Download or read book Plutonium written by Frank von Hippel and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-12-23 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a readable and thought-provoking analysis of the issues surrounding nuclear fuel reprocessing and fast-neutron reactors, including discussion of resources, economics, radiological risk and resistance to nuclear proliferation. It describes the history and science behind reprocessing, and gives an overview of the status of reprocessing programmes around the world. It concludes that such programs should be discontinued. While nuclear power is seen by many as the only realistic solution to the carbon emission problem, some national nuclear establishments have been pursuing development and deployment of sodium-cooled plutonium breeder reactors, and plutonium recycling. Its proponents argue that this system would offer significant advantages relative to current light water reactor technology in terms of greater uranium utilization efficiency, and that separating out the long-lived plutonium and other transuranics from spent fuel and fissioning them in fast reactors would greatly reduce the duration of the toxicity of radioactive waste. However, the history of efforts to deploy this system commercially in a number of countries over the last six decades has been one of economic and technical failure and, in some cases, was used to mask clandestine nuclear weapon development programs. Covering topics of significant public interest including nuclear safety, fuel storage, environmental impact and the spectre of nuclear terrorism, this book presents a comprehensive analysis of the issue for nuclear engineers, policy analysts, government officials and the general public. "Frank von Hippel, Jungmin Kang, and Masafumi Takubo, three internationally renowned nuclear experts, have done a valuable service to the global community in putting together this book, which both historically and comprehensively covers the “plutonium age” as we know it today. They articulate in a succinct and clear manner their views on the dangers of a plutonium economy and advocate a ban on the separation of plutonium for use in the civilian fuel cycle in view of the high proliferation and nuclear-security risks and lack of economic justification." (Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency (1997-2009), Nobel Peace Prize (2005)) "The 1960s dream of a ‘plutonium economy’ has not delivered abundant low-cost energy, but instead has left the world a radioactive legacy of nuclear weapons proliferation and the real potential for nuclear terrorism. Kang, Takubo, and von Hippel explain with power and clarity what can be done to reduce these dangers. The governments of the remaining countries whose nuclear research and development establishments are still pursuing the plutonium dream should pay attention.” (Senator Edward Markey, a leader in the US nuclear-disarmament movement as a member of Congress since 1976) "The authors have done an invaluable service by putting together in one place the most coherent analysis of the risks associated with plutonium, and the most compelling argument for ending the practice of separating plutonium from spent fuel for any purpose. They have given us an easily accessible history of the evolution of thinking about the nuclear fuel cycle, the current realities of nuclear power around the world and, arguably most important, a clear alternative path to deal with the spent fuel arising from nuclear reactors for decades to centuries to come." (Robert Gallucci, Chief US negotiator with North Korea (1994); Dean, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (1996-2009); President, MacArthur Foundation (2009-2014))
Download or read book The Metallurgy of Nuclear Fuel written by V. S. Yemel'Yanov and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2013-10-22 with total page 600 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Metallurgy of Nuclear Fuel: Properties and Principles of the Technology of Uranium, Thorium and Plutonium is a systematic analysis of the metallurgy of nuclear fuel, with emphasis on the physical, mechanical, and chemical properties as well as the technology of uranium, thorium, and plutonium, together with their alloys and compounds. The minerals and raw material sources of nuclear fuel are discussed, along with the principles of the technology of the raw material processing and the production of the principal compounds, and of the pure metals and alloys. Comprised of three parts, this volume begins with an introduction to the history of the discovery of uranium and its position in the periodic system; its use as a nuclear fuel; radioactivity and isotopic composition; alloys and compounds; and physical, mechanical, and chemical properties. The effect of mechanical and thermal treatment, thermal cycling and irradiation on the physicochemical properties of uranium is also examined. The next two sections are devoted to thorium and plutonium and includes chapters dealing with their uses, alloys and compounds, and methods of recovery and purification. This book is written for university students, but should also prove useful to young production engineers and scientific workers who are concerned with problems in the metallurgy of nuclear fuel.
Download or read book The Nuclear Fuel Cycle written by Nicholas Tsoulfanidis and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 463 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Plutonium for Energy written by Alan Kuperman and published by . This book was released on 2018-10-19 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Plutonium is a controversial fuel for three reasons: it can be used to make nuclear weapons, causes cancer, and is extremely costly to produce. Yet, relatively little information has been publicly available regarding the main use of this fuel around the world, in traditional ("light water") nuclear power reactors. This book offers the first comprehensive global study of plutonium "mixed oxide" (MOX) fuel in those reactors. Field research was conducted in all seven countries that have commercially manufactured or used such MOX: Belgium, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The chapters explain why five of the countries have decided to phase out MOX, due to concerns about security, economics, safety, the environment, and public acceptance. This volume should inform ongoing decision-making - in China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and beyond - about whether to recycle plutonium for energy.
Download or read book Proposals Affecting Use of Plutonium as a Reactor Fuel written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment and published by . This book was released on 1977 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Plutonium and Highly Enriched Uranium 1996 written by David Albright and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU) are the basic materials used in nuclear weapons. Plutonium also plays an important part in the generation of nuclear electricity. Knowing how much plutonium and HEU exists, where and in which form is vital for international security and nuclear commerce. This book is a thorough revision of the World Inventory of Plutonium and highly Enriched Uranium, 1992. It provides a rigorous and comprehensive assessment of the amounts of plutonium and HEU in military and civilian programmes, in nuclear and non-nuclear weapon states, and in countries seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. The capibilities that exist for producing these materials around the world are examined in depth, as are the policy issues raised by them. Containing much new information, this book is indispensable to all those concerned with the great contemporary issues in international nuclear relations: arms reductions in the nuclear weapon states, nuclear proliferation, nuclear smuggling, the roles of plutonium and enriched uranium in the nuclear fuel-cycle, and the disposition of surplus weapon material.
Download or read book Plutonium Fuel written by OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and published by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ; [Washington, D.C. : OECD Publications and Information Centre. This book was released on 1989 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2006-02-19 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In response to a request from Congress, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Homeland Security sponsored a National Academies study to assess the safety and security risks of spent nuclear fuel stored in cooling pools and dry casks at commercial nuclear power plants. The information provided in this book examines the risks of terrorist attacks using these materials for a radiological dispersal device. Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel is an unclassified public summary of a more detailed classified book. The book finds that successful terrorist attacks on spent fuel pools, though difficult, are possible. A propagating fire in a pool could release large amounts of radioactive material, but rearranging spent fuel in the pool during storage and providing emergency water spray systems would reduce the likelihood of a propagating fire even under severe damage conditions. The book suggests that additional studies are needed to better understand these risks. Although dry casks have advantages over cooling pools, pools are necessary at all operating nuclear power plants to store at least the recently discharged fuel. The book explains it would be difficult for terrorists to steal enough spent fuel to construct a significant radiological dispersal device.
Download or read book Proliferation proof Uranium Plutonium and Thorium Uranium Fuel Cycles Safeguards and Non Proliferation written by Kessler, Guenter and published by KIT Scientific Publishing. This book was released on 2017-02-20 with total page 580 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thermal and neutron physics analysis show that above certain concentrations of the isotope Pu-238 hypothetical nuclear explosive devices, made of reactor-grade plutonium, are technically not feasible. Future proliferation-proof fuel cycles are proposed which make use of methods of actinide tansmutation.Reactors operating in the thorium/uranium fuel cyce are loaded with
Download or read book Safety Issues Associated with Plutonium Involvement in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle written by Theodore A. Parish and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Commercial Plutonium Fuels Conference written by and published by . This book was released on 1966 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Plutonium for Japan s Nuclear Reactors written by Kenneth A. Solomon and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Adequate supplies of electricity have allowed Japan to make impressive economic advances. But Japan can sustain these advances only with assured supplies of fuel. To this end, it diversifies both its type of power producing facilities and its sources of fuel. Nuclear power provides Japan 30% of its electricity today and by the end of the century it will grow to 40%. Japan is facing both an opportunity and a dilemma. Japan's opportunity to convert its nuclear power from the conventional uranium based fuel to the more expensive mix of plutonium and uranium fuel extends its fuel supply by up to ten years at a substantial dollar cost as well as a potential nuclear weapons proliferation cost. This study estimates that if Japan elects to fuel its reactors with mixed plutonium and uranium oxide the dollar cost alone would run from $135 million to $800 million per year over the conventional uranium fuel. This cost is compounded by the fact that plutonium - unlike reactor grade uranium - is weapons usable. Plutonium in the hands of Japan may attract other countries to also want plutonium. This study concludes that one means of assuring energy and minimizing the potential for weapons proliferation is to develop an international nuclear fuel bank that could supply countries with energy credits.
Download or read book Plutonium written by Mieczyslaw Taube and published by Wiley-VCH. This book was released on 1974 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Plutonium power and politics international arrangements for disposition of spent nuclear fuel written by Gene I. Rochlin and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Improving the Scientific Basis for Managing DOE s Excess Nuclear Materials and Spent Nuclear Fuel written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2003-06-09 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The production of nuclear materials for the national defense was an intense, nationwide effort that began with the Manhattan Project and continued throughout the Cold War. Now many of these product materials, by-products, and precursors, such as irradiated nuclear fuels and targets, have been declared as excess by the Department of Energy (DOE). Most of this excess inventory has been, or will be, turned over to DOE's Office of Environmental Management (EM), which is responsible for cleaning up the former production sites. Recognizing the scientific and technical challenges facing EM, Congress in 1995 established the EM Science Program (EMSP) to develop and fund directed, long-term research that could substantially enhance the knowledge base available for new cleanup technologies and decision making. The EMSP has previously asked the National Academies' National Research Council for advice for developing research agendas in subsurface contamination, facility deactivation and decommissioning, high-level waste, and mixed and transuranic waste. For this study the committee was tasked to provide recommendations for a research agenda to improve the scientific basis for DOE's management of its high-cost, high-volume, or high-risk excess nuclear materials and spent nuclear fuels. To address its task, the committee focused its attention on DOE's excess plutonium-239, spent nuclear fuels, cesium-137 and strontium-90 capsules, depleted uranium, and higher actinide isotopes.
Download or read book Plutonium and Security written by Dr. Frank Barnaby and published by Springer. This book was released on 1992-06-18 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The contributors to this text discuss the cases for and against the reprocessing of spent reactor fuel elements to remove the plutonium from them.
Download or read book Plutonium in the Environment written by A. Kudo and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2001-02-23 with total page 463 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first volume of the new series, Radioactivity in the Environment, focuses on the environmental occurrence, the speciation, the behaviour, the fate, the applications and the health consequences of that much-feared and much-publicised element, plutonium. Featuring a collection of selected, peer-reviewed, up-to-date papers by leading researchers in the field, this work provides a state-of-the-art description of plutonium in the environment. This title helps to explain where present frontiers are drawn in our continuing efforts to understand the science of environmental plutonium and will help to place widespread concerns into perspective. As a whole this new book series on environmental radioactivity addresses, at academic research level, the key aspects of this socially important and complex interdisciplinary subject. Presented objectively and with the ultimate authority gained from the many contributions by the world's leading experts, the negative and positive consequences of having a radioactive world around us will be documented and given perspective.
