S1C reactor

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The S1C reactor was a prototype naval reactor designed for the United States Navy to provide electricity generation and propulsion on warships. The S1C designation stands for:

S = Submarine platform
1 = First generation core designed by the contractor
C = Combustion Engineering (C-E) was the contracted designer

This nuclear reactor was built in Windsor Locks, Connecticut as a prototype for the experimental USS Tullibee (SSN-597) submarine, though that boat was in fact powered by a S2C reactor. The propulsion plant was unusual in that it is electric drive, rather than steam turbine. The USS Tullibee was an early advanced-design, fast-attack submarine constructed by Electric Boat and commissioned in 1960. The S1C Prototype was operated at the Windsor, Connecticut site from 1959 until 1993. Defueling was completed in 1995. During that time, more than 14,000 nuclear Naval operators were trained there. Full clean up of the S1C site was recently declared to be complete by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection in 2006. Remediation of the site was undertaken by Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL), based out of Schenectady, New York. KAPL had taken over operation of the S1C site in the 1960's after expiration of the Navy's original contract with C-E.

The reactor was situated on land and known as the S1C Nuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU). Except for its size and electric drive, the system layout was very similar to the S5W reactor in use by most nuclear-powered submarines at the time.

United States Naval reactors

Aircraft carrier reactors:

A1W | A2W | A3W | A4W| A1B

Cruiser reactors:

C1W

Destroyer reactors:

D1G | D2G

Submarine reactors: