shaped bow (this distinguishes it from its predecessors), which allows it to break ice more effectively. The aft end is designed for reversing movement in ice and allows you to protect the propellers and rudder. Of course, the hull of an icebreaker is much stronger than the hulls of conventional ships: it is double, and the outer hull is 2–3 cm thick, and in the area of the so-called ice belt (i.e., in places where ice breaks), the hull sheets are thickened to 5 cm.
When meeting an ice field, the icebreaker's bow seems to crawl onto it and breaks through the ice due to vertical force. Then the broken ice moves apart and is sunk by the sides, and a free channel is formed behind the icebreaker. In this case, the ship moves continuously at a constant speed. If the ice floe is especially strong, then the icebreaker moves back and runs at it at high speed, i.e., cuts the ice with blows. In rare cases, an icebreaker can get stuck - for example, crawl onto a strong ice floe and not break it - or be crushed by ice. To get out of this difficult situation, water tanks are provided between the outer and inner hulls - in the bow, in the stern, on the left and right sides. By pumping water from tank to tank, the crew can rock the icebreaker and pull it out of ice captivity. You can simply empty the containers - then the ship will float a little.
To prevent the bow from becoming covered with ice, the icebreaker uses a turbocharged anti-icing device. It works as follows. Compressed air is supplied overboard through pipelines. Pop-up air bubbles prevent pieces of ice from freezing to the body, and also reduce its friction against the ice. At the same time, the icebreaker moves faster and shakes less.
The icebreaker can be followed by one or more ships (caravan). If the ice conditions are difficult or the transport vessel is wider than the icebreaker, then two or more icebreakers can be used for navigation. In particularly difficult ice, the icebreaker takes the vessel in tow: the stern of the nuclear-powered ship has a V-shaped recess, into which the bow of the transport vessel is pulled tightly in with a winch.
One of the interesting features of the nuclear icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” is the presence of an environmental compartment, which contains the latest equipment that allows for the collection and disposal of all waste produced during the operation of the vessel. In other words, nothing is dumped into the ocean! Other nuclear icebreakers also have installations for incineration of household waste and wastewater treatment.
All nuclear icebreakers and the lighter carrier Sevmorput have been transferred to the management of the Rosatom State Corporation enterprise - FSUE Atomflot, which provides not only their operation, but also technical support. Coastal infrastructure, floating technical bases, a special tanker for liquid radioactive waste, a radiation control vessel - all this ensures the continuous operation of the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet. But in ten years, most nuclear icebreakers will be decommissioned, and practice has shown that without them we have nothing to do in the Arctic. How will nuclear icebreaker construction develop?
Development prospects
Until relatively recently, the prospects for the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet were very gloomy. Newspapers wrote that the country could lose its unique fleet, and with it the Northern Sea Route (NSR). This would mean not only the loss of leadership and technology, but also a slowdown in the economic development of the Far North and the Arctic regions of Siberia. After all, there is simply no transport route, including an overland one, that could serve as an alternative to the NSR.
There are also questions regarding existing nuclear icebreakers. The tonnage of vessels sailing along the NSR is gradually increasing, and their dimensions are also increasing. To ensure the required wiring speed, a wide channel in the ice and increased power are needed. Therefore, the size of the icebreaker itself should be increased. But at the same time, the nuclear icebreaker, which does not need a fuel supply, begins to float, the draft becomes smaller and the icebreaking capacity decreases. In order to increase the draft and protect the propellers from ice, it is necessary to build into the ship's hull a system of containers that are filled with water and add additional weight.
Thus, even existing nuclear-powered ships do not meet the latest requirements. Therefore, the modernization and development of the nuclear icebreaker fleet has become a truly national task and is under the close attention of the Government of the Russian Federation.
The project of a new type of icebreaker - LK-60Ya - is already being implemented. One of them, “Arktika”, has been under construction since 2013, the second, “Sibir”, was laid down quite recently, in May 2015 (at the same time, the icebreakers under construction inherited the names of the first two ships of the “Arctic series”). In total, the immediate plans include three new vessels, including those mentioned.
Characteristics of nuclear icebreakers and the Sevmorput vessel (according to FSUE Atomflot, 2010) What will the new look of the nuclear icebreaker be like? Of course, it will combine the successful experience of creating and operating existing nuclear-powered ships and innovative approaches. But the main thing is that the new icebreaker will be double-draft (universal), which will allow it to successfully carry out operations not only at sea, but also at river mouths. Now we have to use two icebreakers, one of which (Arktika class) goes through deep waters, and the second (with shallow draft, for example, Taimyr class) passes through rapids and enters river mouths. The new project includes the possibility of changing the draft of a nuclear icebreaker from 10.5 to 8.5 m by draining/filling the built-in tanks with sea water, i.e. one nuclear-powered icebreaker can replace two old ones at once!
But double-draft nuclear-powered ships are not the limit of design ideas. While icebreakers of the LK-60Ya type are being built, engineers are already working on the next project, which will bring nuclear icebreaker construction to a new stage of development. We are talking about a ship of the LK-110Ya type (also known as “Leader”) - a large vessel with a propeller power of 110 MW. In terms of performance, the LK-110Ya will be much superior to the Arktika-class icebreakers: the Leader will be able to break ice up to at least 3.7 m thick (two human heights!). This will make it possible to ensure year-round navigation throughout the entire NSR (and not just along its western part, as now). At the same time, the increased width of the LK-110Ya will allow large-tonnage vessels to be carried. Currently, the project is at the stage of developing design documentation (the expected completion date for the “paper” part is 2016).
There is one more direction in nuclear engineering that needs to be mentioned. The KLT-40 icebreaking power plants have proven themselves so well that a decision was made to include them in the floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) project. It is indispensable in underdeveloped regions of the country, including on the Arctic coast, since it practically does not require fuel supplies. There is no need to cut down forests, build roads, or transport building materials for it: they brought it, placed it at a special pier - and you can use it. The resource ran out - they attached it to a tug and took it away for disposal.
Floating power plants can also be used when developing fields on the shelf of the Arctic seas to provide electricity to oil and gas platforms.
The first floating power unit, the Akademik Lomonosov, was launched on June 30, 2010 at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg. At the moment, the power equipment of the station has been completely manufactured; reactor plants and turbogenerators have already been installed, and outfitting work is underway.
Concluding the brief review, the following must be said: the development of the Arctic is a necessary condition for the development of Russia as a great maritime and Arctic power, and the safe use of nuclear energy determines the economic and technological growth of our state. Therefore, there is confidence: the nuclear icebreaker fleet has an outstanding future and new achievements!
Our country has the only nuclear icebreaker fleet in the world, whose task is to ensure navigation in the northern seas and development of the Arctic shelf. Nuclear icebreakers can stay on the Northern Sea Route for a long time without needing refueling. Currently, the operating fleet includes the nuclear-powered ships Rossiya, Sovetsky Soyuz, Yamal, 50 Let Pobedy, Taimyr and Vaygach, as well as the nuclear-powered lighter-container carrier Sevmorput. Their operation and maintenance is carried out by Rosatomflot, located in Murmansk.
A nuclear icebreaker is a seagoing vessel with a nuclear power plant, built specifically for use in waters covered with ice year-round. Nuclear icebreakers are much more powerful than diesel ones. In the USSR, they were developed to ensure navigation in the cold waters of the Arctic.
For the period 1959–1991 In the Soviet Union, 8 nuclear-powered icebreakers and 1 nuclear-powered lighter-container ship were built.
In Russia, from 1991 to the present, two more nuclear icebreakers were built: Yamal (1993) and 50 Let Pobeda (2007).
Construction is currently underway on three more nuclear icebreakers with a displacement of more than 33 thousand tons and an ice-breaking capacity of almost three meters. The first of them will be ready by 2017.
In total, more than 1,100 people work on nuclear icebreakers and ships based at the Atomflot nuclear fleet.
"Soviet Union" (nuclear-powered icebreaker of the "Arktika" class)
Icebreakers of the Arktika class are the backbone of the Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet: 6 out of 10 nuclear icebreakers belong to this class. The ships have a double hull and can break ice, moving both forward and backward. These ships are designed to operate in cold Arctic waters, which makes operating a nuclear facility in warm seas more difficult. This is partly why crossing the tropics to work off the coast of Antarctica is not among their tasks.
The icebreaker's displacement is 21,120 tons, draft is 11.0 m, maximum speed in clear water is 20.8 knots.
The peculiarity of the design of the icebreaker "Soviet Union" is that at any time it can be retrofitted into a battle cruiser. Initially, the ship was used for Arctic tourism. While making a transpolar cruise, it was possible to install meteorological ice stations operating in automatic mode, as well as an American meteorological buoy from its board.
Department of GTG (main turbogenerators)
A nuclear reactor heats water, which turns into steam, which spins turbines, which energize generators, which generate electricity, which feeds electric motors that turn propellers.
CPU (Central Control Station)
The control of the icebreaker is concentrated in two main command posts: the wheelhouse and the central power plant control post (CPC). From the wheelhouse, general management of the icebreaker’s operation is carried out, and from the central control room, the operation of the power plant, mechanisms and systems is controlled and monitored.
The reliability of nuclear-powered ships of the Arctic class has been tested and proven by time; in the more than 30-year history of nuclear-powered ships of this class, there has not been a single accident associated with a nuclear power plant.
A wardroom for meals for command personnel. The enlisted mess is located one deck below. The diet consists of four full meals a day.
"Soviet Union" was put into operation in 1989, with a specified service life of 25 years. In 2008, the Baltic Shipyard supplied equipment for the icebreaker that allows it to extend the life of the vessel. Currently, the icebreaker is planned for restoration, but only after a specific customer has been identified or until transit along the Northern Sea Route is increased and new work areas appear.
Nuclear icebreaker "Arktika"
It was launched in 1975 and was considered the largest of all existing at that time: its width was 30 meters, length - 148 meters, and side height - more than 17 meters. All conditions were created on the ship to allow the flight crew and helicopter to be based. "Arktika" was capable of breaking through ice, the thickness of which was five meters, and also moving at a speed of 18 knots. The unusual coloring of the vessel (bright red), which personified a new maritime era, was also considered a clear difference.
The nuclear icebreaker Arktika became famous for being the first ship to reach the North Pole. It is currently decommissioned and a decision on its disposal is awaited.
"Vaigach"
Shallow-draft nuclear icebreaker of the Taimyr project. A distinctive feature of this icebreaker project is its reduced draft, which allows it to serve ships traveling along the Northern Sea Route with calls at the mouths of Siberian rivers.
Captain's bridge
Remote control panels for three propulsion electric motors, also on the remote control there are control devices for the towing device, a control panel for a tug surveillance camera, log indicators, echo sounders, a gyrocompass repeater, VHF radio stations, a control panel for windshield wipers, etc., a joystick for controlling a 6 kW xenon spotlight.
Machine telegraphs
The main use of the Vaygach is to escort ships with metal from Norilsk and ships with timber and ore from Igarka to Dikson.
The main power plant of the icebreaker consists of two turbogenerators, which will provide a maximum continuous power of about 50,000 hp on the shafts. s., which will make it possible to force ice up to two meters thick. With an ice thickness of 1.77 meters, the icebreaker's speed is 2 knots.
Middle propeller shaft room.
The direction of movement of the icebreaker is controlled using an electro-hydraulic steering machine.
Former cinema hall
Now on the icebreaker in each cabin there is a TV with wiring for broadcasting the ship’s video channel and satellite television. The cinema hall is used for general meetings and cultural events.
The office of the block cabin of the second first mate. The duration of stay of nuclear-powered ships at sea depends on the amount of planned work, on average it is 2-3 months. The crew of the icebreaker "Vaigach" consists of 100 people.
Nuclear icebreaker "Taimyr"
The icebreaker is identical to the Vaigach. It was built in the late 1980s in Finland at the Wärtsilä shipyard (Wärtsilä Marine Engineering) in Helsinki, commissioned by the Soviet Union. However, the equipment (power plant, etc.) on the ship was Soviet, and Soviet-made steel was used. The installation of nuclear equipment was carried out in Leningrad, where the icebreaker hull was towed in 1988.
"Taimyr" in the dock of the shipyard
"Taimyr" breaks the ice in a classic way: a powerful hull leans on an obstacle of frozen water, destroying it with its own weight. A channel is formed behind the icebreaker through which ordinary sea vessels can move.
To improve ice-breaking capacity, the Taimyr is equipped with a pneumatic washing system that prevents broken ice and snow from sticking to the hull. If the laying of a channel is slowed down due to thick ice, the trim and roll systems, which consist of tanks and pumps, come into play. Thanks to these systems, the icebreaker can roll first to one side, then to the other, and raise the bow or stern higher. Such movements of the hull break up the ice field surrounding the icebreaker, allowing it to move on.
For painting external structures, decks and bulkheads, imported two-component acrylic-based enamels with increased weather resistance, abrasion and impact resistance are used. The paint is applied in three layers: one layer of primer and two layers of enamel.
The speed of such an icebreaker is 18.5 knots (33.3 km/h)
Repair of the propeller-steering complex
Blade installation
Bolts securing the blade to the propeller hub; each of the four blades is secured with nine bolts.
Almost all vessels of the Russian icebreaker fleet are equipped with propellers manufactured at the Zvezdochka plant.
Nuclear icebreaker "Lenin"
This icebreaker, launched on December 5, 1957, became the world's first ship equipped with a nuclear power plant. Its most important differences are a high level of autonomy and power. During the first six years of use, the nuclear-powered icebreaker covered more than 82,000 nautical miles, carrying over 400 ships. Later, "Lenin" will be the first of all ships to be north of Severnaya Zemlya.
The icebreaker "Lenin" operated for 31 years and in 1990 was decommissioned and placed in permanent berth in Murmansk. Now there is a museum on the icebreaker, and work is underway to expand the exhibition.
A compartment in which there were two nuclear installations. Two dosimetrists went inside to measure the radiation level and monitor the operation of the reactor.
There is an opinion that it was thanks to “Lenin” that the expression “peaceful atom” was established. The icebreaker was built at the height of the Cold War, but had absolutely peaceful purposes - the development of the Northern Sea Route and the passage of civilian ships.
Wheelhouse
Main staircase
One of the captains of the AL "Lenin", Pavel Akimovich Ponomarev, was previously the captain of the "Ermak" (1928-1932) - the world's first Arctic-class icebreaker.
As a bonus, a couple of photos of Murmansk...
Murmansk
The world's largest city located beyond the Arctic Circle. It is located on the rocky eastern coast of the Kola Bay of the Barents Sea.
The basis of the city's economy is the Murmansk seaport - one of the largest ice-free ports in Russia. The Murmansk port is the home port of the Sedov barque, the largest sailing ship in the world.
I thank FSUE Atomflot for organizing the photography!
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