Atomic And Nuclear Methods In Fossil Energy Research

The increased demand on fossil fuels for energy production has resulted in expanded research and development efforts on direct use of fossil fuels and conversion of fossil fuels into synthetic fuels. These efforts have focused on the efficiency of the energy production and/or conversion processes, and of the emission control technology, as well as delineation of the health and environmental impacts of those processes and their by-products. A key ingredient of these studies is the analytical capability necessary to identify and quan tify those chemicals of interest in the process and by-produce streams from coal combustion, oil shale retorting, petroleum refin ing, coal l1quifaction and gasification. These capabilities are needed to analyze a formidable range of materials including liquids, solids, gases and aerosols containing large numbers of criteria and pollutants including potentially hazardous polynuclear aromatic hy drocarbons, organo-sulfur and organo-nitrogen species, trace elements and heavy metals, among others. Taking notice of these developments we sought to provide a forum to discuss the latest information on new and novel applica tions of a subset of those necessary analytical capabilities, namely atomic and nuclear techniques. Consequently, we organized the con ference on Atomic and Nuclear Methods in Fossil Fuel Energy Research, which was held in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico from December 1 to December 4, 1980."

The increased demand on fossil fuels for energy production has resulted in expanded research and development efforts on direct use of fossil fuels and conversion of fossil fuels into synthetic fuels. These efforts have focused on the efficiency of the energy production and/or conversion processes, and of the emission control technology, as well as delineation of the health and environmental impacts of those processes and their by-products. A key ingredient of these studies is the analytical capability necessary to identify and quan tify those chemicals of interest in the process and by-produce streams from coal combustion, oil shale retorting, petroleum refin ing, coal l1quifaction and gasification. These capabilities are needed to analyze a formidable range of materials including liquids, solids, gases and aerosols containing large numbers of criteria and pollutants including potentially hazardous polynuclear aromatic hy drocarbons, organo-sulfur and organo-nitrogen species, trace elements and heavy metals, among others. Taking notice of these developments we sought to provide a forum to discuss the latest information on new and novel applica tions of a subset of those necessary analytical capabilities, namely atomic and nuclear techniques. Consequently, we organized the con ference on Atomic and Nuclear Methods in Fossil Fuel Energy Research, which was held in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico from December 1 to December 4, 1980."

This second edition represents an extensive revision of the ?rst edition, - though the motivation for the book and the intended audiences, as described inthepreviouspreface,remainthesame. Theoveralllengthhasbeenincreased substantially, with revised or expanded discussions of a number of topics, - cluding Yucca Mountain repository plans, new reactor designs, health e?ects of radiation, costs of electricity, and dangers from terrorism and weapons p- liferation. The overall status of nuclear power has changed rather little over the past eight years. Nuclear reactor construction remains at a very low ebb in much of the world, with the exception of Asia, while nuclear power’s share of the electricity supply continues to be about 75% in France and 20% in the United States. However,therearesignsofaheightenedinterestinconsideringpossible nuclear growth. In the late 1990s, the U. S. Department of Energy began new programs to stimulate research and planning for future reactors, and many candidate designs are now contending—at least on paper—to be the next generation leaders. Outside the United States, the commercial development ofthePebbleBedModularReactorisbeingpursuedinSouthAfrica,aFrench- German consortium has won an order from Finlandfor the long-plannedEPR (European Pressurized Water Reactor), and new reactors have been built or planned in Asia. In an unanticipated positive development for nuclear energy, the capacity factor of U. S. reactors has increased dramatically in recent years, and most operating reactors now appear headed for 20-year license renewals.