Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Nuclear Industry

  • Chapter
Kent and Riegel’s Handbook of Industrial Chemistry and Biotechnology

  • 9547 Accesses

Abstract

The objective of the nuclear industry is to pro-duce energy in the forms of heat from either fission reactions or radioactive decay and radiation from radioactive decay or by accelerator methods. For fission heat applications, the nuclear fuel has a very high specific energy content that currently has two principal uses, for military explosives and for electricity generation. As higher temperature reactors become more widely available, the high temperature heat (>900°C) will also be useful for making chemicals such as hydrogen. For radiation applications, the emissions from radioactive decay of unstable nuclides are employed in research, medicine, and industry for diagnostic purposes and for chemical reaction initiation. Radioactive decay heat is also employed to generate electricity from thermoelectric generators for low-power applications in space or remote terrestrial locations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 249.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

Status And Outlook

  1. Finger, H., “Need for Nuclear Energy, National Energy Strategy Hearings,” US Council for Energy Awareness, Washington, DC, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  2. World Nuclear Association Web site. “Information and Brief News,” Last updated March, 29,2005, Accessed April 2005. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/reactors.htm.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Energy Information Administration Web site. “U.S. Nuclear Reactors,” Last updated April 4, 2005, Accessed April 2005. http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/nuc_reactors/reactsum.html.

    Google Scholar 

  4. NRDC: Nuclear Notebook Global nuclear stockpiles, 1945–2002 By Robert S. Norris and Hans M. Kristensen November/December 2002 (vol. 58, no. 06) © 2002 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, pp. 103–104.

    Google Scholar 

  5. “Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident-Health and Environmental Consequences,” DOE/ER-0332 US Department of Energy, June 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  6. “The Accident at Three Mile Island,” Staff Report to the President’s Commission, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington DC, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

Nuclear Safety

  1. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10 Energy, Chapter 1 Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  2. P. V. Domenici. A Brighter Tomorrow: Fulfilling the Promise of Nuclear Energy. Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Fact Sheet: United States NRC. “Nuclear Reactor Risk.” June 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Reactor Safety Study, WASH 1400 (NUREG 75/014) US Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  5. From HP Society University of Michigan Web site, 1/18/05.

    Google Scholar 

The Earth’s Supply And Demand

  1. Annual Report to Congress 1988, Energy Information Administration, Washington, DC, 20585, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Annual Energy Review 1988, DOE/EIA-0384[88], Energy Information Administration, Washington, DC, 20585.

    Google Scholar 

  3. “Energy Efficiency,” The Energy Daily, 18; 64, Washington, DC, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Parent, J. D., A Survey of United States and Total World Production, Reserves and Remaining Recoverable Fossil Fuel and Uranium, Institute or Gas Technology, Chicago, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Uranium Resources Production and Demand, OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and International Atomic Energy Agency, Paris, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Energy Information Administration/Annual Energy Review, 2003.

    Google Scholar 

Nuclear Processes

  1. Friedlander, G., Kennedy, J., Macias, E., and Miller, J. Nuclear and Radiochemistry, 3rd ed., J. Wiley & Sons, New York, 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Nuclides and Isotopes, 14th Ed, 202-637-4000 GE Nuclear Operations, 175 Curtner Ave., M/C397, San Jose, CA, 95125.

    Google Scholar 

Fission

  1. Lamarsh, J. R., Introduction to Nuclear Reactor Theory, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  2. “Advanced Proliferation Resistant, Lower Cost, Uranium-Thorium Dioxide Fuels for Light Water Reactors,” Nuclear Energy Research Initiative, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

Fusion

  1. A Status Report on Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion, STU/PUB/872 International Fusion Research Council. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Starpower, the U.S. and the International Quest for Fusion Energy, OTA-E-338, Office of Technology Assessment, Congress of the United States, Oct. 1987.

    Google Scholar 

Nuclide Production

  1. Kauffman, G., “Beyond Uranium, Chemical and Engineering News,” Washington, DC, Nov. 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Meyer, W., and Plascjak, P., Cyclotron Group, National Institute of Health-Personal communication.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Cohen, B. L., Concepts of Nuclear Physics, McGraw-Hill, New York, USA, 1971

    Google Scholar 

Neutron Transmutation Products

  1. Crandall, J., “The Savannah River High Flux Demonstration, USAEC Report DP999,” US Atomic Energy Commission, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

Charged Particle Transmutation Products

  1. Lagunas-Solar, M., “Cyclotron Production of No-Carrier-Added Medical Radionuclides,” 7th Conference on the Applications of Acceleration in Research and Industry, Denton, TX, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

Isotope Enrichment

  1. Stable Isotopes for Research and Industry, ISOTEC, Maimisburg, OH 45342, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Separation and Applications of Stable Isotopes, Avona and Spicer, American Laboratory, April 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  3. “Separation of Hydrogen Isotopes,” Rae, H., Editor, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

The Uranium Fuel Cycle

  1. Fuel Cycle Review 1990, Nuclear Engineering International.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Eister, W., Stoughton, R. Sullivan, W., Processing of Nuclear Reactor Fuel, Principles of Nuclear Reactor Engineering, Glasstone, S., (Ed.), Van Nostrand, New York, 1955.

    Google Scholar 

Fuel Preparation

  1. Mantz, E., “Production of Uranium Tetrafluoride and Uranium Metal,” USAEC Report NCLO 1068, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, 1970.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Olander, D., “The Gas Centrifuge,” Scientific American, 239; 2, 1978.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. U.S. Uranium Enrichment, The Case for Restructuring, The Council for Energy Awareness, Washington, DC, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

Spent Fuel Reprocessing

  1. Long, J., Engineering for Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing, Gordon and Breach, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Logsdail, D. et al., Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange, J. Wiley & Sons, New York, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

Radioactive Waste Management

  1. “Integrated Data Base for 1989: Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Inventories,” Department of Energy, Washington DC, 20585, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

Storage of Spent Fuel

  1. Dry Storage Casks for Spent Nuclear Fuel, Journal of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, Northbrook, IL, 60062, May 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Eister, W., Materials considerations in radioactive waste storage, Nuclear Technology, 1:6, Jan. 1977.

    Google Scholar 

Low-Level Waste Disposal

  1. Annual Report to Congress, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Environmental Assessment of Remedial Action at the Monument Valley Uranium Mill Tailings Site, Monument Valley, AZ, US. Department of Energy, Washington, DC, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Program, Annual Report, 1989, Washington, DC, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

Transportation of Nuclear Materials

  1. Rail Transportation Corridor Analysis, BMI/ONWI-617, US. Department of Energy, 186.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Transporting Spent Nuclear Fuel, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Washington, DC, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

The Nuclear Reactor

  1. Benedict, M., Pigford, T., and Levi, H., Nuclear Chemical Engineering, McGraw-Hill, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Forsberg, C., Reich, W., World wide Advanced Nuclear Power Reactors with Passive and Inherent Safety: What Why, How and Who, ORNL/TM-11907, September 1991.

    Google Scholar 

Light Water Reactors

  1. Beckjord, E., et al., “International Comparison of LWR Performance,” Report MIT EL 87-004, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, Feb. 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Frost, B., Nuclear Fuel Elements, Pergamon, New York, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Cohen, Paul, Water Coolant Technology of Power Reactors, Gordon and Breach, New York, 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Advanced LWRs, Nuclear Industries, July 1988, U.S. Council for Energy Awareness, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

CANDU Heavy Water Reactor

  1. A Catalogue of Advanced Fuel Cycles in CANDU-PHW Reactors, Veeder and Didsbury, Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario, Canada, KOJ 1JO, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

Liquid Metal Fast Reactor

  1. Till, C., and Chang, Y., “The Integral Fast Reactor,” Advances in Nuclear Science, 20, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

Other Nuclear Reactors

  1. See NASA Web site concerning Explorer program and nuclear reactors.

    Google Scholar 

Radiation Processing

  1. “Machine Sources for Food Irradiation,” U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

Radioisotope Application

  1. Eister, W., et al., Radioisotope Production in the U.S., Radioisotope Production Study, Sao Paulo, Brazil, IAEA-124, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1970.

    Google Scholar 

Radiation Sources

  1. Eichholz, G.., Radioisotope Engineering, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

Radioisotope Thermal Electric Generators

  1. Handbook of Isotopic Power Source Characteristics, Arnold, ORNL 3576; Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge TN, 1964.

    Google Scholar 

Nuclear Medicine

  1. Eister, W., et al., Radiopharmaceuticals and Short-Lived Radioisotopes, Radioisotope Production Study, Sao Paulo, Brazil, IAEA-124, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1970.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Ester, W., et al., Radioisotope Generators America, (see above).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Westinghouse Electric LLC, USA

    Tom Congedo, Edward Lahoda, Regis Matzie & Keith Task

Authors
  1. Tom Congedo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Edward Lahoda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Regis Matzie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Keith Task
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

James A. Kent Ph.D. (Professor of Chemical Engineering and Dean of Engineering)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Congedo, T., Lahoda, E., Matzie, R., Task, K. (2007). The Nuclear Industry. In: Kent, J.A. (eds) Kent and Riegel’s Handbook of Industrial Chemistry and Biotechnology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-27843-8_21

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation