Is there any routine circumstance when steam would billow from the hull of a nuclear submarine. I hope so?
Answer:
Most likely what you saw was the sub operating it's diesel engine. They do that on occasion for testing, drills, and just to keep it in shape. The discharge is cooled with a water spray that can make a billow of steam. It's a big engine, and makes lots of steam.
Under normal conditions, no sub would be venting steam from the plant. Think about it - just about everything on a nuclear sub is designed to operate while under water, so it would be venting the steam inside a closed pressure vessel (the sub) or venting it overboard, where it would make lots of noise.
It was more likely that what you saw was mist, etc. from the sub blowing water out of its ballast tanks.
Perhaps the heat from the engines would cause the water around the sub's hull to heat up and form steam.
Yes any steam plant while being flashed up must vent its boiler to get rid of air. You also must remember that the steam cycle of a nuclear power plant does not come into contact with any nuclear material. So there is no chance of radio active material being vented.
Its probably blowing off excess heat, if the reactor is running and there is no requirement for energy use the heat is dumped by letting off steam
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