Nuclear Power: A Very Short Introduction

* Explores the most challenging question facing the world: how will we meet the global energy demand without destroying the planetary environment? * Dispels some of the current myths about nuclear power and gives a balanced account of nuclear safety, cost, and nuclear waste * Presents a history of the development of nuclear physics up to the emergence of the nuclear power industry * Looks specifically at safety records, including accounts of the Windscale fire, the Three Mile Island incident, and the Chernobyl disaster * Considers the potential of nuclear fusion for the future of energy supply * Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions series With the World desperate to find energy sources that do not emit carbon gasses, nuclear power is back on the agenda and in the news, following the increasing cost of fossil fuels and concerns about the security of their future supply. However, the term 'nuclear power' causes anxiety in many people and there is confusion concerning the nature and extent of the associated risks. Here, Maxwell Irvine presents a concise introduction to the development of nuclear physics leading up to the emergence of the nuclear power industry. He discusses the nature of nuclear energy and deals with various aspects of public concern, considering the risks of nuclear safety, the cost of its development, and waste disposal. Dispelling some of the widespread confusion about nuclear energy, Irvine considers the relevance of nuclear power, the potential of nuclear fusion, and encourages informed debate about its potential. Readership: General readers interested in nuclear energy, physics, and power, as well as students of physics.

1: A new science is born 2: A new technology is developed 3: Thermal nuclear reactors 4: Nuclear fuel reprocessing and radioactive waste management 5: Nuclear safety 6: The cost of nuclear power 7: Nuclear fusion power 8: The need for nuclear power Appendix