Nuclear Fission Reactors

This book is intended to provide an introduction to the basic principles of nuclear fission reactors for advanced undergraduate or graduate students of physics and engineering. The presentation is also suitable for physicists or engineers who are entering the nuclear power field without previous experience with nuclear reactors. No background knowledge is required beyond that typically acquired in the first two years of an undergraduate program in physics or engineering. Throughout, the emphasis is on explaining why particular reactor systems have evolved in the way they have, without going into great detail about reactor physics or methods of design analysis, which are already covered in a number of excellent specialist texts. The first two chapters serve as an introduction to the basic physics of the atom and the nucleus and to nuclear fission and the nuclear chain reaction. Chapter 3 deals with the fundamentals of nuclear reactor theory, covering neutron slowing down and the spatial dependence of the neutron flux in the reactor, based on the solution of the diffusion equations. The chapter includes a major section on reactor kinetics and control, including'tempera ture and void coefficients and xenon poisoning effects in power reactors. Chapter 4 describes various aspects offuel management and fuel cycles, while Chapter 5 considers materials problems for fuel and other constituents of the reactor. The processes of heat generation and removal are covered in Chapter 6.

Unlike existing books of nuclear reactor physics, nuclear engineering and nuclear chemical engineering this book covers a complete description and evaluation of nuclear fission power generation. It covers the whole nuclear fuel cycle, from the extraction of natural uranium from ore mines, uranium conversion and enrichment up to the fabrication of fuel elements for the cores of various types of fission reactors. This is followed by the description of the different fuel cycle options and the final storage in nuclear waste repositories. In addition the release of radioactivity under normal and possible accidental conditions is given for all parts of the nuclear fuel cycle and especially for the different fission reactor types.

In the late 1980s, the National Cancer Institute initiated an investigation of cancer risks in populations near 52 commercial nuclear power plants and 10 Department of Energy nuclear facilities (including research and nuclear weapons production facilities and one reprocessing plant) in the United States. The results of the NCI investigation were used a primary resource for communicating with the public about the cancer risks near the nuclear facilities. However, this study is now over 20 years old. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission requested that the National Academy of Sciences provide an updated assessment of cancer risks in populations near USNRC-licensed nuclear facilities that utilize or process uranium for the production of electricity. Analysis of Cancer Risks in Populations near Nuclear Facilities: Phase 1 focuses on identifying scientifically sound approaches for carrying out an assessment of cancer risks associated with living near a nuclear facility, judgments about the strengths and weaknesses of various statistical power, ability to assess potential confounding factors, possible biases, and required effort. The results from this Phase 1 study will be used to inform the design of cancer risk assessment, which will be carried out in Phase 2. This report is beneficial for the general public, communities near nuclear facilities, stakeholders, healthcare providers, policy makers, state and local officials, community leaders, and the media.

Nuclear power offers an abundant energy supply for the long term and at reasonable costs. Both are badly needed in this world of limited energy reserves and rising energy prices. On the other hand, there are questions widely discussed in the public on nuclear safety, on acceptable means of nuclear waste disposal, and concern on the proliferation of nuclear weapon capabilities. Public confu sion is widespread since facts are often overshadowed by emotions. Recognizing the need for reliable, factual and comprehensive information on nuclear energy, this book on Nuclear Fission Reactors is published .to present the scientific and technical facts of nuclear fission reactors, and to analyse their potential role and risks. The author, Professor Dr. G. Kessler, has worked in nuclear research and project management since 1963. From 1975 to 1978, he acted as project leader for the German/Belgian/Dutch Fast Breeder research and. development activi ties. Since then, he has been Director of the Institute of Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology in the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Centre. The book is part of the series "Topics in Energy" issued by Springer Publish ers. The intention of this series of in-depth analyses is to present the facts, inherent problems, trends and prospects of energy demand, resources and tech nologies. The vital importance of energy for human activities has become apparent to the public particularly through dramatic events in the area of oil supply.

This book tells us how nuclear power works, what it looks like, and why it is safe. It explains how nuclear fission works, how nuclear reactors are controlled, and how their safety systems reliably protect us. For those of us who have never visited a nuclear power station, the author provides detailed descriptions, drawings, and photographs. He addresses our concerns about radiation protection, the economy of CANDU reactors, the lifespan of nuclear plants, and plant decommissioning. This book provides an understanding of the use of nuclear power, with its potential to protect our environment and decrease global warming.-- Publisher.

Despite the many practical ways to make electrical power using nuclear reactors, the world seems to have settled on using water heated to a boil by nuclear fission as the method of choice. There are several sub-types of nuclear reactors presently being used as energy sources worldwide. Nuclear Fission Reactors, Revised Edition attempts to make sense of the technical chaos by breaking it down into small parts and explaining the purpose and function of each one. Readers are taken on a tour of a General Electric boiling water reactor plant, giving them a thorough understanding of nuclear power production. Covering such topics as air pollution, thermal pollution, the ultimate availability of uranium, fuel reprocessing, and the bottom-line cost of nuclear power, this updated, full-color resource gives a detailed analysis of nuclear fission reactors. Although nuclear reactors have more moving parts, pipe-runs, and information-gathering systems than could be imagined decades ago, this comprehensive reference makes this complicated technique understandable, filling in the thin spots in our collective knowledge.

Nuclear Power is a six-volume set that explores the science, mechanisms, divergent developments, dangers, successes, disasters, and lessons learned by a complex industry that will influence society for generations. Nuclear technology today is focused on issues related to dwindling energy resources and minimizing negative environmental effects, yet it was first developed under military secrecy because of its destructive capability. The books in this set, designed to complement science curricula, detail this conflicted history, the expansion of nuclear power in the near future, and the potential need for it as humankind penetrates the greater universe. When atomic bombs were dropped on Japan in 1945, the United States not only brought an end to World War II but also introduced to the world at large a technology that had been the focus of an intensive, top-secret effort over the preceding four years. Discovered through this research was nuclear fission reaction, a controlled chain reaction during which energy is extracted from atomic nuclei. Nuclear Fission Reactors describes this process and the science behind it and explains how nuclear power to this day is harnessed to supply electricity to many parts of the world. The book also includes a discussion of the concerns of using large-scale nuclear energy in the wake of the nuclear disaster in Japan, as well as whether nuclear waste products can be stored and managed safely. The volume also includes information on components of a nuclear power plant dynamics of nuclear fission environmental risks how nuclear fission makes energy nuclear power plant security reactor cooling systems safety mechanisms and procedures types of nuclear reactors The book contains 40 color photographs and four-color line illustrations, sidebars, a chronology, a glossary, a detailed list of print and internet resources, and an index. Nuclear Power is essential for high school students, teachers, and general readers who wish to learn about the present and future impact of this branch of technology on thp global environment Book jacket.