Chain Reaction seeks to explain how and why America came to depend so heavily on its experts after World War II, how those experts translated that authority into political clout, and why that authority and political discretion declined in the 1970s. Brian Balogh's research into the internal memoranda of the Atomic Energy Commission substantiates his arguments in historical detail.

LESLIE J. JARDINE Lmvrence Livermore National LaboratOlY Livermore, CA 94551 U. S. A. The Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on Nuc1ear Materials Safety held lune 8-10, 1998, in St. Petersburg, Russia, was attended by 27 Russian experts from 14 different Russian organizations, seven European experts from six different organizations, and 14 V. S. experts from seven different organizations. The ARW was conducted at the State Education Center (SEC), a former Minatom nuc1ear training center in St. Petersburg. Thirty-three technical presentations were made using simultaneous translations. These presentations are reprinted in this volume as a formal ARW Proceedings in the NATO Science Series. The representative technical papers contained here cover nuc1ear material safety topics on the storage and disposition of excess plutonium and high enriched uranium (HEU) fissile materials, inc1uding vitrification, mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication, plutonium ceramics, reprocessing, geologic disposal, transportation, and Russian regulatory processes. This AR W completed discussions by experts of the nuc1ear materials safety topics that were not covered in the previous, companion ARW on Nuc1ear Materials Safety held in Amarillo, Texas, in March 1997. These two workshops, when viewed together as a set, have addressed most nuc1ear material aspects of the storage and disposition operations required for excess HEV and plutonium (see Fig. 1, Opening Remarks).

Brian Balogh traces a chain reaction by examining the case of commercial nuclear power. For those interested solely in their crucial policy area, the book provides a wealth of new information and insights. The author's extensive research is the first independently to probe into the highly classified internal memoranda of the Atomic Energy Commission.

A great number of nuclear submarines are due to be decommissioned before 2000. The political decisions surrounding the disposal of nuclear compartments, radioactive wastes and spent fuel differ appreciably between the countries that own the boats. The decision makers involved thus need help in comparing and assessing alternative options for the decommissioning of their nuclear submarine fleets. The present volume offers such assistance, with its discussions of the risks associated with long-term water storage of the boats, radioactive and chemical contamination, spent fuel and waste management, and handling and recycling reactor compartments.

The "VOLGA" conferences, hosted in odd-numbered years by the Department of Theoretical and Experimental Reactor Physics of the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI), are some of the most prestigious technical meetings held in Russia. Traditionally, these conferences present the opportunity for reactor physicists from around the world to gather at MEPhI's holiday camp on the banks of the Volga river (near Tver) to exchange ideas and explore innovative concepts related to nuclear power development. In 1997, NATO became involved in the "VOLGA" meetings for the first time by co-sponsoring "VOLGA97" as an advanced research workshop. This workshop broke with tradition a bit in that the venue was moved from MEPhI's holiday camp to a location nearer Moscow. The workshop program was effectively organized in order to cover a broad range of topics relating to the theme of the meeting. Generally, the papers concerned safety related questions associated with utilizing both weapons-grade and reactor-grade plutonium in the nuclear fuel cycle, including facility requirements, licensing issues, proliferation risks, and a variety of advanced concepts for alternative fuel cycles. The program contained a total of ninety-nine papers presented in five days of sessions."

The book abounds with fascinating anecdotes about fusion's rocky path: the spurious claim by Argentine dictator Juan Peron in 1951 that his country had built a working fusion reactor, the rush by the United States to drop secrecy and publicize its fusion work as a propaganda offensive after the Russian success with Sputnik; the fortune Penthouse magazine publisher Bob Guccione sank into an unconventional fusion device, the skepticism that met an assertion by two University of Utah chemists in 1989 that they had created "cold fusion" in a bottle. Aimed at a general audience, the book describes the scientific basis of controlled fusion--the fusing of atomic nuclei, under conditions hotter than the sun, to release energy. Using personal recollections of scientists involved, it traces the history of this little-known international race that began during the Cold War in secret laboratories in the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union, and evolved into an astonishingly open collaboration between East and West.

Separation technologies are of crucial importance to the goal of significantly reducing the volume of high-level nuclear waste, thereby reducing the long-term health risks to mankind. International co-operation, including the sharing of concepts and methods, as well as technology transfer, is essential in accelerating research and development in the field.

The writers of this book are all internationally recognised experts in the field of separation technology, well qualified to assess and criticize the current state of separation research as well as to identify future opportunities for the application of separation technologies to the solution of nuclear waste management problems. The major emphases in the book are research opportunities in the utilization of innovative and potentially more efficient and cost effective processes for waste processing/treatment, actinide speciation/separation methods, technological processing, and environmental restoration.

This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the physics of laser-plasma interactions (LPI), based on a graduate course taught by the author. The emphasis is on high-energy-density physics (HEDP) and inertial confinement fusion (ICF), with a comprehensive description of the propagation, absorption, nonlinear effects and parametric instabilities of high energy lasers in plasmas. The recent demonstration of a burning plasma on the verge of nuclear fusion ignition at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California, has marked the beginning of a new era of ICF and fusion research. These new developments make LPI more relevant than ever, and the resulting influx of new scientists necessitates new pedagogical material on the subject. In contrast to the classical textbooks on LPI, this book provides a complete description of all wave-coupling instabilities in unmagnetized plasmas in the kinetic as well as fluid pictures, and includes a comprehensive description of the optical smoothing techniques used on high-power lasers and their impact on laser-plasma instabilities. It summarizes all the key developments from the 1970s to the present day in view of the current state of LPI and ICF research; it provides a derivation of the key LPI metrics and formulas from first principles, and connects the theory to experimental observables. With exercises and plenty of illustrations, this book is ideal as a textbook for a course on laser-plasma interactions or as a supplementary text for graduate introductory plasma physics course. Students and researchers will also find it to be an invaluable reference and self-study resource.

Nuclear Reactor Technology Development and Utilization presents the theory and principles of the most common advanced nuclear reactor systems and provides a context for the value and utilization of nuclear power in a variety of applications both inside and outside a traditional nuclear setting. As countries across the globe realize their plans for a sustainable energy future, the need for innovative nuclear reactor design is increasing, and this book will provide a deep understanding of how these technologies can aid in a region's goal for clean and reliable energy. Dr Khan and Dr Nakhabov, alongside their team of expert contributors, discuss a variety of important topics, including nuclear fuel cycles, plant decommissioning and hybrid energy systems, while considering a variety of diverse uses such as nuclear desalination, hydrogen generation and radioisotope production. Knowledge acquired enables the reader to conduct further research in academia and industry, and apply the latest design, development, integration, safety and economic guidance to their work and research.

The third, revised edition of this popular textbook and reference, which has been translated into Russian and Chinese, expands the comprehensive and balanced coverage of nuclear reactor physics to include recent advances in understanding of this topic. The first part of the book covers basic reactor physics, including, but not limited to nuclear reaction data, neutron diffusion theory, reactor criticality and dynamics, neutron energy distribution, fuel burnup, reactor types and reactor safety. The second part then deals with such physically and mathematically more advanced topics as neutron transport theory, neutron slowing down, resonance absorption, neutron thermalization, perturbation and variational methods, homogenization, nodal and synthesis methods, and space-time neutron dynamics. For ease of reference, the detailed appendices contain nuclear data, useful mathematical formulas, an overview of special functions as well as introductions to matrix algebra and Laplace transforms. With its focus on conveying the in-depth knowledge needed by advanced student and professional nuclear engineers, this text is ideal for use in numerous courses and for self-study by professionals in basic nuclear reactor physics, advanced nuclear reactor physics, neutron transport theory, nuclear reactor dynamics and stability, nuclear reactor fuel cycle physics and other important topics in the field of nuclear reactor physics.

'An invaluable contribution to history.' Serhii Plokhy, Evening Standard

'Tells the story of the disaster and its gruesome aftermath with thriller-like flair. Midnight in Chernobyl is wonderful and chilling ... written with skill and passion.' Luke Harding, The Observer

'Superb, enthralling and necessarily terrifying... every step feels spring-loaded with tension... extraordinary.' The New York Times

The story of Chernobyl is more complex, more human, and more terrifying than the Soviet myth. Adam Higginbotham has written a harrowing and compelling narrative which brings the 1986 disaster to life through the eyes of the men and women who witnessed it firsthand. Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews conducted over the course of more than ten years, as well as letters, unpublished memoirs, and documents from recently-declassified archives, this book makes for a masterful non-fiction thriller.

Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of radiation poisoning, for a dangerous technology slipping its leash, for ecological fragility, and for what can happen when a dishonest and careless state endangers not only its own citizens, but all of humanity. It is a story that has long remained in dispute, clouded from the beginning in secrecy, propaganda, and misinformation.

Midnight In Chernobyl is an indelible portrait of history's worst nuclear disaster, of human resilience and ingenuity and the lessons learned when mankind seeks to bend the natural world to his will - lessons which, in the face of climate change and other threats - remain not just vital but necessary.

Now, Higginbotham brings us closer to the truth behind this colossal tragedy.

Describes the state-of-the-art techniques and methods involved in the design, operation, preparation and containment of bioreactor systems, taking into account the interrelated effects of variables associated with both upstream and downstream stages of the design process. The importance of the initial steps in the development of a bioprocess, such as strain and media selection, that have an overwhelming influence on all further operations, is emphasized.;This work is intended for biochemical, chemical and bioprocess engineers; biotechnologists; industrial biochemists; micro- and molecular biologists; food scientists; and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in these disciplines.

Biofuel production from waste biomass is increasingly being focused on due to due to several advantages of lignocellulosic biomass, such as availability in abundance from several sources, cost-effectiveness, little competition with food sources, etc. This new volume, Sustainable Biofuel and Biomass: Advances and Impacts, provides an abundance of in-depth information on many types of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass and also describes biomass sources and their availability for biofuel production. This compiled book features 17 chapters that discuss the different aspects of biofuel production from lignocellulosic biomass. Chapters deal with different types lipase-mediated biofuel production, biohydrogen production from lignocellulosic biomass, triacylglycrol biosynthetic pathways in plants for biofuel applications, the industrial prospects of lignocellulosic bioethanol production, biofuel cell production, potential feedstocks availability for bioethanol production, biofuel production from algal biomass, and many other important topics.

For over 60 years, scientists and engineers have been trying to crack a seemingly intractable problem: how to build practical devices that exploit nuclear fusion. Access to electricity has facilitated a standard of living that was previously unimaginable, but as the world’s population grows and developing nations increasingly reap the benefits of electrification, we face a serious global problem: burning fossil fuels currently produces about eighty percent of the world's energy, but it produces a greenhouse effect that traps outgoing infrared radiation and warms the planet, risking dire environmental consequences unless we reduce our fossil fuel consumption to near zero in the coming decades. Nuclear fusion, the energy-producing process in the sun and stars, could provide the answer: if it can be successfully harnessed here on Earth, it will produce electricity with near-zero CO2 byproduct by using the nuclei in water as its main fuel. The principles behind fusion are understood, but the technology is far from being fully realized, and governments, universities, and venture capitalists are pumping vast amounts of money into many ideas, some highly speculative, that could lead to functioning fusion reactors. This book puts all of these attempts together in one place, providing clear explanations for readers who are interested in new energy technologies, including those with no formal training in science or engineering. For each of the many approaches to fusion, the reader will learn who pioneered the approach, how the concept works in plain English, how experimental tests were engineered, the future prospects, and comparison with other approaches. From long-established fusion technologies to emerging and exotic methods, the reader will learn all about the idea that could eventually constitute the single greatest engineering advance in human history.

Intended primarily for undergraduate chemical-engineering students, this book also includes material which bridges the gap between undergraduate and graduate requirements. The introduction contains a listing of the principal types of reactors employed in the chemical industry, with diagrams and examples of their use. There is then a brief exploration of the concepts employed in later sections for modelling and sizing reactors, followed by basic information on stoichiometry and thermodynamics, and the kinetics of homogeneous and catalyzed reactions. Subsequent chapters are devoted to reactor sizing and modelling in some simple situations, and more detailed coverage of the design and operation of the principal reactor types.

Nuclear power issues have long been controversial, and often discussed from an inadequate or mistaken understanding. This book is a factual description of the whole fuel cycle, with individual chapters on specific topics from uranium mining, through the manufacture and use of fuel, to recycled products, waste disposal and progress towards a cleared site. Basic principles, environmental radioactivity (both natural and artificial) and provisions for safety are also covered. The level is pitched at a general scientific readership not necessarily familiar with the concepts, and although the viewpoint is naturally pro-nuclear, the aim is to inform rather than persuade. Where options are disputed, as whether used fuel should br reprocessed or discarded directly, both are described. The account is mainly of current practices, with the reasons for them. A final chapter suggests possible changes in the near or more distant future.

Leaching tests are conducted according to different standards, pro cedures or recommendations, generally under conditions different from those of the disposal media. Such tests are generally useful for com paring various containment matrices to ensure maximum isolation of radionuclides, and allow waste conditioning processes to be optimized. However, when defining release hypotheses to be taken into consideration for risk analysis, these methods can often lead to hypothesis which are either too optimistic or too pessimistic. The uncertainties basically involve the processes by which containers deteriorate during transport, handling and utlimate storage. Moreover, the interpretation of test results must be more clearly correlated with the known physico-chemical mechanisms involved. In attempting to find an answer to this question, tests have already the recovery been undertaken, including the use of lysimeter devices or of waste materials after several years of storage. The aim of the seminar was to exchange views among experts in characterization, waste management and safety analysis for the purpose of defining the principal actions that could be undertaken or of reorienting ongoing studies in order to limit the uncertainties involved."

The purpose of the Seminar was to provide an international interdisciplinary forum for in-depth discussions on the pros and cons of a denitration step by chemical means in the course of solidification of MAW (medium active waste) and HAW (highly active waste), prior to feeding the calciner or melter. In particular, differences In the volatility of some components and aerosol formation during the vitrification step are of interest. Chemical rather than thermal denitration may have particular merits which could simplify off-gas purification. A reduction in the salt burden of waste solutions, leading to a reduction In the volume of solid waste, may also be achieved. The scientific programme of the Seminar consisted of invited lectures only, given by experts actively engaged in this field of research. The emphasis was on extensive discussions among the partiCipants, with the aim of leading to an objective understanding of the state-of-the-art. The meeting also indentified issues and options for future research.

35 9.2 TYpical PWR Station Layout 36 9.3 Regions of Highest Radiological Hazard 38 9.4 Decommissioning Scenarios 40 9.5 Existing Structural Features of a PWR which may aid Decommissioning 42 9.6 Structural Features that might be introduced into Future PWR Stations to aid Decommissioning 43 10. REFERENCES 44 11. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 45 12. TABLES AND FIGURES 45 APPENDIX A - SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 98 1 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 This report describes the work carried out by Taylor Woodrow Construction Limited ( WC) in a study aimed at identifying features Which may be incorporated at the design stage of future nuclear power plants to facilitate their eventual decommissioning and, in so dOing, promote economic and radiological benefits at the decommissioning stage. 1.2 For the purposes of this study, decommissioning of a nuclear facility means those measures taken at the end of the facility's operating life to remove it from the site and restore the site to green field conditions, and, While so doing, ensure the continued protection of the public from any residual radioactivity or other potential hazards present in or emanating from the facility. The overall decommissioning process involves eventual dismantling and demolition and may also include, Where possible and appropriate, the intermediate steps of renewal and refurbishing.

A social history of New Mexico's ""Atomic City""Los Alamos, New Mexico, birthplace of the Atomic Age, is the community that revolutionized modern weaponry and science. An ""instant city,"" created in 1943, Los Alamos quickly grew to accommodate six thousand people - scientists and experts who came to work in the top-secret laboratories, others drawn by jobs in support industries, and the families. How these people, as a community, faced both the fevered rush to create an atomic bomb and the intensity of the subsequent cold-war era is the focus of Jon Hunner's fascinating narrative history. Much has been written about scientific developments at Los Alamos, but until this book little has been said about the community that fostered them. Using government records and the personal accounts of early residents, Inventing Los Alamos, traces the evolution of the town during its first fifteen years as home to a national laboratory and documents the town's creation, the lives of the families who lived there, and the impact of this small community on the Atomic Age.

Each year billions of dollars are being spent in the area of nuclear power generation to design, construct, manufacture, operate, and maintain various types of systems around the globe. Many times these systems fail due to safety, reliability, human factors, and human error related problems. The main objective of this book is to combine nuclear power plant safety, reliability, human factors, and human error into a single volume for those individuals that work closely during the nuclear power plant design phase, as well as other phases, thus eliminating the need to consult many different and diverse sources in obtaining the desired information.

The American experience with respect to electrical power production has undergone and is undergoing considerable evolution. Early, frequently strident debates tended to focus on the risks and benefits of only one pos sible power source (nuclear), and on one possible hazard (radiation from routine releases). Discussions and analyses now have tended to become more moderate, and deal with not only one but all feasible power sources, as well as the costs and benefits associated with fuel production, the operation of such sources, fuel transportation and waste disposal. Radiation from routine releases is no longer a major issue. A number of attempts have been made to assess the total benefits and risks of nuclear versus fossil fuel plants, in order to allow a rational basis for deciding on what type of source is best for a given situation. More data and more refined analyses are needed; how ever, most of those completed to date have concluded that the overall cost in terms of possible damage to health and the environment is least for nuclear power, next for oil and the greatest for coal-fired plants."

Nuclear energy leaves behind an infinitely dangerous legacy of radioactive wastes in places that are remote and polluted landscapes of risk. Four of these places - Hanford (USA) where the plutonium for the first atomic bombs was made, Sellafield, where the UK's nuclear legacy is concentrated and controversial, La Hague the heart of the French nuclear industry, and Gorleben, the focal point of nuclear resistance in Germany - provide the narratives for this unique account of the legacy of nuclear power. The Legacy of Nuclear Power takes a historical and geographical perspective going back to the origins of these places and the ever changing relationship between local communities and the nuclear industry. The case studies are based on a variety of academic and policy sources and on conversations with a vast array of people over many years. Each story is mediated through an original theoretical framework focused on the concept of 'peripheral communities' developing through changing discourses of nuclear energy. This interdisciplinary book brings together social, political and ethical themes to produce a work that tells not just a story but also provides profound insights into how the nuclear legacy should be managed in the future. The book is designed to be enjoyed by academics, policy-makers and professionals interested in energy, environmental planning and politics and by a wider group of stakeholders and the public concerned about our nuclear legacy.

Explores the systems of magnetic confinement of high-temperature plasma with closed and open magnetic field lines which relate to alternative compact devices of controlled thermonuclear fusion. Energy balance schemes of thermonuclear plasmas and main reactor characteristics are presented as the authors compare conceptual projects based on classical tokamak and stellarator, spherical tokamak and compact torus. They explore the questions and problems of new promising nuclear and thermonuclear power plants that source thermonuclear neutrons on a mixture of deuterium and tritium, and a low-radioactive reactor on a mixture of deuterium and helium-3.