Aspects Of Nuclear Power Research Articles

THE ATOMIC PRIESTHOOD AND NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT: RELIGION, SCI‐FI LITERATURE, AND THE END OF OUR CIVILIZATION

AbstractThis article discusses the idea of an “Atomic Priesthood,” a religious caste that would preserve and transmit the knowledge of nuclear waste management for future generations. In 1981, the US Department of Energy commissioned a “Human Interference Task Force” (HITF) that would examine the possibilities of how to maintain the security of nuclear waste storage sites for 10,000 years, a period during which our civilization would likely perish, but the dangerous nature of nuclear waste would persist. One option that was discussed was the establishment of an “atomic priesthood,” an idea that science fiction writers like Isaac Asimov and Arsen Darney had already toyed with. Reading the HITF report alongside sci‐fi novels, my article will shed light on the question of how the sheer force of nuclear power (and the longevity of nuclear waste) lends itself to religious interpretations and how the idea of the atomic priesthood is connected with the utopian/dystopian aspects of nuclear power.

Nuclear power: waste management issues

Of all the aspects of nuclear power in the UK, none is so contentious or so pivotal as the issue of nuclear waste and its management. While there is no immediate cause for alarm, a huge amount of improvement is needed if the UK's custody of its radioactive waste is to become a programmed and prosecuted success. This paper discusses the UK radioactive waste inventory, UK radioactive waste policy, and radioactive waste storage.

Environmental Aspects of Nuclear Power.

Environmental Aspects of Nuclear Power.

The Economics of Nuclear Energy

Attitudes towards nuclear power in one country have always been more influenced by developments elsewhere than is the case with any other industry, with the possible exception of the defence industries. This book is a series of essays on different aspects of nuclear power as seen from different countries. The conclusion that they all arrive at, with one possibly neutral exception, is that nuclear power is the most attractive option on offer for future growth in electricity generation.

Nuclear power and the environment. The Sylvanus Thompson Memorial Lecture, April 14, 1978

There are so many aspects of nuclear power and the environment that it would be possible to give several quite different lectures all equally relevant to the title. There are, however, two quite separate aspects of the problem which are currently in the public eye and I would like today to concentrate on them. The first is the problem of the harmful effects of low levels of radiation which inevitably accompany any nuclear power programme and the other is the problem of radioactive waste management and the ultimate disposal of long-lived fission products. Let me deal first with the low levels of radiation which accompany a nuclear power programme, and for that matter the whole radiological industry whether associated with hospital diagnosis, industrial X-ray examination or, for that matter, passenger baggage examination at our airports. Table I shows the per caput radiation dose per annum received by the population of this country at the present time. It will be seen that natural radiation is far and away the principal source of this radiation. Some of this natural radiation comes from outer space, but the majority is from naturally occurring radioactive substances on the surface of the earth. This naturally-occurring radioactivity is dying away slowly with time and must have been considerably higher at the time when life was first evolving on this planet.

Environmental Aspects of Nuclear Power

Environmental Aspects of Nuclear Power

Energy: Europe: Tilting toward fusion: Today the French Phenix breeder scores well; tomorrow, fusion seems the byword

Both France and the United Kingdom have continued to play an active role in developing nuclear technology. This article summarizes the present status of several key aspects of nuclear power in these countries.

The Canadian nuclear power program

Nuclear-electric generating stations, predominantly the 2000 MWe Pickering station near Toronto, currently produce 5 per cent of Canada's electric energy. By the year 2000 nuclear plants will probably supply more than 40 per cent of the country's electricity. The CANDU system, featuring pressure tube reactors, heavy water moderator and natural uranium fuel, is the preferred type and will remain so for many years to come. Envisaged is the evolutionary development of the CANDU fuel cycle to embrace the use of thorium and thereby extend nuclear fuel resources by a matter of centuries. The history of the Canadian nuclear power program, its present status and future outlook are reviewed, as are the safety and environmental aspects of nuclear power.