Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century:
World Nuclear University Press by
Ian Hore-Lacy
Fantastic Review Of Nuclear Energy
The onset of the 21st century has coincided with mounting scientific
evidence of the severe environmental impact of global energy
consumption. In response, governments and environmentalists on every
continent have begun to re-evaluate the benefits of nuclear power as a
clean, non-emitting energy resource. Today nuclear power plants operate
in some 30 countries, and nuclear energy has become a safe and reliable
source of one-sixth of the worlds electricity. This base has the potential to
be expanded widely as part of a worldwide clean-energy revolution.

Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century is an authoritative resource for
educators, students, policy-makers and interested lay-people. This
balanced and accessible text provides:
* An inroad into nuclear science for the non-specialist
* A valuable account of many aspects of nuclear technology, including
industry applications
* Answers to public concerns about safety, proliferation, and waste
management
* Up-to-date data and references
This edition comes with a Foreword by Dr. Patrick Moore, co-founder of
Greenpeace, which attests to todays worldwide re-evaluation of nuclear
power.
The World Nuclear University (WNU) is a global partnership of industry,
inter-governmental, and academic institutions committed to enhancing
education in nuclear science and technology. WNU partners include the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the World Association of
Nuclear Operators (WANO), the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the
OECD, and the World Nuclear Association (WNA). With a secretariat
staffed by government-sponsored secondees, the London-based WNU
Coordinating Centre fosters a diversity of collaborative projects to
strengthen nuclear education and rebuild future leadership in nuclear
science and technology.
· Global in perspective and rich in data
· Draws on the intellectual resources of the World Nuclear Association
· Includes Physics of uranium; uranium enrichment; waste management
· Provides technical perspective with an understanding of environmental
issues
Personal Review: Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century: World
Nuclear University Press by Ian Hore-Lacy
This book is extremely well written with lots of pictures and charts.

The first chapter deals with energy sources and demand. It points out that
electricity is the most useful form of energy and demand for electricity is
growing faster than demand for energy.
The second chapter deals with demand and supply for electricity given that
it is extremely difficult and expensive to store. Within a day there can be a
20% variation in the demand and different fuels/sources are used to supply
base load, and peak load demand. Coal and nuclear supply base load and
gas turbines provide peak load. Renewables, such as solar and wind, are
not suitable for either base load or peak load because they are intermittent
ie they are available when the wind blows or the sun shines rather than all
the time (base load) or when everyone wants electricity at the same time
(peak load). There is a comparison of coal and nuclear for producing
electricity. There is a comparison of the cost of electricity from various
fuels in different countries and for the US over time.
Chapter three deals with nuclear power. How many nuclear reactors are
there in the world and where are they. How much uranium is there in the
world and where is it located. What is the physics of a reactor. How are
reactors controlled.
Chapter four deals with the production of enriched uranium which serves
as fuel. Uranium ore contains .7% U235 and 99.3% U238. Enriched U is
3% U235. Nuclear bomb grade uranium is 90% U235. This chapter
includes a description of advanced reactors including passive safety
systems which work without operator intervention or electricity. It describes
High Temperature Reactors which can be used to produce hydrogen
efficiently and fast neutron reactors which run on "nuclear waste" and
could supply 100% of the US electricity needs for 1000 years using
depleted uranium left over after enriching uranium. The Toshiba 4S, a
nuclear battery, is a very small reactor which will run for 30 years without
refueling or maintenance.
Chapter 5 deals with nuclear "waste". In 30 years, 100 nuclear plants,
producing 20% of US electricity, have produced 66,000 tons of Waste. If
nuclear waste is reprocessed, 98% of the waste can be used as fuel in fast
neutron reactors; and a large percentage of the remaining 2% can be used
as tracer isotopes in medical applications. It includes a graph showing that
the radioactivity of nuclear waste declines below the radioactivity of
uranium ore after 2000 years. The fission products comprising the 2% that
can't be recycled into the reactor, falls below uranium ore radioactivity after
400 years. There is a description of how nuclear reactors are
decommissioned.
Chapter 6 is a description of application of nuclear reactors other than the
production of electricity. Hydrogen production for use as a transportation
fuel is a major future use. Reactor heat that is not used to produce
electricity when the demand is low can be used to produce

hydrogen.Nuclear reactors can also be used to convert sea water into
fresh water. It can also be used to power ships and space vehicles. And to
produce radioisotopes used as tracer in medical diagnosis.
Chapter seven covers the environment, health and safety issued. It
discusses greenhouse gas emissions, a comparison of deaths during the
production of electricity, a list of the 10 serious reeactor event world wide
since 1952.
Chapter 8 deals with avoiding weapons proliferation and chapter 9
provides a history of nuclear energy.
All in all, I highly recommend it to anyone interested in nuclear energy.
While it doesn't take any position of nuclear energy issues, it does provide
well rounded coverage with lots of facts.
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