US May Give Australia Short USE BY Date Virginias

When or if the US sells a second-hand Virginia SSN to Australia in 2033 Australia might get a nasty shock when it realises a once fueled Virginia likely has a shorter operating life than a twice fueled Los Angels SSN.

The amount of reactor usage is often quantified in years of use which also correlates to the time the reactor is fully active in port and also when it is underway. “Underway” might be measured in the distance in nautical miles the sub has traveled and at what speeds in knots.

Another way of measuring useful reactor life is the amount of efficiently fissionable U235 remaining vs perhaps more importantly the level of neutron poisons  build-up that inhibits efficient reactor operation.