Nuclear Reactor Physics


Book Description

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.




Statistics for Fission Track Analysis


Book Description

Statistical analyses of the numbers, lengths, and orientations of fission tracks etched in minerals yield dating and thermal history information valuable in geological and geoscience applications, particularly in oil exploration. Fission tracks can be represented mathematically by a stochastic process of randomly oriented line segments in three dim




Nuclear Power


Book Description

Originally published in 1986. Nuclear power is now regarded as essential to survival in the twenty-first century. But the safety of nuclear power stations is a highly controversial topic, and where they will be sited is a most vital question. In this independent critique, based on four years of research, Stan Openshaw argues that reactor siting provides a simple means of offering additional, design-independent margins of safety. Reactor siting policies in the UK and USA are examined and it is suggested that UK siting practices need to be updated. The large number of potential alternative sites should be used to devise new planning strategies – strategies which will minimise both the residual health risks from accidents and the danger that a future change in public opinion might lead to calls for the closure of many existing sites on safety grounds.




Otto Hahn and the Rise of Nuclear Physics


Book Description

and less as the emanation unden\'ent radioactive decay, and it became motion less after about 30 seconds. Since this process was occurring very rapidly, Hahn and Sackur marked the position of the pointer on a scale with pencil marks. As a timing device they used a metronome that beat out intervals of approximately 1. 3 seconds. This simple method enabled them to determine that the half-life of the emanations of actinium and emanium were the same. Although Giesel's measurements had been more precise than Debierne's, the name of actinium was retained since Debierne had made the discovery first. Hahn now returned to his sample of barium chloride. He soon conjectured that the radium-enriched preparations must harbor another radioactive sub stance. The liquids resulting from fractional crystallization, which were sup posed to contain radium only, produced two kinds of emanation. One was the long-lived emanation of radium, the other had a short life similar to the emanation produced by thorium. Hahn tried to separate this substance by adding some iron to the solutions that should have been free of radium, but to no avail. Later the reason for his failure became apparent. The element that emitted the thorium emanation was constantly replenished by the ele ment believed to be radium. Hahn succeeded in enriching a preparation until it was more than 100,000 times as intensive in its radiation as the same quantity of thorium.




The Manhattan Project


Book Description

A history of the origins and development of the American atomic bomb program during WWII. Begins with the scientific developments of the pre-war years. Details the role of the U.S. government in conducting a secret, nationwide enterprise that took science from the laboratory and into combat with an entirely new type of weapon. Concludes with a discussion of the immediate postwar period, the debate over the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, and the founding of the Atomic Energy Commission. Chapters: the Einstein letter; physics background, 1919-1939; early government support; the atomic bomb and American strategy; and the Manhattan district in peacetime. Illustrated.




The Population Debate


Book Description




Network Models in Population Biology


Book Description

This book is an outgrowth of one phase of an upper-division course on quantitative ecology, given each year for the past eight at Berkeley. I am most grateful to the students in that course and to many graduate students in the Berkeley Department of Zoology and Colleges of Engineering and Natural Resources whose spirited discussions inspired much of the book's content. I also am deeply grateful to those faculty colleagues with whom, at one time or another, I have shared courses or seminars in ecology or population biology, D.M. Auslander, L. Demetrius, G. Oster, O.H. Paris, F.A. Pitelka, A.M. Schultz, Y. Takahashi, D.B. Tyler, and P. Vogelhut, all of whom contributed substantially to the development of my thinking in those fields, to my Depart mental colleagues E. Polak and A.J. Thomasian, who guided me into the litera ture on numerical methods and stochastic processes, and to the graduate students who at one time or another have worked with me on population-biology projects, L.M. Brodnax, S-P. Chan, A. Elterman, G.C. Ferrell, D. Green, C. Hayashi, K-L. Lee, W.F. Martin Jr., D. May, J. Stamnes, G.E. Swanson, and I. Weeks, who, together, undoubtedly provided me with the greatest inspiration. I am indebted to the copy-editing and production staff of Springer-Verlag, especially to Ms. M. Muzeniek, for their diligence and skill, and to Mrs. Alice Peters, biomathematics editor, for her patience.




Macroecology: Concepts and Consequences


Book Description

Macroecology: Concepts and Consequences brings together for the first time major researchers in the field to present overviews of current thinking about the form and determinants of macroecological patterns. Each section presents different viewpoints on the answer to a key question in macroecology, such as why are most species rare, why are most species small-bodied, and why are most species restricted in their distribution?




An Introduction to Nuclear Waste Immobilisation


Book Description

Drawing on the authors' extensive experience in the processing and disposal of waste, An Introduction to Nuclear Waste Immobilisation, Second Edition examines the gamut of nuclear waste issues from the natural level of radionuclides in the environment to geological disposal of waste-forms and their long-term behavior. It covers all-important aspects of processing and immobilization, including nuclear decay, regulations, new technologies and methods. Significant focus is given to the analysis of the various matrices used, especially cement and glass, with further discussion of other matrices such as bitumen. The final chapter concentrates on the performance assessment of immobilizing materials and safety of disposal, providing a full range of the resources needed to understand and correctly immobilize nuclear waste.




Fundamentals of Nuclear Science and Engineering Third Edition


Book Description

Fundamentals of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Third Edition, presents the nuclear science concepts needed to understand and quantify the whole range of nuclear phenomena. Noted for its accessible level and approach, the Third Edition of this long-time bestselling textbook provides overviews of nuclear physics, nuclear power, medicine, propulsion, and radiation detection. Its flexible organization allows for use with Nuclear Engineering majors and those in other disciplines. The Third Edition features updated coverage of the newest nuclear reactor designs, fusion reactors, radiation health risks, and expanded discussion of basic reactor physics with added examples. A complete Solutions Manual and figure slides for classroom projection are available for instructors adopting the text.