Rolls-Royce Submarines Limited (RRSL) operates two nuclear licensed sites, both wholly within its site at Raynesway, Derby; the Nuclear Fuel Production Plant site, and the Neptune Reactor site.
Rolls-Royce has been involved in the UK naval programme since its inception in the 1950s and is the design authority for the Royal Navy's naval nuclear plant. Rolls-Royce is the pioneer of one of the most important technological advances in naval propulsion: the use of nuclear propulsion for the Royal Navy's submarine flotilla.
RRSL is responsible for delivering the Nuclear Steam Raising Plants (NSRP), plus parts of the secondary propulsion systems to the UK Ministry of Defence. It also manages these assets across their full lifecycle, providing support to existing Trafalgar, Vanguard and Astute boats at sea.
This includes providing frontline support across the world for Royal Navy submarine reactor plant equipment from its Operations Centre in Derby. It also supports the submarines when in the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard and the naval bases at Devonport and Faslane.
RRSL engineers design and substantiate the safety of the NSRP including reactor cores, primary systems pipework and valves, major vessels, and the electronic control systems. They also do the same for parts of the secondary equipment which includes the turbo-generators and propulsors.
Current work includes final deliveries for the remaining in-build Astute class boats, increased delivery of the new PWR3 reactor design into the Dreadnought class SSBN boats and initial work on reactor designs for the Astute replacement attack submarines.
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