Nuclear Energy. An Introduction to the Concepts, Systems, and Applications of Nuclear Processes PDF
Preview Nuclear Energy. An Introduction to the Concepts, Systems, and Applications of Nuclear Processes
Pergamon Unified Engineering Series B GENERAL EDITORS Thomas F. Irvine, Jr. State University of New York at Stony Brook James P. Hartnett University of Illinois at Chicago Circle EDITORS William F. Hughes Carnegie-Mellon University Arthur T. Murphy Widener College Daniel Rosenthal University of California, Los Angeles SECTIONS Continuous Media Section Engineering Design Section Engineering Systems Section Humanities and Social Sciences Section Information Dynamics Section Materials Engineering Section Engineering Laboratory Section Nuclear Energy An Introduction to the Concepts, Systems, and Applications of Nuclear Processes SECOND EDITION (in Sl/metric Units) Raymond L. Murray Nuclear Engineering Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27650 USA PERGAMON PRESS OXFORD · NEW YORK · BEIJING · FRANKFURT SÄO PAULO · SYDNEY · TOKYO · TORONTO U.K. Pergamon Press, Headington Hill Hall, Oxford 0X3 OBW, England U.S.A. Pergamon Press, Maxwell House, Fairview Park, Elmsford, New York 10523, U.S.A. PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC Pergamon Press, Qianmen Hotel, Beijing, OF CHINA People's Republic of China FEDERAL REPUBLIC Pergamon Press, Hammerweg 6, OF GERMANY D-6242 Kronberg, Federal Republic of Germany BRAZIL Pergamon Editora, Rua Eça de Queiros, 346, CEP 04011, Sâo Paulo, Brazil AUSTRALIA Pergamon Press Australia, P.O. Box 544, Potts Point, N.S.W. 2011, Australia JAPAN Pergamon Press, 8th Floor, Matsuoka Central Building, 1-7-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160, Japan CANADA Pergamon Press Canada, Suite 104, 150 Consumers Road, Willowdale, Ontario M2J 1P9, Canada Copyright © 1980 R. L. Murray All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publishers. First edition 1975 Second edition 1980 Reprinted (with corrections) 1984 Reprinted 1987 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Murray, Raymond LeRoy Nuclear energy.—2nd ed.— (Pergamon unified engineering series; vol. 22). 1. Atomic power I. Title 621.48 TK9145 79-41701 ISBN 0-08 024751-2 (Hardcover) ISBN 0-08-024750-4 (Flexicover) Printed in Great Britain by A. Wheaton & Co. Ltd., Exeter To Elizabeth Preface to the Second Edition In the period since Nuclear Energy was written, there have been several significant developments. The Arab oil embargo with its impact on the availability of gasoline alerted the world to the increasing energy problem. The nuclear industry has experienced a variety of problems including difficulty in financing nuclear plants, inflation, inefficiency in construction, and opposition by various intervening organizations. The accident at Three Mile Island raised concerns in the minds of the public and led to a new scrutiny of safety by government and industry. Two changes in U.S. national administration of nuclear energy have occurred: (a) the reassignment of responsibilities of the Atomic Energy Commission to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) which had a charge to develop all forms of energy, not just nuclear, (b) the absorp tion of ERDA and the Federal Energy Agency into a new Department of Energy. Recently, more attention has been paid to the problem of prolif eration of nuclear weapons, with new views on fuel reprocessing, recy cling, and the use of the breeder reactor. At the same time, several nuclear topics have become passé. The rapidly changing scene thus requires that we update Nuclear Energy, without changing the original intent as described in the earlier Preface. In preparing the new version, we note in the text and in the Appendix the transition in the U.S. to SI units. New values of data on materials are included, e.g. atomic masses, cross sections, half lives, and radiations. Some new problems have been added. The Appendix has vii viii Preface to the Second Edition been expanded to contain useful constants and the answers to most of the problems. Faculty users are encouraged to secure a copy of the Solution Manual from the publisher. Thanks are due Dr. Ephraim Stam for his careful scrutiny of the draft and for his fine suggestions. Thanks also go to Mary C. Joseph and Rashid Sultan for capable help with the manuscript. Raleigh, North Carolina RAYMOND L. MURRAY Preface to the First Edition The future of mankind is inextricable from nuclear energy. As the world population increases and eventually stabilizes, the demands for energy to assure adequate living conditions will severely tax available resources, especially those of fossil fuels. New and different sources of energy and methods of conversion will have to be explored and brought into practical use. The wise use of nuclear energy, based on understanding of both hazards and benefits, will be required to meet this challenge to existence. This book is intended to provide a factual description of basic nuclear phenomena, to describe devices and processes that involve nuclear reactions, and to call attention to the problems and opportunities that are inherent in a nuclear age. It is designed for use by anyone who wishes to know about the role of nuclear energy in our society or to learn nuclear concepts for use in professional work. In spite of the technical complexity of nuclear systems, students who have taken a one-semester course based on the book have shown a surprising level of interest, appreciation, and understanding. This re sponse resulted in part from the selectivity of subject matter and from efforts to connect basic ideas with the "real world," a goal that all modern education must seek if we hope to solve the problems facing civilization. The sequence of presentation proceeds from fundamental facts and principles through a variety of nuclear devices to the relation between nuclear energy and peaceful applications. Emphasis is first placed on energy, atoms and nuclei, and nuclear reactions, with little background required. The book then describes the operating principles of radiation equipment, nuclear reactors, and other systems involving nuclear ix x Preface to the First Edition processes, giving quantitative information wherever possible. Finally, attention is directed to the subjects of radiation protection, beneficial usage of radiation, and the connection between energy resources and human progress. The author is grateful to Dr. Ephraim Stam for his many suggestions on technical content, to Drs. Claude G. Poncelet and Albert J. Impink, Jr. for their careful review, to Christine Baermann for her recommendations on style and clarity, and to Carol Carroll for her assistance in preparation of the manuscript. Raleigh, North Carolina RAYMOND L. MURRAY The Author Raymond L. Murray (Ph.D. University of Tennessee) is professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University at Raleigh. His professional interests are in nuclear reactor design analysis, reactor and radiation safety, and nuclear engineering education. Dr. Murray is the author of several textbooks in physics and nuclear technology and has written many research papers in reactor analysis. He serves as a consultant to the nuclear industry. Dr. Murray's career in the nuclear field began in 1942 with the Manhattan Project at Berkeley and continued at Oak Ridge. In 1950 he helped found the first university nuclear engineering programs. He is Fellow of the American Physical Society and of the American Nuclear Society and is a member of several other scientific and engineering societies. xix Part I Basic Concepts In the study of the practical applications of nuclear energy, we must take account of the properties of individual particles of matter—their "micro scopic" features—as well as the character of matter in its ordinary form, a "macroscopic" (large-scale) view. Examples of the small-scale properties are masses of atoms or nuclear particles, their effective sizes for interaction with each other, or the number of particles in a certain volume. The combined behavior of large numbers of individual particles is expressed in terms of properties such as mass density, charge density, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and elastic constants. We continually seek consistency between the microscopic and macroscopic views. Since all processes involve interactions of particles, it is necessary that we develop a background of understanding of the basic physical facts and principles that govern such interactions. In Part I, we shall examine the concept of energy, describe the models of atomic and nuclear structure, discuss radioactivity and nuclear reactions in general, review the ways radiation reacts with matter, and concentrate on two important nuclear processes—fission and fusion. 1
The list of books you might like
