《21世纪的核能（第3版）》内容丰富全面，涵盖核能相关的各方面内容，叙述分析确切到位，语言表达简练而精确。本书很适合作为大学“核能概论”之类课程的英文教材，也可以作为核工业界各类培训班的教材。

伊恩·霍尔-拉齐以其专业的眼光引导读者领略了复杂核能系统的全貌。对于任何希望探知这个神秘世界并有志于理解其中关键内涵的读者来说，这本书都会提供不可多得的帮助。

核能是一种技术成熟、安全和可靠的发电或者供热能源。其具有规模大、价格低、无污染和无温室气体排放的优点。鉴于核能具有上述优点和不断提高的能源独立性优势，世界各国政府都逐渐提高了核能作为国家能源政策中骨干能源的地位。

世界核大学出版社出版的21世纪核能系列入门教材是适用于广大教师、学生、政策制定者和其他所有感兴趣读者的权威著作。其内容全面均衡、简要易读，并具有如下特点：

·针对非核能专业的普通读者介绍了核能科学知识；

·内容涉及核能科学诸多领域，也涵盖了工业应用相关的内容；

·回答了公众所关心的有关核能安全、核扩散和核废物的问题；

·提供了最新的数据和参考资料。

《21世纪的核能（第3版）》由绿色和平组织的创始人之一，帕特里克·摩尔博士作序，序文证实了当前世界范围重新认识核能的现状。

《21世纪的核能（第3版）》作者伊恩·霍尔-拉齐是一位在核能领域受到广泛尊重的教育家，也是拥有众多环境和矿产科学著作的作者。2001年以来他一直担任位于伦敦的世界核能协会公共关系部主任一职，负责处理公众信息事务。

世界核大学（WNU）是一个由全球工业、政府和学术组织共同组成的合作组织，目的是加强核能科学与技术方面的教育力量。其合作者包括国际原子能委员会（IAEA）、世界核运营委员会（WANO）、欧共体核能署（NEA）和世界核能协会（WNA）。通过从政府或者企业借调人员或者争取赞助等方式，位于伦敦的WNU总部采用多种合作项目的形式强化了核能教育并致力于培养未来的核能领袖。

Foreword by Dr.Patrick Moore vii

Introduction 1

1.Energy use 4

1.1 Sources of energy 4

1.2 Sustainability of energy 4

1.3 Energy demand 5

1.4 Energy supply 5

1.5 Changes in energy demand and supply 6

1.6 Future energy demand and supply 7

2.Electricity today and tomorrow 10

2.1 Electricity demand 10

2.2 Electricity supply 11

2.3 Fuels for electricity generation today 14

2.4 Provision for future base-load electricity 15

2.5 Renewable energy sources 18

2.6 Coal and uranium compared 21

2.7 Energy inputs to generate electricity 22

2.8 Economic factors 24

3.Nuclear power and its fuels 26

3.1 Mass to energy in the reactor core 26

3.2 Nuclear power reactors – basic design 27

Panel: Components common to most types of nuclear reactor 28

3.3 Uranium availability 31

3.4 Nuclear weapons as a source of fuel 33

3.5 Thorium as a nuclear fuel 35

3.6 Accelerator-driven systems 35

3.7 Physics of a nuclear reactor 36

4.Types of nuclear power reactor 42

4.1 Today’s power reactors 42

4.2 Advanced power reactors 43

4.3 Floating nuclear power plants 45

4.4 Modular light water reactors 45

4.5 High temperature reactors 46

4.6 Fast neutron reactors 48

4.7 Very small nuclear power reactors 51

5.The ‘front end’ of the nuclear fuel cycle 52

5.1 Mining and milling of uranium ore 52

5.2 The nuclear fuel cycle 54

Panel: Uranium enrichment 56

5.3 Thorium cycle 59

6.The ‘back end’ of the nuclear fuel cycle 60

6.1 Nuclear wastes 60

6.2 Reprocessing used fuel 63

6.3 High-level wastes from reprocessing 65

Panel: Transporting radioactive materials 65

6.4 Storage and disposal of high-level wastes 68

6.5 Decommissioning nuclear reactors 71

7.Other nuclear energy applications 74

7.1 Transport 74

7.2 Hydrogen production and use 75

7.3 Process heat 79

7.4 Desalination 80

7.5 Marine propulsion 81

7.6 Radioisotope systems and reactors for space 84

7.7 Research reactors, making radioisotopes 86

8.Environment, health and safety 90

8.1 Greenhouse gas emissions 90

8.2 Other environmental effects 91

8.3 Health effects of power generation 93

8.4 Radiation exposure 95

8.5 Reactor safety 98

9.Avoiding weapons proliferation 104

9.1 International cooperation to achieve security 104

9.2 International nuclear safeguards 105

9.3 Fissile materials 108

9.4 Recycling military uranium and plutonium for electricity 110

9.5 Australian and Canadian nuclear safeguards policies 111

10.History of nuclear energy 114

10.1 Exploring the nature of the atom 114

10.2 Harnessing nuclear fission 115

10.3 Nuclear physics in Russia 116

10.4 Conceiving the atomic bomb 116

10.5 Developing the concepts: bomb and boiler 117

10.6 The Manhattan Project 118

10.7 The Soviet bomb 119

10.8 Revival of the ‘nuclear boiler’ 121

10.9 Nuclear energy goes commercial 122

10.10 The nuclear power renaissance 122

Appendices

1.Ionising radiation and how it is measured 124

2.Some radioactive decay series 126

3.Environmental and ethical aspects of radioactive waste management 127

4.Some useful references 128

Glossary 129

Index 135

Figures

Chapter 1

1.Consumption of fossil fuels 4

2.Primary energy supply 6

3.World primary energy demand 7

4.World electricity consumption 8

Chapter 2

5.Load curves for a typical grid 11

5A.Load curves with overnight charging 13

6.Fuel for electricity generation 14

7.Fuel and waste comparison for uranium and coal 20

8.US electricity production costs 23

9.Projected electricity costs, Finland 23

Chapter 3

10.Fission in conventional and fast neutron reactors 26

11.Pressurised water reactor 28

12.Known uranium resources & exploration expenditure 33

13.World uranium production and demand 34

14.Neutron cross-sections for fission 37

15.Distribution of fission products 38

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

16.The open nuclear fuel cycle 55

17.The closed nuclear fuel cycle 58

18.The fast neutron reactor fuel cycle 59

Chapter 6

19.What happens in a light water reactor 61

20.Vitrified waste (simulated) 67

21.Fission product decay in used fuel 68

22.High-level waste from used fuel decay curve 69

Chapter 8

23.Greenhouse gas emissions in electricity production 91

24.Deaths from energy-related accidents 93

Chapter 9

25.Plutonium in the reactor core 108

Tables

1.Electricity production growth 5

2.Fuel energy conversion data 9

3.Projected capacity additions and investment 13

4.Actual costs of electricity 25

5.Nuclear power’s role in electricity production 30

6.Uranium concentrations in nature 31

7.Known recoverable resources of uranium 32

8.Operable nuclear power plants 42

9.Advanced nuclear power reactors 44

10.High temperature reactors 47

11.Fast neutron reactors 49

12.Commercial reprocessing capacity 63

13.MOX fuel fabrication capacities 65

14.Energy production accident statistics 93

15.Energy-related accidents 94

16.Ionising radiation 96

17.International Nuclear Event Scale 100

18.Serious reactor accidents 101