The present volume in our annual review series reviews a wide range of developments, giving a broad interpretation to the "technology" of our title. Starting at the beginning, Science, we have the review of basic nuclear physics data of Walker and Weaver for reactor kinetics, particularly, there fore, delayed neutron data. In the search for better and better accuracy, it is being realized that this involves the closest scrutiny of fundamental data, given to us here from the Birmingham school. Associated with this review of data is the review from Italy by Professor Pacilio and his co workers of the theory of reactor kinetics in the stochastic form, and a valuable compilation of the theory underlying a wide range of practical techniques. Tending more to technology come the papers by Jervis, reviewing the application of digital computers to the control of large nuclear power stations as developed in both the united Kingdom and Canada, Pickman's review of the design of fuels for heavy water reactors, and the account by Ishi kawa and Inabe of the new Japanese Research Reactor Program, itself initially directed largely to fuel element studies. The balance of the volume is made up of more philoso phical contributions to the practicalities of nuclear power."

The Tenth International Workshop on "Laser Interaction and Related Plasma Phenomena" was held November 11-15, 1991, at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. This conference joined physicists from 11 countries (Australia, Canada, China, France, Israel, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, united Kingdom, USA, and the USSR). This meeting was marked by the inauguration of the EDWARD TELLER MEDAL FOR ACHIEVEMENTS IN FUSION ENERGY. This medal served as a celebration of the tenth conference in the 22-year series and as an opportunity to honor one of the world's greatest physicists and a leading pioneer in this field: Edward Teller. Four medals were awarded in the inaugural ceremony. The first recipient of the medal was Nobel Laureate Nikolai G. Basov, who served for many years as Director of the LebedevPhysical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. In his address to Edward Teller, Dr. Basov underlined that Dr. Teller was the first in history to produce an exothermal nuclear fusion reaction, the mechanism that may now lead to an inexhaustive, environmentally clean, and low cost energy source in the future. This goal, he stressed, becomes more crucial as the greenhouse effect may not permit burning of fossil fuels for much longer. Basov also reviewed events leading the International Quantum Electronics Conferences of 1963 where he disclosed the first publication on laser fusion and that of 1968 where he reported the first observation of fusion neutrons using a laser-irradiated target. The second recipient was John H.

The utilization of nuclear energy makes great demands on the knowledge of the engineers engaged in design work and calculations relating to construction in nuclear industry. Apart, of course, from nuclear reactors themselves, a great deal of nuclear experience is involved in the design and construction of radiotherapy centres, non destructive testing laboratories, particle accelerators, radioisotope laboratories and nuclear research plants. Whereas in the USA there appears to be no great difference in the methods of training personnel for fundamental or for applied science, European universities draw a sharp dividing line between the two fields. However, if we consider graduates solely from the point of view of their activities at their place of employment, two types of personnel can be distinguished: scientifically oriented research workers and those with a more technical and practical background who are looking for rational and rapid methods and solutions, even at some expense in terms of accuracy. The Engineering Compendium on Radiation Shielding endeavours to cover both approaches, the scientific and the technical. Volume I was devoted to the fundamental aspects of shielding, while Volumes II and III discuss its technology."

The European Community's programme on the decommissioning of nuclear ~wer plants has the prime objective of developing effective techniques and procedures for ensuring the protection of nan and his envirornnent aginst the potential hazards of nuclear ~wer plants that have been finally shut down. The Carrnission of the European Ccrrmunities organized this interna- tional conference to present results achieved during the past five years of the prograrme. It also provided an opportunity for discussions anongst experts fran Merriber States of the European Catmuni ty and participating SCl.en- tists fran outside the Ccrrmunity, on the issues and options for future research. The conference was limited to invited papers, presented by scien- tists involved in European Ccmnunity contract studies. The topics covered by the conference and in the proceedings are : characterization of the radioactivity associated with nuclear ~wer plants that have been finally shut dawn; implications of maintaining shut-down nuclear ~wer plants for long periods before disnantling; decontamination of metal and concrete surfaces for decommissioning purposes; dismantling of nuclear ~r plant cam~nents and structures; conditioning and packaging of the radioactive waste arising fran the dismantling; systems for remotely controlled decommissioning operations; aspects related to the classification of solid decommissioning waste, namely measurement of very low-level radioactivity and eValuation of radiological consequences; nuclear power plant design features facilitating decommissioning; experience with industrial-scale decommissioning operation. The proceedings also report the discussions on the papers as well as the results of two technical panels and of the concluding panel.

The European Community's research programme 'Management and Disposal of Radioactive Waste' has the prime objective of finding effective means for ensuring the safety of man and his environment against the potential hazards arising from such wastes. In 1980, the Commission of the European Communities held its first major meeting on the subject, and published the proceedings, discussions and results. This volume presents the proceedings of the second such conference, following the completion of a research and development programme in the five intervening years. The main topics discussed are: treatment and conditioning technology, testing and evaluation of waste forms and packages, geologic disposal, migration, and performance analysis of geologic isolation systems; representing an analysis of the latest results achieved by sustained collaboration of leading laboratories in Europe. Thus, all of the contributions are of a high standard from the major exponents in the field throughout the European Community.

This volume contains the proceedings of an International Conference on "Spin and Isospin in Nuclear Interactions," which was held in Telluride, Colorado USA, 11-15 March 1991. This was the fifth in a series of conferences held in Telluride every three years since 1979. In attendance at the conference were just under 100 participants, representing a total of 43 institutes from 12 different countries. In keeping with previous Telluride conferences, the role of spin and isospin degrees of freedom in both nuclear structure and nuclear interactions remained an important theme. Topics covered included new results on the spin- and isospin-dependent terms in the free and effective nucleon-nucleon interaction, Gamow-Teller excitations, charge and spin exchange with hadronic probes, and spin measurements with leptonic probes. Recent progress in the development of polarized sources, polarized targets, and po larimetry was also discussed, as were applications to neutrino physics and astrophysics. Whereas earlier Telluride conferences had dealt primarily with nucleon-nucleus inter actions, this meeting included extensive discussions on the role of spin and flavor in particle interactions, and on ways of "bridging the gap" between concepts usually as sociated with particle physics and the domain of more conventional nuclear physics. The conference consisted of morning and evening scientific sessions, leaving the afternoons free for informal discussions, recreation, and enjoyment of the scenic beauty of the Telluride area. In addition to the invited talks, time was allotted for contributed talks on new results."

The perception of radioactive waste as a major problem for the industrial world has developed only recently. Four decades ago the disposal of such waste was regarded as a relatively minor matter. Those were the heady days when nuclear fission seemed the answer to the world's energy needs: the two wartime bombs had demonstrated its awesome power, and now it was to be harnessed for the production of electricity, the excavation of canals, even the running of cars and airplanes. In all applications of fission some waste containing radioactive elements would be generated of course, but it seemed only a trivial annoyance, a problem whose solution could be deferred until the more exciting challenges of constructing reactors and devising more efficient weapons had been mastered. So waste accumulated, some in tanks and some buried in shallow trenches. These were recognized as only temporary, makeshift measures, because it was known that the debris would be hazardous to its surroundings for many thousands of years and hence that more permanent disposal would someday be needed. The difficulty of accomplishing this more lasting disposal only gradually became apparent. The difficulty has been compounded by uncertainty about the physiological effects oflow-Ievel radiation, by the inadequacy of detailed knowledge about the behavior of engineered and geologic materials over long periods under unusual conditions, and by the sensitization of popular fears about radiation in all its forms following widely publicized reactor accidents and leaks from waste storage sites.

1. INTRODUCTION 2 2. CRAYONS COMBUSTIBLES 4 3. CLASSIFICATION DES DETAILS VUS PAR NEUTRONOGRAPHIE 8 4. REPERAGE DES NEUTRONOGRAMMES 12 5. UTILISATION DU RECUEIL 14 6. CONTENU DU RECUEIL 16 7. TERMINOLOGIE 30 8. INSTALLATIONS DE NEUTRONOGRAPHIE A L'INTERIEUR DE LA COMMUNAUTE EUROPEENNE 42 9. REFERENCES 54 10. COLLECTION DES NEUTRONOGRAMMES SUR PAPIER PHOTOGRAPHIQUE (ECHELLE 2:1) ET FILM (ECHELLE 1:1) 55 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE 1. INTRODUCTION 3 2. FUEL PINS 5 3. CLASSIFICATION OF NEUTRON RADIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS 9 4. MARKING OF THE RADIOGRAPHS 13 5. HOW TO USE THE COLLECTION 15 6. CONTENTS OF THE COLLECTION 17 7. TERMINOLOGY 31 8. NEUTRON RADIOGRAPHY INSTALLATIONS IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY 43 9. REFERENCES 54 10. REFERENCE NEUTRON RADIOGRAPHS ON PHOTOGRAPHIC PAPER (SCALE 2:1) AND FILM (SCALE 1:1) 55 PREFACE Although the principles of radiography with neutron beams have been known for some 45 years, their practical application in industry and research is still a rather young field. Norms, standards, and common terms of reference are scarce. One of the main tasks of the Neutron Radiography Working Group (NRWG) -constituted by the Joint Research Centre Petten of the Commission of the European Communities and national nuclear research centres within the European Community -has been to fill this gap.

This NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Disposal of Weapons Plutonium is a follow-up event to two preceding workshops, each dealing with a special subject within the overall disarmament issue: "Disposition of Weapon Plutonium," sponsored by the NATO Science Committee. The first workshop of this series was held at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London on 24-25 January 1994, entitled "Managing the Plutonium Surplus, Applications, and Options." Its over all goal was to clarify the current situation with respect to pluto nium characteristics and availability, the technical options for use or disposal, and their main technical, environmental, and economic constraints. In the immediate term, plutonium recovered from dismantled nuclear warheads will have to be stored securely, and under international safeguards if possible. In the intermediate term, the principal alter natives for disposition of this plutonium are: irradiation in mixed oxide (MOX) fuel assemblies in existing commercial light-water reac tors or in specially adapted light-water reactors capable of operation with full cores of MOX fuel .and irradiation in future fast reactors. Another option is to blend plutonium with high-level waste as it is vitrified for final disposal in a geologic repository. In both cases, the high radioactivity of the resulting products provides "self shielding" and prevents separation of plutonium without already developed and available sophisticated technology. The so-called "spent fuel standard" as an effective protection barrier is - quired in either case."

John Maynard Keynes is credited with the aphorism that the long-term view in economics must be taken in the light that "in the long-term we are aU dead". It is not in any spirit of gloom however that we invite our readers of the sixteenth volume in the review series, Advances in Nuclear Science and Technology, to take a long view. The two principal roles of nuclear energy lie in the military sphere - not addressed as such in this serie- in the sphere of the centralised production of power, and chiefly electricity generation. The immediate need for this latter has receded in the current era of restricted economies, vanishing growth rates and occasional surpluses of oil on the spot markets of the world. Nuclear energy has its most important role as an insurance against the hard times to come. But will the demand come at a time when the current reactors with their heavy use of natural uranium feed stocks are to be used or in an era where other aspects of the fuel supply must be exploited? The time scale is sufficiently uncertain and the duration of the demand so unascertainable that a sensible forward policy must anticipate that by the time the major demand comes, the reasonably available natural uranium may have been largely consumed in the poor convertors of the current thermal fission programme.

This volume represents the second of our occasional departures from the format of an annual review series, being devoted to one coherent topic. We have the pleasure therefore in presenting a concerted sequence of articles on the use of Simulators for Nuclear Power. An essential attribute of a quantified engineer in any discipline is to be able to model and predict, i.e. to analyze, the behaviour of the subject under scrutiny. Simulation goes, one would argue, a step further. The engineer providing a simulator takes a broader view of the system studied and makes the analysis available to a wider audience. Hence simulation may have a part to play in design but also in operation, in accident studies and also in training. It leads to synthesis as well as analysis. There is no doubt that the massive scale and the economic investment implied in nuclear power programmes demands an increased infra-structure in licensing and training as well as in design and operation. The simulator is a cheap alter native - admittedly cheap only in relative terms - but also perhaps an essential method of providing realistic experience with negligible or at least small risk. Nuclear power therefore has led to a wide range of simulators. At the same time we would not overlook the sub stantial role played by simulators in say the aero-industry; indeed the ergonomic and psychological studies associated with that industry hold many lessons."

The European Community's Indirect Action Research Programme on the Safety of Thermal Water Reactors had as main obj ectives to execute useful fundamental research, complementary and confirmatory to on-going work in national programmes, and to improve collaboration and exchange of inform ation between laboratories in the Member States. The Seminar was aimed to report on work performed during the last five years and to identify useful further research areas with a tentative assessment of the state of the art for future work in certain issues of LWR-safety. The results obtained in 33 research projects executed in different national laboratories of the European Community were presented, evaluated and discussed, together with a number of invited papers on topics related to the research programme. Topics covered mainly within 3 distinct research areas or sub-programmes: Research Area A: The loss of coolant accident (LOCA) and the func tioning and performance of the emergency core cooling system (ECCS). Fundamental work on thermalhydraulics and heat transfer during refill and reflood of an uncovered core after a LOCA. Research Area B: The protection of nuclear power plants against external gas cloud explosions. Study of the impact on plant structure and systems of external explosions of dense combustible gas clouds due to accidental releases of hydro carbons in the vicinity of the plant. Research Area C: The release and distribution of radioactive fission products in the atmosphere following a reactor accident.

The study of nuclear dynamics is now in one of its most interesting phases. The theory is in the process of establishing an increasingly reliable transport description of heavy ion reactions from the initial violent phase dominated by first collisions to the more thermalized later stages of the reaction. This is true for the low-to-medium energy reactions, where the dynamics is formulated in terms of nucleonic, or in general hadronic, degrees of freedom. And it is also becoming a reality in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion reactions, where partonic elementary degrees of freedom have to be used. Experiments are now able to 'utilize the existing accelerators and multiparticle detec tion systems to conduct unprecedented studies of heavy-ion collisions on an event-by-event basis. In addition, the field anticipates the completion of the construction of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the proposed upgrade of the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, promising qualitatively new data for the near future. All of these efforts are basically directed to the exploration of the change the nuclear medium provides for the properties and interactions of individual nucleons and, ultimately, the exploration of the nuclear matter phase diagram. The investigation of this phase dia gram, including all of the interesting phase transitions predicted from theoretical grounds, is the focus of most of the theoretical and experimental investigations of nuclear dynamics conducted today."

The Editors take pleasure in presenting a further vol ume in their Annual Review Series. The present volume con tains six papers that may be said to span from the theory of design to the practice of operation of modern nuclear power stations, therefore concentrating on nuclear energy as a source of electrical power. Starting with the most mathem atical, and proceeding in the direction of technology, we have the Chudley and Brough account of a new interpretation of (linear) Boltzmann transport theory in terms of the characteristic or ray approach. This seems to be new in application here, but of course the method is the child of many classical studies in the solution of partial differen tial equations and proves to remarkably well-suited to modern computers and their numerical bases. We might put the article by Dickson and Doncals on the design of heterogeneous cores next, with its significance for fast reactors of the future. The various "central worth" discrepancies, with their implication for safety and relia bility founded on, inter alia, the Doppler effect, have made this a major area for resolution: to see that we can develop design methods and codes that will reconcile theory and exper, . . . iment to the point at which theoretical designs could be accepted for building without the need for a full-scale mock up, as had to be done in the 1950's for the light water re actors."

This book of proceedings collects the papers presented at the Workshop on Diagnostics for ITER, held at Villa Monastero, Varenna (Italy), from August 28 to September 1, 1995. The Workshop was organised by the International School of Plasma Physics "Piero Caldirola. " Established in 1971, the ISPP has organised over fifty advanced courses and workshops on topics mainly related to plasma physics. In particular, courses and workshops on plasma diagnostics (previously held in 1975, 1978, 1982, 1986, and 1991) can be considered milestones in the history of this institution. Looking back at the proceedings of the previous meetings in Varenna, one can appreciate the rapid progress in the field of plasma diagnostics over the past 20 years. The 1995 workshop was co-organised by the Istituto di Fisica del Plasma of the National Research Council (CNR). In contrast to previous Varenna meetings on diagnostics, which have covered diagnostics in present-day tokamaks and which have had a substantial tutorial component, the 1995 workshop concentrated specifically on the problems and challenges of ITER diagnostics. ITER (the International Thennonuclear Experimental Reactor, a joint venture of Europe, Japan, Russia, and the United States, presently under design) will need to measure a wide range of plasma parameters in order to reach and sustain high levels of fusion power. A list of the measurement requirements together with the parameter ranges, target measurement resolutions, and accuracies provides the starting point for selecting a list of candidate diagnostic systems.

449 one finds that for y = Fo (e) C= :n; V3 [Po (2'Yj) 3 -kjF(i) + (2'Yj)! Fd (2'Yj) 3 -ijF (*m, } 1 ( 14.17) C2 = :n; [ - (2'Yj)! Fd (2'Yj) 3 -ijF(i) + Fo (2'Yj) 3 -~;r(i)J, and if y is to be Go(e), C and Chave the same form with Go (2'Yj) replacing Po (2'Yj) 1 2 and G~(2'Yj) replacing Fd(2'Yj). The values of the functions at eo =2'Yj may be ob- tained from (14.8). 1 J. K. TYSON has employed the modified Hankel functions of order one- third 2 as solutions of (13.4) to obtain expressions for the Coulomb functions for L =0 which converge near e =2'Yj. His results appear as linear combinations of the real and imaginary parts of n ~(x) = (12)!e-;/6 [A;{- x) - iB;(-x)J, (14.18) and its derivatives multiplying power series in x = (e - 2'Yj)j(2'Yj)1. For values 1 away from the turning point for L =0, TYSON has obtained forms for Po{e) and Go(e) which are similar to (13.1) to (13.3). The JWKB approximation is again the leading term, and some higher order corrections are given. Expressions similar to Eqs. (14.11) and (14.12) have been obtained by T.D. 3 NEWTON employing the integral representation of (4.4). His results give re- presentations of FL(e), Gde) in the vicinity of e=2'Yj [whereas (14.11), (14.12) converge near e=eLJ when L

The Erice International School of Fusion Reactor Techno logy held its 1981 course on - Unconventional Approaches to Fusion - in combination with the IAEA Technical Committee meeting on - Critical Analysis of Alternative Fusion Concepts -. The two events took place in the second half of March with an overlap of a few days only. The present proceedings include the first week's papers; those presented during the second week will be summarised in Nuclear Fusion. Right from the beginning of the course, and in particular In R. Carruthers' opening talk, it was clear that an uncon ventional approach was considered stimulating insofar as its con ception presented advantageous aspects with respect to the To kamak. Indeed the Tokamak was recognized as an - imper fect frame of reference- (K. H. Schmitter) in the sense that, al though it deserves to be considered as a frame of reference for the other devices because it is the most advanced in the scientific demonstration of controlled thermonuclear fusion, as a fusion reactor, however, the Tokamak does not seem to be completely satisfactory either from an economic or from an operational point of view, if compared with that - enticing ogre -, the proven fission reactor (less enticing to the public). Comparison of a Tokamak reactor with a PWR can be founded on considerations of such a basic nature that it becomes almost automatic to ask how far the various unconventional ap proaches to fusion are exempt from the Tokamak's drawbacks."

A beam of ions in the fonn of "canal rays" was first observed in 1886 by E. Goldstein. The first ion source was invented by J. J. Thomson in 1910. This ion source became the basis for the first widespread application of ion sources in mass spectrographs and mass spectrometers. The second important application of ion sources is ion accelerators, which since the beginning of the 1930s have been employed in research on nuclear reactions and are now used in industry and medicine. A third application of ion sources is in systems for isotope separation and re search on the interaction of atomic particles with solids (1940s). The result of this research and development is the use of ion sources in semiconductor doping, decontamination of surfaces, and micromachining of surfaces (1960s and' 1970s), which is a fourth area of applications for ion sources. The heating of plasmas in magnetic confinement devices to thennonuclear temperatures (100-1000 MK) with the aid of megawatt beams of hydrogen and deuterium ions and atoms has become a fifth promising area of application for ion sources which can produce ion beams with steady-state currents of up to 100 A. Finally, experimental and industrial research are under way on the alloying of metals and the fabrication of coatings which greatly improve the physical and chemical properties of metals. These coatings can increase the hardness, high temperature corrosion resistance, and wear resistance of metals, and can enhance or reduce friction, etc."

A survey of recent developments in the field of plutonium disposal by the application of advanced nuclear systems, both critical and subcritical. Current national R&D plans are summarized. The actinide-fuelled critical reactors are associated with control problems, since they tend to have a small delayed neutron fraction coupled with a small Doppler effect and a positive void coefficient. Current thinking is turning to accelerator-driven subcritical systems for the transmutation of actinides. The book's conclusion is that the various systems proposed are technically feasible, even though not yet technically mature. The book presents a unique summary and evaluation of all relevant possibilities for burning surplus plutonium, presented by experts from a variety of different disciplines and interests, including the defence establishment. The obvious issue - the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons - is vital, but the matter represents a complex technological challenge that also requires an assessment in economic terms.

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.

25 Die Ventile leiten nur wahrend einer sehr kurzen Zeit, namlich dann, wenn das Potential der Anode positiv gegentiber der Kathode ist. Fig. 24 zeigt eine dreistufige Anordnung. Unter der Annahme idealer Ventile und unter Vernach- lassigung der Streukapazitaten stellen sich an den Knotenpunkten 3, 2, 1 und 3*,2*,1* die in Fig. 25 wiedergegebenen Spannungen ein. Der hier dargestellte, idealisierte Generator liefert eine Leerlaufspannung von 6 U , wobei mit U o o die Amplitude der Transformatorspannung Uocoswt bezeichnet ist. fJ) Der Kaskadengenerator bei Belastung. Wird der Kaskadengenerator durch einen Widerstand oder durch ein Beschleunigungsrohr belastet, so sinkt natur- 8!.1o ~-------~-----0 u/;!.Io r-------"-L---7"c----~L--0 J!.Io Ig / ] !.Iocoswt Fig. 25. Leerlau!spannungen beim Generator in Fig. 24. Fig. 26. Der belastete Kaskadengenerator. gemaB die Ausgangsspannung, und zwar umso starker, je groBer der Belastungs- strom Ig ist. Unter Ig wollen wir den vom Generator gelieferten, arithmetischen Mittelwert des Stromes, also den abgegebenen Gleichstrom verstehen. Wahrend einer Periode lit der Wechselspannung wird der Glattungssaule somit die Ladung Q= Ig (11.1) f entzogen. Falls ein stationarer Zustand bestehen solI, muB diese Ladung periodisch wieder zugeftihrt werden. Dies geschieht dadurch, daB wahrend einer Halbwelle der Wechselspannung die Ladung Q von den Punkten 3* nach 3, bzw. 2* nach 2 und 1 * nach 1 flieBt, wahrend in der andern Halbwelle die Ladung Q von Erde nach 3 * bzw. von 3 nach 2* und von 2 nach 1 * transportiert wird.

This book explains how society will face an energy crisis in the coming decades owing to increasing scarcity of fossil fuels and climate change impacts. It carefully explores this coming crisis and concisely examines all of the major technologies related to energy production (fossil fuels, renewables, and nuclear) and their impacts on our society and environment. The author argues that it is wrong to pit alternatives to fossil fuels against each other and proposes that nuclear energy, although by no means free of problems, can be a viable source of reliable and carbon-free electricity. He concludes by calling for a diversified and rational mix of electricity generation in order to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis. Throughout, the book is spiced with science, history, and anecdotes in a way that ensures rewarding reading without loss of rigor.

This book contains the lectures and the concluding discussion of the "Seminar on Safety, Environmental Impact, and Economic Prospects of Nuclear Fusion," which was held at Erice, August 6-12, 1989. In selecting the contributions to this 9th meeting held by the International School of Fusion Reactor Technology at the E. Majorana Center for Scientific Cul ture in Erice, we tried to provide a comprehensive coverage of the many interre lated and interdisciplinary aspects of what ultimately turns out to be the global acceptance criteria of our society with respect to controlled nuclear fusion. Consequently, this edited collection of the papers presented should provide an overview of these issues. We thus hope that this book, with its extensive subject index, will also be of interest and help to nonfusion specialists and, in general, to those who from curiosity or by assignment are required to be informed on these as pects of fusion energy."

MOX fuel, a mixture of weapon-grade plutonium and natural or depleted uranium, may be used to deplete a portion of the world's surplus of weapon-grade plutonium. A number of reactors currently operate in Europe with one-third MOX cores, and others are scheduled to begin using MOX fuels in both Europe and Japan in the near future. While Russia has laboratory-scale MOX fabrication facilities, the technology remains under study. No fuels containing plutonium are used in the U.S. The 25 presentations in this book give an impressive overview of MOX technology. The following issues are covered: an up to date report on the disposition of ex-weapons Pu in Russia; an analysis of safety features of MOX fuel configurations of different reactor concepts and their operating and control measures; an exchange of information on the status of MOX utilisation in existing power plants, the fabrication technology of various MOX fuels and their behaviour in practice; a discussion of the typical national approaches by Russia and the western countries to the utilisation of Pu as MOX fuel; an introduction to new ideas, enhancing the disposition option of MOX fuel exploitation and destruction in existing and future advanced reactor systems; and the identification of common research areas where defined tasks can be initiated in cooperative partnership.

"International Energy Forum 1999" was held in Washington D.C. during November 5-6, 1999 in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Crystal City. Once again the main topic was Nuclear Energy. Various papers presented contained pros and cons of Nuclear Energy for generating electricity. We were aiming to clarify the often discussed subject matter of the virtues of Nuclear Energy with regard to Global Warming as compared to using fossil fuels for the generation of electricity. The latter is also currently the only way to operate our means of transportation like automobiles, planes etc. Therefore emission into the atmosphere of greenhouse gases constitutes the main source of Global Warming, which is absent in the case of Nuclear Energy. These arguments are often put forward to promote the use of Nuclear Energy. However not all is well with the Nuclear Energy. There are the questions of the waste problem so far unsolved, safety of Nuclear Reactors is not guaranteed to the extent that they are inherently safe. If we aim to construct inherently safe reactors, then the economics of a Nuclear Reactor makes it unacceptable.