randalleavitt's Feed

Chernobyl: The Ongoing Story

randalleavitt — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:02:00 -0500

Glenn Alan Cheney - 1993: A good description of the activities that led up to the accident. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: 1993, Author: Cheney G A, Title: Chernobyl: The Ongoing Story, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Fixed Bed Nuclear Reactor

randalleavitt — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:54:00 -0500

Farhang Sefidvash: An invitation to join the FBNR project. A description of the FBNR technology, and an invitation to join the project. The discussion touches on the political issue of guaranteed supply which will be needed to make a world nuclear energy industry viable. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: regularly updated, Author: Sefidvash F, Title: Fixed Bed Nuclear Reactor, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Transportation Information Papers

randalleavitt — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:51:00 -0500

2006: Several overview papers, including: (1) Radioactive Materials Transport - Industry Experience (2) Radiation Protection Programmes - for Road Carriers, Sea Carriers and Port Handlers (3) Nuclear Fuel Cycle Transport - The IAEA Regulations and their Relevance to Severe Accidents. The transportation industry has a very good safety record for the handling of radioactive materials. The excessively long time needed for regularity approvals has a measureably negative effect on the fission sourced energy industry. The renewed interest in nuclear power is introducing rapid change in the transportation technology and regulation regimes. Compliance with regulations is further complicated by varying interpretations of the IAEA documents that specify transportation requirements. Another problem is availability of carriers. There are only a limited number of ships designed for the safe transport of radioactive material. When these ships are all busy other shipments are delayed. These days everyone is concerned about security. This is adding further constraints for the transportation of radioactive material. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: 2006, Author: World Nuclear Transport Institure, Title: Transportation Information Papers, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Smarter Use of Nuclear Waste

randalleavitt — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:16:00 -0500

W.H. Hannum, G.E. Marsh, G.S. Stanford - Scientific American, 2005 December: Nuclear reactors that use a fast neutron spectrum, and pyrometallurgical processing to recycle fuel, are efficient. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: top10, Date: 2005, Author: Hannum W H, Author: Marsh G E, Author: Stanford G S, Title: Smarter Use of Nuclear Waste, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Nuclear Wasteland

randalleavitt — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:06:00 -0500

Peter Fairley - IEEE Spectrun Online, 2007 Feb: The French are recycling nuclear waste. Should other countries follow suit? Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: 2007, Author: Fairley P, Title: Nuclear Wasteland, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Power Grab

randalleavitt — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 07:47:00 -0400

J.A. Weber - 1979 Jan 01: An analysis of the motives, techniques, and degree of success of the environmentalists who oppose nuclear energy in the USA. This book present some helpful insights into the thinking and political strategy of the politically involved environmentalists. Unfortunately, it also includes some rather tired complaints about the evils of big government and the almost magical power of free markets. IF you can sort the wheat from the chaff, this book is worth reading. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: 1979, Author: Weber J A, Title: Power Grab, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Coalition for Nuclear Energy

randalleavitt — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 02:15:00 -0400

Web Site -: There is a declaration here that people can sign to show that they want more nuclear energy used in Canada. You should sign it. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: regularly updated, Author: Coalition for Nuclear Energy, Title: Coalition for Nuclear Energy, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Nuclear Fundamentalism and the Iran Story

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:30:00 -0400

Norman Soloman - 2005 May 5: Reviews the political decisions that are increasing the availability of nuclear weapons. The author contends that we have to forego the benefits of nuclear power because it causes the spread of nuclear weapons. I don't agree with this position. Shutting down nuclear power plants in some countries will not eliminate the interest in nuclear weapons. However, the problem involves many levels of political, military, and cultural maneuvering and the spread of nuclear weapons seems to be one of the unhappy outcomes of all this. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: 2005, Author: Soloman N, Title: Nuclear Fundamentalism and the Iran Story, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

An Emotional Approach to Future Sustainable Nuclear Energy Development

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:00:00 -0400

Alain Michel - 2000: A discussion of people's lack of enthusiasm for nuclear energy and the need for emotional presentations to change this. This article points out how fiction influences people - often creating images such as mad scientists that affect real decisions about scientific projects and technology investment. For the nuclear industry this influence has been overhwlmingly negative. A more vigorous presentation of positive aspects of nuclear energy would probably be effective, and it is surprising that the industry leaders have not done this. This leads into a discussion of the general understanding of nuclear fission, and of the steps that could be taken to create fission applications that people like, instead of tolerate. Building new nuclear plants underground instead of in the middle of pristine agricultural land might help, and be well worth the small cost increase. A more confident, realistic, and people oriented approach to gaining public support and even enthusiasm seems to be possible. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: top10, Date: 2000, Author: Michel A, Title: An Emotional Approach to Future Sustainable Nuclear Energ, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Transport of Radioactive Materials

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:00:00 -0400

2008 Feb: Overview of the containers used and the methods employed to move radioactive material. Millions of radioactive items are shipped routinely by road, rail, and ship. Highly radioactive materials such as used fission fuel is carried in special containers. There has never been an accident that caused any of these containers to release anything. Fission fuel is extremely compact, which reduces the environmental impact associated with moving fuel to its point of use. Moving coal and oil is much more damaging and presents a much high risk for significant harm. Radioactive material is moved in Type A, B, or C containers. Type A is used for material that is only weakly radioactive. Type B is used for highly active material such as spent fuel. Type C is used for weapons grade material. The type B and C containers are indestructable and include radio beacons that make them findable. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: 2008, Author: World Nuclear Association, Title: Transport of Radioactive Meterials, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Annex J Exposures and effects of the Chernobyl accident

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:00:00 -0400

UNSCEAR - 2000: Report to the General Assembly, Annex J. The most recent information about Chernobyl from the UNSCEAR 2000 report The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) A full assessment of the Chernobyl accident is included in the UNSCEAR 2000 Report as Annex J "Exposures and effects of the Chernobyl accident". This web article reproduces that annex. The annex is well written and easy to read. But you will need some definitions, such as: t : metric tonne, 1000 kg GWd t-1 : gigawatt days per tonne, the amount of thermal energy produced from each tonne of nuclear reactor fuel PBq : peta becquerel, 10**15 becquerels um : micro meter, one millionth of a meter kBq m-2 : kilo becquerels per square meter MBq m-2 : mega becquerels per square meter Ci km-2 : curies per square kilometer Gy : gray Gy h-1 : grays per hour mSv : milli sieverts A "becquerel" (Bq) of radioactivity occurs if there is one nucleus decay event every second. So kBq indicates one thousand nucleus decay events every second, i.e. one thousand becquerels. MBq indicates one million becquerels. Associating this with a square meter gives a measure of the radioactivity of a land area. A "curie" (Ci) of radioactivity is 37 giga becquerels (GBq), i.e. 37,000,000,000 Bq. A "gray" (Gy) is a measure of an absorbed dose of radioactivity. A "sievert" (Sv) is a measure of a dose equivalent of radioactivity. A milli sievert is one thousandth of a sievert. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: top10, Date: 2000, Author: UNSCEAR, Title: Annex J Exposures and effects of the Chernobyl accident, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Radiation and Life

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:00:00 -0400

Eric J. Hall - 2002 Jul: An explanation of the types of radiation, the units used for measuring radiation, and the affect that various amounts of radiation have on people. Radiation is energy that travels through space. It can travel as a wave which has a frequency that determines penetration characteristics, or as a particle which has mass, size, and velocity that determine penetration ability. Life has evolved in a bath of radioactivity from the beginning, and today we add to this exposure with medical practices that have significant benefits. Radiation levels are measured in Becquerels (Bq) which consist of one atomic decay per second. There are several kinds of radiation: alpha, beta, gamma, and neutron. A radiation dose delivers energy into a human body. This is measured in grays, one joule of energy per kilogram of body. However, the effect of this energy transfer differs for each type of radiation. If this is taken into account, a radiation dose of one type can be compared with that of another type. This way of measuring radiation dose uses sieverts as the unit of measure. One sievert is the maximum dose that you can receive without being killed. Below 50 millisieverts (mSv) no effects of radiation have been measured. The general background level is around 3 mSv. Some places have backgrounds as high as 260 mSv without any evidence of health problems. For public exposure, 1 mSv per year averaged over five years is the typical regulated limit, over and above background levels and medical exposure. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: 2002, Author: Hall E J, Title: Radiation and Life, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Small Nuclear Power Reactors

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:00:00 -0400

Uranium Information Centre - 2007 Nov: Small nuclear reactors make it easier to introduce nuclear power to remote sites. There is revival of interest in small and simpler nuclear reactors for generating electricity, and for process heat. The interest is driven by a desire to reduce capital costs and to provide power away from main grid systems. The technologies involved are diverse, but two leading ones use high temperature helium to drive turbines directly. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: regularly updated, Author: Uranium Information Centre, Title: Small Nuclear Power Reactors, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

The Energy Sources and Nuclear Energy

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:00:00 -0400

Dr Christian Hoenraet - 1999 Sep: Report from a Catholic working group set up to review the issues associated with the production of nuclear energy. The working group concluded that respect for future generations requires us to make the best possible use of nuclear energy. All technologies used to produce electricity, whatever the energy source, have both advantages and disadvantages and carry certain risks. Nuclear energy looks very good when compared with the alternative technologies. Mankind is responsible for using it in an ethical manner. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: 1999, Author: Hoenraet C, Title: The Energy Sources and Nuclear Energy, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Environmental Heresies

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:00:00 -0400

Stewart Brand - 2005 May: Why environmentalists need new thinking about population growth, urbanization, genetically engineered organisms, and nuclear power. The environmentalist movement is dominated by dogmatic zealots who have a narrow concept of what needs to be done next. For these fanatics new information that demands a new approach is unwelcome. However, lots of new information is available. For instance, the world's human population has levelled off and is beginning to decline because most people live in cities where raising children is difficult. Environmentalists need to re-think their concerns. The big issue is climate change. We need to de-carbonize our energy production. The environmentalist's quasi-religious opposition to nuclear power is preventing this change. We are at a dangerous point where one more nuclear accident, even a small one, could seal off this avenue of hope. We need a revitalized nuclear initiative now. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: 2005, Author: Brand S, Title: Environmental Heresies, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Sustainable Nuclear

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 11:59:00 -0400

Center for Reactor Information: A small web site run by retired engineers and scientists. All the articles posted here have been fully reviewed. This web site has been set up to provide accurate and complete information about nuclear energy using a writing style that non-technical people can understand easily. It is a small site with only a few posted articles and a few links to other information sources. However, the articles are good and the references point to the most informative sources. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: regularly updated, Author: Center for Reactor Information, Title: Sustainable Nuclear, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Longevity is the most appropriate measure of health effects of radiation.

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 11:59:00 -0400

John R. Cameron - 2003 Oct: Recent results from long term studies indicate that mild radiation exposure improves health A double blind study is needed to confirm the hypothesis that mild radiation improves longevity. Several long term studies indicate that this is so. Even fairly high doses, high enough to increase cancer rates, seem to cause enough beneficial effect to make overall longevity remain constant despite the inceased cancer deaths. Many standards for radiation safety are based on cancer rate statistics, so this may be the wrong base if it misses the positive effects. Settings dose standards too low as a result of using the wrong measure is causing increased costs for industry without producing any benefit. The basis for setting standards should be longevity which will the be influenced by the positive results of radiation exposure. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: 2003, Author: Cameron J R, Title: Longevity is the most appropriate measure of health effec, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Why the French Like Nuclear Energy

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 11:59:00 -0400

Jon Palfreman - : A discussion of the issues raised by the nuclear fuel cycle in France, and the policies being adopted there to gain public acceptance of the nuclear power technology. I think similar policies should be adopted in Canada. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: unknown, Author: Palfreman J, Title: Why the French Like Nuclear Energy, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

Why Do Americans Fear Nuclear Power?

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 11:59:00 -0400

Dr. Robert Dupont - : A question and answer session that addresses the false fears about nuclear power. A very good analysis of how people are made to be afraid. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: unknown, Author: Dupont R, Title: Why Do Americans Fear Nuclear Power, Topic: nuclear fission energy,

An Advanced Molten Salt Reactor Using High-Temperature Reactor Technology

randalleavitt — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 11:59:00 -0400

C.W. Forsberg, P.F. Peterson, H. Zhao - 2004 Feb 28: Describes new technologies that improve the characteristics of a molten salt reactor design. Two liquid fuelled reactors were built and operated in the USA during the 1950's and 1960's. This research lead to a design for a 1000 MW(e) molten salt reactor. This paper describes the improvements that can be made in this design by using modern technologies that were not available when the original was produced. The improved technologies are Brayton helium power cycles, compact heat exchangers, and carbon-carbon composites. Tagged by randalleavitt under Rank: worth reading, Date: 2004, Author: Forsberg C W, Author: Peterson P F, Author: Zhao H, Title: An Advanced Molten Salt Reactor Using High-Temperature Re, Topic: nuclear fission energy,