> Any power plant that uses steam turbines is going to have a long ramp-up time to boil a huge quantity of water needed to produce the steam.
This is a matter of tradition and convenience. It is quite possible to use a just-in-time steam generator.
In fact many steam power systems are vapor phase only (non-condensing) to avoid corrosion and droplet impact damage. Steam is used because it is cheap and nontoxic.
Nuclear reactors are easy to turn on and off once a day. Naval reactors do it as a matter of course. There's just no point. If you build a grid scale reactor, you might as well leave it running all the time, at which point you optimize away the rapid start capability.
This is a matter of tradition and convenience. It is quite possible to use a just-in-time steam generator.
In fact many steam power systems are vapor phase only (non-condensing) to avoid corrosion and droplet impact damage. Steam is used because it is cheap and nontoxic.
Nuclear reactors are easy to turn on and off once a day. Naval reactors do it as a matter of course. There's just no point. If you build a grid scale reactor, you might as well leave it running all the time, at which point you optimize away the rapid start capability.