Newly conceived, safer reactor designs are being built in the United States (and around the world) to replace the 104 obsolete operating nuclear power reactors in this country alone. The designs—which once seemed exotic and futuristic—are now 40 years old, and one by one these vintage Generation II plants will reach the end of productive service in the next 30 years.

The Future of Nuclear Power, Revised Edition examines the advanced designs, practical concepts, and fully developed systems that have yet to be used. This eBook introduces readers to the...

The discovery and application of nuclear power is one of the most profound scientific accomplishments of the 20th century, beginning with tentative explorations of the structure of matter, expanding into a rapid succession of unexpected discoveries, and finally settling into a seamless transition from theoretical science to applied engineering. There were many changes to nuclear power during this century—science transitioned from an academic pursuit to an industry, the use of uranium changed from an occasional orange or green dye in ceramics to major power-fuel, and public safety concerns...

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...

A nuclear accident can involve an explosion, destroying equipment or an entire building and spreading radioactive material over a wide area. When readers think of an explosion, they imagine a large, orange fireball and a great deal of yellow flame. In reality, that is not an accurate depiction of an explosion anywhere except in an oil refinery. Movie directors tend to enhance the drama of an explosion by including a few barrels of gasoline, so that there is a lot of color and a big ball of fire. The results of a nuclear explosion are equally as devastating, but there is no fireball.

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Billions of dollars have been spent and hundreds of reactors have been built, but not a watt of usable power has been produced by a controlled fusion device. Unlike fission systems, precise prediction of fusion system behavior by mathematical means has proven difficult. Still, the advantages of this ultimate source of limitless power are too great to abandon. As energy problems of the world grow, work toward fusion power continues at a greater pace than ever before.

The topic of fusion is one that is often met with the most recognition and interest in the nuclear power arena. Written in...

The most dangerous component of nuclear science has always seemed to be radiation, the bio-destructive byproduct of fission. The act of fissioning a uranium or plutonium nucleus releases energy, and about 10 percent of this energy is in the form of intense, penetrating radiation. The entire measure of energy from fission can take thousands of years to fully materialize, and therein lies the problem. Long after the fission has occurred to produce power in a nuclear reactor, the power plant has worn out and been torn down, and the ground on which the power plant sat has been seeded in grass and...