Nuclear Energy

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxii

   PDF

2. The Motivation for Nuclear Energy

   Pages 1-23

3. Nuclear Power Development

   Pages 25-56

4. Radioactivity and Radiation Exposures

   Pages 57-83

5. Effects of Radiation Exposures

   Pages 85-121

6. Neutron Reactions

   Pages 123-137

7. Nuclear Fission

   Pages 139-152

8. Chain Reactions and Nuclear Reactors

   Pages 153-169

9. Types of Nuclear Reactors

   Pages 171-192

10. Nuclear Fuel Cycle

    Pages 193-229

11. Nuclear Waste Disposal: Amounts of Waste

    Pages 231-251

12. Storage and Disposal of Nuclear Wastes

    Pages 253-290

13. U.S. Waste Disposal Plans and the Yucca Mountain Repository

    Pages 291-335

14. Policy Issues in Nuclear Waste Disposal

    Pages 337-369

15. Nuclear Reactor Safety

    Pages 371-410

16. Nuclear Reactor Accidents

    Pages 411-438

17. Future Nuclear Reactors

    Pages 439-480

18. Nuclear Bombs, Nuclear Energy, and Terrorism

    Pages 481-516

19. Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

    Pages 517-558

20. Costs of Electricity

    Pages 559-577

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.

• climate
• development
• fission
• neutron
• nuclear energy
• nuclear fuel
• nuclear reactor
• radiation

"The material presented here is largely accessible to anyone interested in nuclear energy. This book is the best of its kind in providing a well-written survey of the science, technology, safety, and economics of the full range of nuclear issues, including power, waste, weapons, terrorism, biological effects, and the future of the nuclear industry. This book is highly recommended both for its content and its accuracy, and should be ready by everyone interested in our nuclear future."

-CHOICE

• Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, USA

  David Bodansky

Policies and ethics