The safety of nuclear power plants in eastern Europe and countries of the former Soviet Union

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lederman, Luis

1996-01-01

A particular type of pressurized light water reactors, WWERs, (water cooled, water moderated energy reactors) is the only Soviet designed nuclear power reactor which have been built outside the former Soviet Union. There are 45 such units in operation and 14 under construction, including those outside Eastern Europe. There are 11 first generation 440 MW(e) WWER model 110 (WWER-440/230) plants in operation. One of the two units in Armenia shut down since 1989, following a devastating earthquake near the site was restarted in 1995. Four units in the eastern part of Germany were shut down permanently in 1990. Four of the operating units are in Bulgaria, two are in the Slovak Republic and four are in Russia. All of these units had been designed before formal nuclear safety standards were issued in the Soviet Union, and lack safety features basic to other pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Their shortcomings reported in the assessments made by the IAEA and others include reactor pressure vessel embrittlement problems, limited emergency core cooling capability, insufficient redundancy and separation of safety equipment, deficient instrumentation and control systems, insufficient internal and external hazards protection, the lack of a containment, and the absence of comprehensive accident analysis and safety analysis reports. Of the second generation, 440 MW(e) WWER model 213 (WWER 440/213), 16 units are in operation: four in the Czech Republic, four in Hungary, two in Russia, two in the Slovak Republic, two in Ukraine and two in Finland. The two reactors in Finland have undergone significant safety improvements, particularly in the fitting of non-Soviet instrumentation and of a containment structure

Report on the visit of a U.S. Nuclear Safety Delegation to the Soviet Union, August 19-31, 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-03-01

During August 1988 a US delegation of nuclear reactor safety specialists, led by US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Lando W. Zech, Jr., visited the Soviet Union to initiate cooperative activities in civilian nuclear reactor safety between the two countries under their April 1988 Memorandum of Cooperation. Areas of future cooperation and a schedule of working group meetings to explore these areas were defined in a protocol signed during this visit. The delegation met with Soviet representatives in Moscow as the Joint coordinating Committee on Civilian Nuclear Reactor Safety. Additionally, while in Moscow, Chairman Zech held discussions with leaders and other senior officials of Soviet organizations with responsibility for nuclear power safety. Nuclear facilities were also visited, including the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy (Moscow), the Novovoronezh Atomic Power Station, the Novovoronezh Training and Commissioning Center, the Izhora Heavy Equipment Production Plant (Kolpino), the V. G. Khlopin Radium Institute (Gatchina), the Chernobyl Atomic Power Station, the All-Union Center for Radiation Medicine (Kiev), and the Rovno Atomic Power Station. 35 figs

Nuclear power in Russia: Status and developments trends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grarinski, A. Yu.

1994-01-01

27 June 1954 saw the birth of nuclear power in the Soviet Union when a 5 MWe plant went into operation. The second reference point falls on 26 April 1986. Since then the fate of nuclear energy in the Soviet Union has been transformed once again: ft is now clear the Chernobyl did not entirely bury the notion of building nuclear p0wer stations. There are even signs that the leaders of the new states, as well as the general public, are beginning to see some of benefits of continuing with nuclear power programmes

International assistance to upgrade the safety of Soviet-designed nuclear power plants. Selected activities in Eastern and Central Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gillen, V.

1993-12-01

The overview is merely a snapshot of nuclear safety activities to assist the countries of Eastern and Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. While many other activities are planned or ongoing, this publication is meant to provide a general overview of the world community's commitment to improving the safety of Soviet-designed nuclear reactors

The Paks Nuclear Power Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erdosi, N.; Szabo, L.

1978-01-01

As the first stage in the construction of the Paks Nuclear Power Station, two units of 440 MW(e) each will be built. They are operated with two coolant loops each. The reactor units are VVER 440 type water-moderated PWR type heterogeneous power reactors designed in the Soviet Union and manufactured in Czechoslovakia. Each unit operates two Soviet-made K-220-44 steam turbines and Hungarian-made generators of an effective output of 220 MW. The output of the transformer units - also of Hungarian made - is 270 MVA. The radiation protection system of the nuclear power station is described. Protection against system failures is accomplished by specially designed equipment and security measures especially within the primary circuit. Some data on the power station under construction are given. (R.P.)

Agreement between the Governments of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and the International Atomic Energy Agency regarding international research on the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to be carried out at the ''Pripyat'' scientific centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-10-01

The document reproduces the text of the Agreement between the Governments of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and the International Atomic Energy Agency regarding International Research on the Consequences of the Accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant to be carried out at the ''Pripyat'' Scientific Centre which was approved by the IAEA's Board of Governors on 12 September 1990. It was signed on 21 September 1990 and entered into force on the same date

Nuclear power's burdened future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flavin, C.

1987-01-01

Although governments of the world's leading nations are reiterating their faith in nuclear power, Chernobyl has brought into focus the public's overwhelming feeling that the current generation of nuclear technology is simple not working. Despite the drastic slowdown, however, the global nuclear enterprise is large. As of mid-1986, the world had 366 nuclear power plants in operation, with a generating capacity of 255,670 MW. These facilities generate about 15% of the world's electricity, ranging from 65% in France to 31% in West Germany, 23% in Japan, 16% in the United States, 10% in the Soviet Union, and non in most developing nations. Nuclear development is clearly dominated by the most economically powerful and technologically advanced nations. The United States, France, the Soviet Union, Japan, and West Germany has 72% of the world's generating capacity and set the international nuclear pace. The reasons for scaling back nuclear programs are almost as diverse as the countries themselves. High costs, slowing electricity demand growth, technical problems, mismanagement, and political opposition have all had an effect. Yet these various factors actually form a complex web of inter-related problems. For example, rising costs usually represent some combination of technical problems and mismanagement, and political opposition often occurs because of safety concerns or rising costs. 13 references

Nuclear power and public opinion in Russia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaurov, G.A.

1995-01-01

The attitude of the Russian (Soviet) society towards nuclear power and nuclear technology has changed over the years, depending on political, social and economic processes. Three periods of the relationship between the Russian society and nuclear power can be distinguished. The first period began in the early 1940s and finished in April 1986, when the Chernobyl disaster occurred. It was the period of vigorous development of the nuclear industry in the USSR. During this period the population unconditionally supported the development of this branch of the industry. The second period lasted from 1986 to 1991. The paper analyses the attitude towards nuclear power of the Soviet society as a whole and of separate social groups during the period of 'glasnost' (openness) and during the disintegration period. It is pointed out that the Chernobyl syndrome and the consequent anti-nuclear trends were used in the struggle for power. The third period extends from 1991 to the present. The paper analyses the causes of the positive changes in the public towards nuclear power which have been evident from sociological surveys. (author)

Nuclear power in the USSR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vasiliev, V A

1981-04-01

This article examines the role of nuclear power in the USSR. Since the beginning of development of power reactors in the Soviet Union in the 1950s, their contribution had grown to 6% of all electric power by 1980. Reactor development has proceeded rapidly, with a number of reactor designs in use. Fast-breeder reactors and designs for specialized applications are under development. It is anticipated that the contribution of nuclear power will continue to grow. The status of nuclear power stations at 20 locations is summarized in a table.

The Decay of Communism: Managing Spent Nuclear Fuel in the Soviet Union, 1937-1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoegselius, Per

2010-09-01

The historical evolution of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) decision-making in Western Europe and North America is already fairly well-known. For the former socialist countries of Eastern Europe, and in particular the Soviet Union, we know less. There have recently been several good studies of Soviet nuclear power history (e.g. Schmid 2004, 2006, Josephson 2005), but none of them has gone into any depth when it comes to SNF, but rather focused on nuclear power reactors, public acceptance, the role of the media, etc. There are also several good overviews available that problematize the radioactive legacy of the Soviet Union, including the SNF and waste issue, but these studies do not address the historical dynamics and evolution of SNF management over a longer period of time; in other words, they fail to explain how and why the present state of affairs have actually come into being. The aim of this paper is to provide historical insight into the dynamics of SNF decision-making in the Soviet Union, from the origins of nuclear engineering in the 1930s to the collapse of the country in 1991. The nuclear fuel system can be described as a large technical system with a variety of interrelated components. The system is 'large' both because it involves key links between geographically disperse activities, and because it involves a variety of technologies, organizations and people that influence the dynamics and evolution of the system. Soviet SNF history is of particular interest in this context, with a nuclear fuel system that was the most complex in the world. The USSR was a pioneer within nuclear power and developed a variety of reactor designs and technologies for uranium mining, conversion and enrichment, as well as for transport, treatment, storage and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. It explored both military and civil uses of the atom, and an enormous amount of people and organizations were involved in realizing highly ambitious nuclear programmes. The USSR is of

Soviet civil defense plans make nuclear war winnable

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goure, L.

1985-01-01

In this paper, the author expresses his opinion that the U.S. is naive and suicidal in its lack of civil defense preparation for nuclear war. The Soviets' extensive civil defense planning is evidence that they plan to use their nuclear weapons and survive a counterattack by the U.S. The author compares the two systems and explains why the Soviets' system is superior

Is Soviet society fit for the nuclear age

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kemeny, L.G.

1986-01-01

The author argues that the Kremlin's handling of the Chernobyl crisis is a far greater indictment of Soviet ethos, society and ideology than their technology. The Soviet nuclear plan is seen to be to press on regardless of safety standards. Australia's government and society, through poor education, foreign disinformation and media orchestration, are unable to participate effectively in the responsibilities of a global nuclear society

Summary of the contractor information exchange meeting for improving the safety of Soviet-Designed Nuclear Power Plants, February 19, 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-04-01

This report summarizes a meeting held on February 19, 1997, in Washington, D.C. The meeting was held primarily to exchange information among the contractors involved in the U.S. Department of Energy`s efforts to improve the safety of Soviet-designed nuclear power plants. Previous meetings have been held on December 5-6, 1995, and May 22, 1996. The meetings are sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and coordinated by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The U.S. Department of Energy works with countries to increase the level of safety at 63 Soviet-designed nuclear reactors operating in Armenia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine. The work is implemented largely by commercial companies and individuals who provide technologies and services to the countries with Soviet-designed nuclear power plants. Attending the meeting were 71 representatives of commercial contractors, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of State, national laboratories, and other federal agencies. The presentations and discussions that occurred during the exchange are summarized in this report. While this report captures the general presentation and discussion points covered at the meeting, it is not a verbatim, inclusive record. To make the report useful, information presented at the meeting has been expanded to clarify issues, respond to attendees` requests, or place discussion points in a broader programmatic context. Appendixes A through F contain the meeting agenda, list of attendees, copies of presentation visuals and handouts, the Strategy Document discussed at the meeting, and a summary of attendees` post-meeting evaluation comments. As with past information exchanges, the participants found this meeting valuable and useful. In response to the participant`s requests, a fourth information exchange will be held later in 1997.

Summary of the contractor information exchange meeting for improving the safety of Soviet-Designed Nuclear Power Plants, February 19, 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-04-01

This report summarizes a meeting held on February 19, 1997, in Washington, D.C. The meeting was held primarily to exchange information among the contractors involved in the U.S. Department of Energy's efforts to improve the safety of Soviet-designed nuclear power plants. Previous meetings have been held on December 5-6, 1995, and May 22, 1996. The meetings are sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and coordinated by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The U.S. Department of Energy works with countries to increase the level of safety at 63 Soviet-designed nuclear reactors operating in Armenia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine. The work is implemented largely by commercial companies and individuals who provide technologies and services to the countries with Soviet-designed nuclear power plants. Attending the meeting were 71 representatives of commercial contractors, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of State, national laboratories, and other federal agencies. The presentations and discussions that occurred during the exchange are summarized in this report. While this report captures the general presentation and discussion points covered at the meeting, it is not a verbatim, inclusive record. To make the report useful, information presented at the meeting has been expanded to clarify issues, respond to attendees' requests, or place discussion points in a broader programmatic context. Appendixes A through F contain the meeting agenda, list of attendees, copies of presentation visuals and handouts, the Strategy Document discussed at the meeting, and a summary of attendees' post-meeting evaluation comments. As with past information exchanges, the participants found this meeting valuable and useful. In response to the participant's requests, a fourth information exchange will be held later in 1997

Nuclear power in the USSR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasiliev, V.A.

1982-01-01

This Article examines the role of nuclear power in the USSR. Since the beginning of development of power reactors in the Soviet Union in the 1950s, their contribution had grown to 6% of all electric power by 1980. Reactor development has proceeded rapidly, with a number of reactor designs in use. Fast breeder reactors and designs for specialized applications are under development. It is anticipated that the contribution of nuclear power will continue to grow. (author)

Nuclear power in the USSR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vasiliev, V A [AN SSSR, Moscow. Akusticheskij Inst.

1982-04-01

This Article examines the role of nuclear power in the USSR. Since the beginning of development of power reactors in the Soviet Union in the 1950s, their contribution had grown to 6% of all electric power by 1980. Reactor development has proceeded rapidly, with a number of reactor designs in use. Fast breeder reactors and designs for specialized applications are under development. It is anticipated that the contribution of nuclear power will continue to grow.

Nuclear power in the USSR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vasiliev, V A [State Committee for Science and Technology, Moscow, USSR

1981-04-01

This article examines the role of nuclear power in the USSR. Since the beginning of development of power reactors in the Soviet Union in the 1950's, their contribution had grown to six per cent of all electric power by 1980. Reactor development has proceeded rapidly, with a number of reactor designs in use. Fast breeder reactors and designs for specialized applications are under development. It is anticipated that the contribution of nuclear power will continue to grow.

The Decay of Communism: Managing Spent Nuclear Fuel in the Soviet Union, 1937-1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoegselius, Per (History of Science and Technology, Royal Inst. of Technology, Stockholm (Sweden)), e-mail: perho@kth.se

2010-09-15

The historical evolution of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) decision-making in Western Europe and North America is already fairly well-known. For the former socialist countries of Eastern Europe, and in particular the Soviet Union, we know less. There have recently been several good studies of Soviet nuclear power history (e.g. Schmid 2004, 2006, Josephson 2005), but none of them has gone into any depth when it comes to SNF, but rather focused on nuclear power reactors, public acceptance, the role of the media, etc. There are also several good overviews available that problematize the radioactive legacy of the Soviet Union, including the SNF and waste issue, but these studies do not address the historical dynamics and evolution of SNF management over a longer period of time; in other words, they fail to explain how and why the present state of affairs have actually come into being. The aim of this paper is to provide historical insight into the dynamics of SNF decision-making in the Soviet Union, from the origins of nuclear engineering in the 1930s to the collapse of the country in 1991. The nuclear fuel system can be described as a large technical system with a variety of interrelated components. The system is 'large' both because it involves key links between geographically disperse activities, and because it involves a variety of technologies, organizations and people that influence the dynamics and evolution of the system. Soviet SNF history is of particular interest in this context, with a nuclear fuel system that was the most complex in the world. The USSR was a pioneer within nuclear power and developed a variety of reactor designs and technologies for uranium mining, conversion and enrichment, as well as for transport, treatment, storage and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. It explored both military and civil uses of the atom, and an enormous amount of people and organizations were involved in realizing highly ambitious nuclear programmes. The USSR is

Nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Margulova, T.Ch.

1976-01-01

The textbook focuses on the technology and the operating characteristics of nuclear power plants equiped with pressurized water or boiling water reactors, which are in operation all over the world at present. The following topics are dealt with in relation to the complete plant and to economics: distribution and consumption of electric and thermal energy, types and equipment of nuclear power plants, chemical processes and material balance, economical characteristics concerning heat and energy, regenerative preheating of feed water, degassing and condenser systems, water supply, evaporators, district heating systems, steam generating systems and turbines, coolant loops and pipes, plant siting, ventilation and decontamination systems, reactor operation and management, heat transfer including its calculation, design of reactor buildings, and nuclear power plants with gas or sodium cooled reactors. Numerous technical data of modern Soviet nuclear power plants are included. The book is of interest to graduate and post-graduate students in the field of nuclear engineering as well as to nuclear engineers

Soviet Theater Nuclear Forces’ Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

1979-12-01

survivability) of those staffs. 18 Receit Soviet accounts of the "revolution in military affairs" stress the growing operational role of the General Staff...e.g., 29 economic) means and (ii) the West is preparing to take military advantage of its growing relative strength. The other factor is China. It seems...simple model of Soviet theater nuclear doctrine, might as well go hunting unicorns . He will not find it because, in any meaningful sense, it does not

Nuclear power - facts, trends, problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spickermann, W.

1981-01-01

An attempt has been made to describe the state-of-the-art of nuclear power utilization, particularly for energy production. On the basis of information obtained from study tours through the USSR a rather comprehensive review of nuclear power plants and research establishments in the Soviet Union, of desalination reactors, ship propulsion reactors and fast breeder reactors is given, including nuclear facilities of other countries, e.g. France, USA, GDR. Heat generation, radiation-induced chemical processes and aspects associated with nuclear energy uses, such as risks, environmental protection or radioactive wastes, are also considered. Moreover, the author attempts to outline the social relevance of nuclear power

Cooperation with the Soviet Union in the development of the fuel and power base and in the implementation of the nuclear programme in Czechoslovakia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harvanek, Z.

1976-01-01

One of the decisive chapters of the long-term programme of international cooperation with the Soviet Union is the solution of the problems of the development of the Czechoslovak fuel and power base, i.e., by the implementation of the nuclear programme. Cooperation in the solution of these tasks is oriented to the following spheres of activity: the realization of and cooperation in research and development tasks, the implementation of project designs based on basic and applied research, and cooperation in the production and assembly of technological equipment for nuclear power production. (J.P.)

Reducing the nuclear dangers from the former Soviet Union

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carter, A.B.

1992-01-01

The disintegration of the former Soviet Union, a nation armed with over 27,000 nuclear weapons, poses a new form of nuclear danger. First, there is the risk that as political authority devolves to the former Soviet republics, the nuclear arsenal could similarly by parcelled out, in ways that will not be conducive to nuclear stability or to safe custody. Second, there is a danger of seizure, theft, sale, or use of nuclear weapons or components during the period of transition, particularly if the nuclear weapon operating and custodial system - apparently still intact at present - disintegrates. Third, there is a danger that any weakening of control over weapons, fissionable materials, sensitive components, or know-how could result in transfers outside the territory of the new Commonwealth of Independent States, fueling nuclear proliferation worldwide. To deal with these risks, there are a number of steps that should be taken now. These recommendations are primarily addressed to the US government, working in concert with the authorities in the Commonwealth states and the world commmunity. In order of urgency, they are: encouraging and assisting prompt securing, disabling, removing to Russia, and dismantlement of the weapons covered by the Bush-Gorbachev reciprocal proposals of last fall, and by other nuclear arms accords; extending the Bush-Gorbachev proposals to strategic nuclear weapons; assuring safety and security of Soviet nuclear weapons during a difficult transitional period; addressing proliferation outside the Commonwealth; exposing the new political structures of the Commonwealth to prevailing conceptions of international stability and security; and adjusting US nuclear relationships and military policy to the new nuclear realities in the former Soviet Union

Commercial nuclear power in Western Europe: experience and prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hart, D.

1986-01-01

The commercialization of nuclear power in Western Europe is likely to bring nuclear's share of electricity production from its current level of 30% to as high as 50% by the year 2000. Although France will build most of this new capacity and Denmark and Austria are abstaining, there is a clear trend in the region. Western Europe will likely decline in its share of world nuclear power as capacity increases in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union even though its growth has been faster than that of the US. The author compares capacity changes, plant performance, and nuclear trade developments in the individual European countries with those of the US, Soviet Union, and Japan. The author also describes the nuclear fuel cycle, the commercialization of fast breeder reactors, and public opposition to the European Community's policy of expanding nuclear power. The use of nuclear heat for district heating in addition to electric power could change the prospects over the long term. 3 tables

Soviet experience with peaceful uses of nuclear explosions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nordyke, M.D.

1976-01-01

The Soviet Union is pursuing an active program for developing peaceful uses of nuclear explosions (PNE). They have reported 16 explosions, with applications ranging from putting out oil-well fires and stimulating oil recovery to creating instant dams and canals. The data reported generally agree with U.S. experience. Seismic data collected by western sources on explosions outside the known Soviet test sites indicate that the Soviet program is at least twice as large as they have reported. The accelerated pace of these events suggests that in some applications the Soviet PNE program is approaching routine industrial technology

Cogeneration in the former Soviet Union

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horak, W.C.

1997-01-01

The former Soviet Union made a major commitment to Cogeneration. The scale and nature of this commitment created a system conceptually different from Cogeneration in the west. The differences were both in scale, in political commitment, and in socio economic impact. This paper addresses some of the largest scale Cogeneration programs, the technology, and the residual impact of these programs. The integration of the Cogeneration and nuclear programs is a key focus of the paper. Soviet designed nuclear power plants were designed to produce both electricity and heat for residential and industrial uses. Energy systems used to implement this design approach are discussed. The significant dependence on these units for heat created an urgent need for continued operation during the winter. Electricity and heat are also produced in nuclear weapons production facilities, as well as power plants. The Soviets also had designed, and initiated construction of a number of nuclear power plants open-quotes ATETsclose quotes optimized for production of heat as well as electricity. These were canceled

Developmental state and perspectives of USSR power stations, espec. nuclear power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-01-01

According to the resolutions of the 25th and 26th party congresses of the CPSU, the Soviet electric and thermal energy economy envisages as the mainstreams in development: Energy projects based on nuclear fuel, i.e. nuclear power stations (NPS), nuclear heat- and -power stations (NHPS) and nuclear heat stations (NHS); fuel-energy complexes: Ekibastuz, Kansk-Achinsk, West-Siberian complex (Tyumen); power stations utilizing non-conventional regenerative energy sources, i.e. solar, geothermal, MHD power stations. Further down, an overview is given on the developmental perspectives of nuclear-heat and nuclear-power economy and on the development of energy management based on fossil fuels. (orig./UA) [de

Nuclear power in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perera, J.

2000-01-01

Currently nuclear power accounts for more than 25% of total electricity production in Europe (including Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union) However, significant new construction is planned in Central and Eastern Europe only, apart from some in France and, possibly in Finland. Many countries in Western Europe have put nuclear construction plans on hold and several have cancelled their nuclear programs. This report looks at the history of nuclear power and its current status in both Eastern and Western Europe. It provides an outline of nuclear fuel cycle facilities, from uranium procurement to final waste disposal. Economic and environmental issues are discussed, as well as the prospect of increased East-West trade and cooperation in the new poso-cold war world. Detailed profiles are provided of all the countries in Western Europe with significant nuclear power programs, as well as profiles of major energy and nuclear companies

Transfer of infrared thermography predictive maintenance technologies to Soviet-designed nuclear power plants: experience at Chernobyl

Science.gov (United States)

Pugh, Ray; Huff, Roy

1999-03-01

The importance of infrared (IR) technology and analysis in today's world of predictive maintenance and reliability- centered maintenance cannot be understated. The use of infrared is especially important in facilities that are required to maintain a high degree of equipment reliability because of plant or public safety concerns. As with all maintenance tools, particularly those used in predictive maintenance approaches, training plays a key role in their effectiveness and the benefit gained from their use. This paper details an effort to transfer IR technology to Soviet- designed nuclear power plants in Russia, Ukraine, and Lithuania. Delivery of this technology and post-delivery training activities have been completed recently at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Many interesting challenges were encountered during this effort. Hardware procurement and delivery of IR technology to a sensitive country were complicated by United States regulations. Freight and shipping infrastructure and host-country customs policies complicated hardware transport. Training activities were complicated by special hardware, software and training material translation needs, limited communication opportunities, and site logistical concerns. These challenges and others encountered while supplying the Chornobyl plant with state-of-the-art IR technology are described in this paper.

The Soviet RBMK-1000 containment system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joosten, J.K.

1988-01-01

Following the accident in April, 1986, considerable attention was focused on the failure of the containment at the Chernobyl RBMK-1000 nuclear power plant. Conflicting statements arose regarding the nature of the plant's containment system primarily because of terminology differences, translation difficulties and lack of reliable information. This article, based on reports and briefings by the Soviet delegation, during the post-accident review meetings in Vienna and prior publications is intended to clarify perceptions of the Soviet RMBK-1000 nuclear power plant containment system design, and its relevance to containment management concepts. (author)

Atom Mirny: The World’S First Civilian Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaiser, Peter; Madsen, Michael

2013-01-01

The world’s first civilian nuclear power plant was commissioned on June 27, 1954 in Obninsk, which was at that time in the Soviet Union, today, the Russian Federation. The Obninsk nuclear power plant generated electricity and supported experimental nuclear research. The Obninsk nuclear power plant operated without incident for 48 years. In September 2002, the last fuel subassembly was unloaded, when the Obninsk nuclear power plant set another first: it became the first nuclear power plant to be decommissioned in Russia

Legal aspects of nuclear power production and utilization in the USSR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iojrysh, A.I.; Supataeva, O.A.

1986-01-01

The history and prospects of development of nuclear power engineering in the USSR are considered. The problems of establishment and development of the atomic energy law are discussed. The general characteristics of the atomic energy legislation are given. The principal problem of the atomic energy law is the development of the mechanism fo nuclear power engineering management able to provide protection of people life, health and property. Peaceful use of nuclear energy is the basic principle of the Soviet atomic energy law. Departamental acts are the main sources of atomic energy legislation. Ordering of legislation, its systematization, approval of a complex standard act being the Soviet atomic energy law will result in completing the formation of a new complex branch of soviet legislation namely, the atomic energy law

Nuclear power in Eastern Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sturm, R.

1993-01-01

This paper analyses the operating experience of nuclear power plants in Eastern and Western Europe, the former Soviet Union and the United States to investigate differences in the effects of learning, technical change and the effect of recent political developments. The performance of Soviet-designed reactors compares favourably with Western reactors on the standard performance measures. However, learning curve estimates reveal a disturbing trend: the former Soviet Union and all countries in Eastern Europe experience increasing unplanned losses as plants age, whereas all Western countries reduce their unplanned losses. A similar ''forgetting'' phenomenon is observable for plant availability and there is some evidence that the recent political and economic reorganization have exacerbated this trend. (Author)

Soviet children and the threat of nuclear war: a preliminary study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chivian, E.; Mack, J.E.; Waletzky, J.P.; Lazaroff, C.; Doctor, R.; Goldenring, J.M.

1985-01-01

This study, the first undertaken by Western researchers with Soviet children on the subject of nuclear weapons, compared the questionnaire responses of 293 Soviet youngsters with those of 201 age-matched Californians. Interviews were conducted to supplement the questionnaire findings. Similarities and differences between the two samples are discussed in the context of how young people today perceive the threat of nuclear war

Nuclear power safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-11-01

This paper reports that since the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident in 1986, over 70 of the International Atomic Energy Agency's 112 member states have adopted two conventions to enhance international cooperation by providing timely notification of an accident and emergency assistance. The Agency and other international organizations also developed programs to improve nuclear power plant safety and minimize dangers from radioactive contamination. Despite meaningful improvements, some of the measures have limitations, and serious nuclear safety problems remain in the design and operation of the older, Soviet-designed nuclear power plants. The Agency's ability to select reactors under its operational safety review program is limited. Also, information on the extent and seriousness of safety-related incidents at reactors in foreign countries is not publicly available. No agreements exist among nuclear power countries to make compliance with an nuclear safety standards or principles mandatory. Currently, adherence to international safety standards or principles is voluntary and nonbinding. Some states support the concept of mandatory compliance, but others, including the United States, believe that mandatory compliance infringes on national sovereignty and that the responsibility for nuclear reactor safety remains with each nation

A strategic approach for coping with unsafe nuclear plants in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, R.H.

1992-01-01

The recent nuclear accident near St Petersburg has intensified concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and has stimulated interest in finding ways of shutting down those plants that are considered especially dangerous, before another Chernobyl takes place. A promising strategy for coping with this problem involves replacing nuclear power with power-generating systems based on the use of aeroderivative gas turbines which are fired with natural gas and are financed largely by Western investors. This could be done at a much lower cost and in a much shorter period than with any alternative energy supply option. This approach would also offer strategic benefits unrelated to nuclear safety. (author)

The Soviet program for peaceful uses of nuclear explosions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nordyke, M.D.

1996-01-01

The concept of utilizing the weapons of war to serve the peaceful pursuits of mankind is as old as civilization itself. Perhaps the most famous reference to this basic desire is recorded in the Book of Micah where the great prophet Isiah called upon his people 'to turn your spears into pitchforks and your swords into plowshares.' As the scientists at Los Alamos worked on developing the world's first atomic bomb, thoughts of how this tremendous new source of energy could be used for peaceful purposes generally focused on using the thermal energy generated by the slow fission of uranium in a reactor, such as those being used to produce Plutonium to drive electric power stations. However, being scientists in a new, exciting field, it was impossible to avoid letting their minds wander from the task at hand to other scientific or non-military uses for the bombs themselves. During the Manhattan Project, Otto Frisch, one of the pioneers in the development of nuclear fission process in the 1930s, first suggested using an atomic explosion as a source for a large quantities of neutrons which could used in scientific experiments designed to expand their understanding of nuclear physics. After the war was over, many grandiose ideas appeared in the popular press on how this new source of energy should be to serve mankind. Not to be left out of the growing enthusiasm for peaceful uses of atomic energy, the Soviet Union added their visions to the public record. This document details the Soviet program for using nuclear explosions in peacetime pursuits

The Soviet program for peaceful uses of nuclear explosions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nordyke, M.D.

1996-07-24

The concept of utilizing the weapons of war to serve the peaceful pursuits of mankind is as old as civilization itself. Perhaps the most famous reference to this basic desire is recorded in the Book of Micah where the great prophet Isiah called upon his people `to turn your spears into pitchforks and your swords into plowshares.` As the scientists at Los Alamos worked on developing the world`s first atomic bomb, thoughts of how this tremendous new source of energy could be used for peaceful purposes generally focused on using the thermal energy generated by the slow fission of uranium in a reactor, such as those being used to produce Plutonium to drive electric power stations. However, being scientists in a new, exciting field, it was impossible to avoid letting their minds wander from the task at hand to other scientific or non-military uses for the bombs themselves. During the Manhattan Project, Otto Frisch, one of the pioneers in the development of nuclear fission process in the 1930s, first suggested using an atomic explosion as a source for a large quantities of neutrons which could used in scientific experiments designed to expand their understanding of nuclear physics. After the war was over, many grandiose ideas appeared in the popular press on how this new source of energy should be to serve mankind. Not to be left out of the growing enthusiasm for peaceful uses of atomic energy, the Soviet Union added their visions to the public record. This document details the Soviet program for using nuclear explosions in peacetime pursuits.

Safety of nuclear power reactors in the former Eastern European Countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakraborty, S.

1995-01-01

This article discusses the safety of nuclear power plants in the former Eastern European countries (including the former Soviet Union). The current international design, fabrication, construction, operation, safety, regulatory standards and practices, and ways to resolve plant problems are addressed in light of experience with the Western nuclear power development programs

The Soviet Union prepares to roll up its sleeves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koryakin, Y.

1990-01-01

The first conference of the Soviet Nuclear Society (NESU-90) was held, from 26 to 29 June in Obninsk at the Moscow Region Scientific Centre, where the first nuclear power plant was commissioned. Around 600 specialists including several dozen distinguished foreigners were assembled there. The title of the conference - Nuclear energy in the USSR: problems and prospects (ecology, economics and law) - underlined its intention: to promote a dialogue with society on the broad question of satisfying the demand for energy. The 55 papers read and discussed at the conference, were largely concerned with the problems confronting nuclear power, and attention was directed to the surrounding social environment in the Soviet Union. (author)

US-Soviet cooperation in countering nuclear terrorism: the role of risk reduction centers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nunn, S.; Warner, J.W.

1987-01-01

Preventing nuclear terrorism should be high on the agenda of US-Soviet relations. Indeed, the specter of nuclear terrorism, more than any other factor originally prompted and has subsequently sustained the author's deep interest in US-Soviet agreements on establishment of US-Soviet Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers and other important risk-reduction measures. Such centers can play an invaluable role in facilitating discussions aimed at forestalling possible contingencies and in providing a mechanism for dampening escalatory dangers that might otherwise result from any future nuclear terrorism incident. In addition to these crucial substantive functions, the centers could serve to reassure anxious publics that the governments they have entrusted with command authority over tens of thousands of nuclear devices are giving the highest priority to reducing the risk that any of them will ever be used, whether by design or by accident. Nuclear risk Reduction Centers are an idea whose time has come

U.S. and Soviet Agriculture: The Shifting Balance of Power. Worldwatch Paper 51.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Lester R.

Analysts of U.S.-Soviet balance of power usually focus on relative military strength. But other factors determine a country's overall power and influence. Among the most basic is a country's capacity to feed its people. By this measure the Soviet Union appears to be in deep trouble. Massive spending has increased Soviet military strength in recent…

Analysis of the 1957-1958 Soviet nuclear accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trabalka, J.R.; Eyman, L.D.; Auerbach, S.I.

1980-01-01

The presence of an extensive environmental contamination zone in Chelibinsk Province of the Soviet Union, associated with an accident in the winter of 1957 to 1958 involving the atmospheric release of fission wastes, appears to have been confirmed, primarily by an analysis of the Soviet radioecology literature. The contamination zone is estimated to contain 10(5) to 10(6) curies of strontium-90. A plausible explanation for the incident is the use of now-obsolete techniques for waste storage and cesium-137 isotope separation. Radioactive contamination appears to have resulted in resettlement of the human population from a significant area (100 to 1000 square kilometers). It therefore seems imperative to obtain a complete explanation of the cause (or causes) and consequences of the accident; Soviet experience gained in the application of corrective measures would be invaluable to the world nuclear community

IAEA activities in nuclear power plant personnel training and qualification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mautner-Markhof, F.

1993-01-01

Training to achieve and maintain the qualification and competence of nuclear power personnel is essential for safe and economic nuclear power. Technical Cooperation Meeting on Training-Related Activities for Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Personnel in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEEC) and of the former Soviet Union (FSU) has as its main objective the identification, through information exchange and discussion, of possible Technical Cooperation (TC) projects to assist Member States in meeting NPP personnel training needs and priorities, including the enhancing of training capabilities

Nuclear power in eastern and central Europe. Background paper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myers, L.C.

1993-11-01

The breakup of the former Soviet Union and other political changes in eastern and central Europe have opened up the area to closer scrutiny than was previously possible. Because of the accident at Chernobyl, nuclear power is one of the subjects that western nations have had a great deal of interest in exploring. The former Soviet Union designed and/or helped build more than 60 civilian reactors in the region. Most of these reactors follow one of two distinctly different designs: the VVER, or pressurized water reactor series; and the RBMK, which is a graphite-moderated, multi-channel reactor (the so-called Chernobyl type). In addition, there are two fast-breeder reactors and four graphite-moderated boiling water reactors for combined heat and power in operation in Russia. These last two designs are not widely distributed and so are not discussed in detail in this report. As noted above, the safety of Soviet-designed reactors has been of great concern around the world since the catastrophic events at Chernobyl in 1986. This paper will briefly describe the technology involved. It will also examine the main safety concerns, both technical and organizational, associated with each reactor type. In addition, the paper will review the nuclear power programs in the new countries emerging from the former Soviet Union and its satellites and discuss the international efforts underway to address the most pressing problems. (author). 1 tab

Nuclear power in eastern and central Europe. Background paper

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Myers, L C [Library of Parliament, Ottawa, ON (Canada). Science and Technology Div.

1993-11-01

The breakup of the former Soviet Union and other political changes in eastern and central Europe have opened up the area to closer scrutiny than was previously possible. Because of the accident at Chernobyl, nuclear power is one of the subjects that western nations have had a great deal of interest in exploring. The former Soviet Union designed and/or helped build more than 60 civilian reactors in the region. Most of these reactors follow one of two distinctly different designs: the VVER, or pressurized water reactor series; and the RBMK, which is a graphite-moderated, multi-channel reactor (the so-called Chernobyl type). In addition, there are two fast-breeder reactors and four graphite-moderated boiling water reactors for combined heat and power in operation in Russia. These last two designs are not widely distributed and so are not discussed in detail in this report. As noted above, the safety of Soviet-designed reactors has been of great concern around the world since the catastrophic events at Chernobyl in 1986. This paper will briefly describe the technology involved. It will also examine the main safety concerns, both technical and organizational, associated with each reactor type. In addition, the paper will review the nuclear power programs in the new countries emerging from the former Soviet Union and its satellites and discuss the international efforts underway to address the most pressing problems. (author). 1 tab.

Comments on the seismic safety of nuclear power plants in Eastern Europe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tarics, A G [29 Winward Road, Belvedere, CA 94920 (United States); Kelly, J M [Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Csorba, E M [Technical University Vienna, Vienna (Austria)

2001-03-01

After the break-up of the Soviet Union, ten countries in Eastern Europe inherited Soviet-designed nuclear power plants which were constructed without adequate provisions to resist earthquake-generated lateral forces. An earthquake at their locations could seriously damage these plants and could result in Chernobyl-like consequences on the environment. There is an ongoing program to reinforce these plants using conventional piecemeal methods. A newly developed seismic protection strategy called 'base isolation' or 'seismic isolation', widely used in the United States to retrofit existing buildings, is recommended as an economical, technically superior, and more effective solution - where applicable - to make these nuclear power plants capable of resisting seismic forces. (author)

Comments on the seismic safety of nuclear power plants in Eastern Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarics, A.G.; Kelly, J.M.; Csorba, E.M.

2001-01-01

After the break-up of the Soviet Union, ten countries in Eastern Europe inherited Soviet-designed nuclear power plants which were constructed without adequate provisions to resist earthquake-generated lateral forces. An earthquake at their locations could seriously damage these plants and could result in Chernobyl-like consequences on the environment. There is an ongoing program to reinforce these plants using conventional piecemeal methods. A newly developed seismic protection strategy called 'base isolation' or 'seismic isolation', widely used in the United States to retrofit existing buildings, is recommended as an economical, technically superior, and more effective solution - where applicable - to make these nuclear power plants capable of resisting seismic forces. (author)

Technology transfer of the systematic approach to training to Soviet designed nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haber, S.B.; Yoder, J.A.

1998-01-01

International Nuclear Safety Program initiated by US DOE in 1992 in Russia and Ukraine was expanded to include Armenia (together with IAEA), Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovak Republic. Presentation describes the background, objectives, activities and key accomplishments of technology transfer of SAT to Soviet designed NPPs. High level of cooperation between countries was achieved showing mutual commitment of US and the countries involved to improve the quality of training of NPP personnel. Technology transfer will succeed because of the efforts and dedication of personnel from the initial sites in Russia and Ukraine

Developments of nuclear power in Russia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konowalow, V.; Tytschkow, J.; Terentjew, W.

1994-01-01

Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union the economy, and thus also the nuclear industry in Russia, which is supervised by the Ministry for Atomic Energy, is in a process of structural change. The process is to result in a diversification of the products manufactured for use in the power industry and the nuclear fuel cycle, and also in enhanced productivity. Science and research, which enjoy a high reputation worldwide, must be preserved and expanded. Nuclear technology in Russia is to be developed further in three stages. In the renewal phase up until 2000, older nuclear power stations will be phased out and a new generation of reactors will be developed, which will be built and connected to the power grid in the second stage, which will extend until 2010. In the third phase, after 2010, the installed capacity of the nuclear generating units equipped with new reactors is to rise to 30 or 40 million kW. (orig.) [de

Experience with construction and assembly of V-1 nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prochazka, J.; Stepanek, S.; Drahy, J.

1981-01-01

The model is discussed of the constructions of the V-1 nuclear power plant at Jaslovske Bohunice with SKODA Trust fulfilling the role of the general supplier of the secondary part technology and the chief and special assembly contractor. The SKODA Trust mediated the Soviet supplies of technology, Soviet assembly and special assembly, and the mounting of the primary part according to Soviet projects. Plant start-up was safeguarded by the investor through Bohunice power plant staff and Soviet experts. The assembly of the primary circuit and the test assembly of reactor parts are described and the experience gained is discussed. The technological requirements are illustrated by the most important characteristics of the individual parts of the primary circuit. Also described are the design specifications of the 220 MW saturated steam turbine and the experience with its assembly and start-up. (B.S.)

Consequences of the nuclear power plant accident at Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ginzburg, H.M.; Reis, E.

1991-01-01

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident, in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR), on April 26, 1986, was the first major nuclear power plant accident that resulted in a large-scale fire and subsequent explosions, immediate and delayed deaths of plant operators and emergency service workers, and the radioactive contamination of a significant land area. The release of radioactive material, over a 10-day period, resulted in millions of Soviets, and other Europeans, being exposed to measurable levels of radioactive fallout. Because of the effects of wind and rain, the radioactive nuclide fallout distribution patterns are not well defined, though they appear to be focused in three contiguous Soviet Republics: the Ukrainian SSR, the Byelorussian SSR, and the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic. Further, because of the many radioactive nuclides (krypton, xenon, cesium, iodine, strontium, plutonium) released by the prolonged fires at Chernobyl, the long-term medical, psychological, social, and economic effects will require careful and prolonged study. Specifically, studies on the medical (leukemia, cancers, thyroid disease) and psychological (reactive depressions, post-traumatic stress disorders, family disorganization) consequences of continued low dose radiation exposure in the affected villages and towns need to be conducted so that a coherent, comprehensive, community-oriented plan may evolve that will not cause those already affected any additional harm and confusion

The USSR nuclear power: Expectation of renaissance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gagarinski, A.; Ponomarev-Stepnoi, N.

1992-01-01

When the Soviet specialists presented the data on the causes and consequences of the largest world nuclear accident to the world community in 1986 and even in a year after the Chernobyl catastrophe, they kept certain optimism concerning continuous steady implementation of the nuclear power projects in this country. However five post Chernobyl years have shown that the installed capacities of the Soviet NPPs increased only by 5GW. Basing on the most optimistic current estimations it can be said that by the turn of the century the total NPP capacity will not have reached even a third of 190 GW to which the Soviet nuclear program, adopted in the beginning of the 80s, was oriented. It should be pointed out that the cause of reduction in the program was not only canceling of the orders for new NPP construction but also stopped construction works even at the final stage of NPP erection. In the whole, research works, construction and extension of NPP were interrupted on 39 sites of total capacity 109 GW. Not going into a detailed analysis of the causes of this situation, it should be pointed out that deep economical and ecological prerequisites for maintenance and further development of the nuclear component in the fuel and energy balance of this country not only did not vanish but rather are growing in time in the forecasted economic situation

Soviet scientists speak out

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holloway, D.

1993-01-01

In this article, Russian bomb designers answer the KGB's claim that espionage, not science, produced the Soviet bomb. Yuli Khariton and Yuri Smirnov wholly reject the argument that Soviet scientists can claim little credit for the first Soviet bomb. In a lecture delivered at the Kurchatov Institute, established in 1943 when Igor Kurchatov became the director of the Soviet nuclear weapons project, Khariton and Smironov point to the work done by Soviet nuclear physicists before 1941 and refute assertions that have been made in Western literature regarding the hydrogen bomb

Nuclear power systems: Their safety. Current issue review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myers, L.C.

1994-04-01

Human beings utilize energy in many forms and from a variety of sources. A number of countries have chosen nuclear-electric generation as a component of their energy system. At the end of 1992, there were 419 power reactors operating in 29 countries, accounting for more than 15% of the world's production of electricity. In 1992, 13 countries derived at least 25% of their electricity from nuclear units, with Lithuania leading at just over 78%, followed closely by France at 72%. In the same year, Canada produced about 16% of its electricity from nuclear units. Some 53 power reactors are under construction in 14 countries outside the former USSR. Within the ex-USSR countries, six new reactors are currently under construction. No human endeavour carries the guarantee of perfect safety and the question of whether of not nuclear-electric generation represents an 'acceptable' risk to society has long been vigorously debated. Until the events of late April 1986 in the then Soviet Union, nuclear safety had indeed been an issue for discussion, for some concern, but not for alarm. The accident at the Chernobyl reactor irrevocably changed all that. This disaster brought the matter of nuclear safety into the public mind in a dramatic fashion. Subsequent opening of the ex-Soviet nuclear power program to outside scrutiny has done little to calm people's concerns about the safety of nuclear power in that part of the world. This paper discusses the issue of safety in complex energy systems and provides brief accounts of some of the most serious reactor accidents that have occurred to date, as well as more recent, less dramatic events touching on the safety issue. (author). 7 refs

News Media Use and Adolescents' Attitudes about Nuclear Issues: An American-Soviet Comparison.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, John P.; And Others

1989-01-01

Examines linkages between media use and attitudes from a survey of Soviet and American teenagers. Finds that all youths show a great concern about the possible effects of nuclear war, with heavy media users in both countries more optimistic, but the relation was stronger among Soviet students. (MS)

Nuclear power programs in the world's developed and developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Czibolya, L.

1983-01-01

The significance of nuclear power in the world's energy balance related to fossile energy sources is discussed. The general trend of declination of the national power programs could be observed from the seventies as a result of the oil crisis and the economic recession. The main features of the national energy programs including the ratio of the different energy sources in the power supply, the distribution of power production among the different types of nuclear reactors, the time schedules of the national nuclear power programs are reviewed through the examples of some developed and developing countries: USA, FRG, Canada, Japan, France, Sweden, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, India, and the Republic of Korea. (V.N.)

Soviet test yields

Science.gov (United States)

Vergino, Eileen S.

Soviet seismologists have published descriptions of 96 nuclear explosions conducted from 1961 through 1972 at the Semipalatinsk test site, in Kazakhstan, central Asia [Bocharov et al., 1989]. With the exception of releasing news about some of their peaceful nuclear explosions (PNEs) the Soviets have never before published such a body of information.To estimate the seismic yield of a nuclear explosion it is necessary to obtain a calibrated magnitude-yield relationship based on events with known yields and with a consistent set of seismic magnitudes. U.S. estimation of Soviet test yields has been done through application of relationships to the Soviet sites based on the U.S. experience at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), making some correction for differences due to attenuation and near-source coupling of seismic waves.

The nuclear power program in CIS-countries, status and trends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gagarinski, A.Yu.

1995-01-01

The status and prospects of nuclear power development in the newly-independent state in the territory of the former Soviet Union are considered. The prerequisites as well as the scientific - technical and industrial basis for the implementation of the national nuclear programs - technical and industrial basis for the implementation of the national nuclear programs are discussed. The tendencies in development of a new generation of advanced reactors are described. (author)

Animal Effects from Soviet Atmospheric Nuclear Tests

Science.gov (United States)

2008-03-01

describes the effect on animal models of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests performed by the Soviet Union at the Semipalatinsk Test Site . Part I describes...understand the pathogenic mechanisms of injury and the likelihood of efficacy of proposed treatment measures. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Semipalatinsk Test Site ...the Semipalatinsk Test Site . Part 1 describes the air blast and thermal radiation effects. Part 2 covers the effects of primary (prompt) radiation and

Ukraine nuclear power struggles for survival

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kramchenkov, V.M.; Launer, M.K.

1996-01-01

The breakup of the former Soviet Union left Ukraine's nuclear power industry in the lurch. Rampant inflation and the consequent skyrocketing price of fossil fuels has given Ukrain's nuclear industry a greater share of the energy pie, say Vladimir M. Kramchenkov, deputy head of the technical department at the Zaporozhe nuclear station in Energodar, Ukraine, and Michael K. Launer, professor of Russian at Florida State University in Tallahassee. But with the economy in a downward spiral, conditions in the nuclear industry are getting worse rather than better. open-quotes Manufacturers don't pay transporters; and employers often don't pay workers for several months at a time,close quotes the authors note. The authors conclude that while nuclear power will be vital to Ukrain's industrial strength, open-quotes the economic woes currently plaguing Ukraine-including persistent, rampant inflation-will continue to affect every aspect of Ukrainian society, including the energy sector.close quotes

Worldwide experience in nuclear power generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stueger, R.; Krejsa, P.; Putz, F.

1982-01-01

Five years after their own big conference on nuclear energy and the nuclear fuel cycle of 1977 in Salzburg, and one year before the new Geneva conference planned by the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) organized from 13. to 17.9.82 in Vienna in connection with their 25 years' existence an international conference on nuclear power experience. The NPE differs from other big international conferences of the present year and the last years with similar overall topics mainly by the fact that the Soviet Union and other Eastern countries as well as a great number of developing countries were very much represented, with contributions. (orig.) [de

Review of possible peaceful applications of nuclear explosions in the national economy of the Soviet Union

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Witherspoon, Paul A.

1970-01-01

The following review will give some of the current thinking of Soviet scientists and engineers on the possibilities of using nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes in the Soviet Union. This review is taken from a more detailed report that was presented under the same title by Soviet participants at an information-exchange meeting that was held in Vienna between the Soviet Union and the United States in April, 1969. Aside from a very brief review of one explosion in salt, the report does not give details on nuclear explosion effects (mechanical, seismic, radiation, or thermal). Rather, the report summarizes the results of design calculations and indicates the direction of Soviet planning for a variety of industrial applications. A complete translation of this report will be published by the Division of Technical Information and Education of AEC at Oakridge. (author)

Review of possible peaceful applications of nuclear explosions in the national economy of the Soviet Union

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Witherspoon, Paul A [University of California, Berkeley (United States)

1970-05-15

The following review will give some of the current thinking of Soviet scientists and engineers on the possibilities of using nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes in the Soviet Union. This review is taken from a more detailed report that was presented under the same title by Soviet participants at an information-exchange meeting that was held in Vienna between the Soviet Union and the United States in April, 1969. Aside from a very brief review of one explosion in salt, the report does not give details on nuclear explosion effects (mechanical, seismic, radiation, or thermal). Rather, the report summarizes the results of design calculations and indicates the direction of Soviet planning for a variety of industrial applications. A complete translation of this report will be published by the Division of Technical Information and Education of AEC at Oakridge. (author)

Training-related activities for nuclear power plant personnel in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Working material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

A Technical Cooperation Meeting on Training-Related Activities for NPP Personnel in the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union was held at the IAEA, Vienna. The main objective of the meeting was to identify, through information exchange and discussion, possible TC projects and assistance related to nuclear power plant (NPP) personnel training, which would meet overall coherent national goals and would demonstrate and important impact and relevance for national policy priorities. An array of such projects were identified for each participating country of the CEEC and FSU as were a number of regional cooperation projects. Refs, figs and tabs

Nuclear power in Russia: status, problems, prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponomarev-Stepnoy, N.

1992-01-01

To solve the problem of atomic bomb, a powerful nuclear industrial complex has been established in the Soviet Union. This complex has developed a high scientific and engineering potential and enlisted the best science and engineering experts. Strict administration, rigid discipline in execution and operation, to secrecy limiting both internal and external interactions were typical of the complex which presented a state within the state with the inside divide by rigid barriers and protected from the outside by iron curtain. When the atomic bomb was designed and tested the search for a field of application for the nuclear potential available was started: nuclear power plants, nuclear power facilities for submarines and ships, nuclear aircraft and rocket engines, space nuclear facilities. Such were the conditions of forming the nuclear power in USSR. But this nuclear military complex has failed to prevent the Chelyabinsk accident which involved considerable radiological effects. The national industry could not adopt quickly the work style established in a nuclear complex and relative high technologies because of low educational and technical level and poor technological discipline. The results are known: the Chernobyl accident coincided in time with the beginning of the reconstruction of the System, the result of which was this accident. This paper describes the current status of the nuclear park, shows the problems of safety, maintenance, retrofitting, reconstruction or decommissioning. Statistical data on nuclear power in the power production program are also given

Nuclear power in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1984-01-01

The increase in electronuclear production is the result of an investment policy which was started twenty years ago and actively pursued, notably by France where the programme was speeded up during the last decade. Over the whole of Europe taken in the widest sense, that is to say over the 10 million sq kms which stretch from the Atlantic to the Eastern borders of the Soviet Union with its population of nearly 664 million inhabitants (a sixth of the world population), the number of reactors continues to grow. In Eastern Europe a major investment programme is in progress and the Soviets have already reached the 1,500 MWe level. In the West, after a period of uncertainty marked by a systematic opposition to nuclear, public opinion is now much more favourable to this form of energy. The next referendum due to be held in Switzerland is likely to confirm this trend. There is still some uncertainty over the size of programmes as in Spain and Italy but it is true that the economic crisis had lead to a cut-back in energy demand. Consumption increases however turn up increasingly often. The following study examines 17 European countries which have already built nuclear power plants or are just about to do so [fr

Title list of selected Soviet reports in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering. 9

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumann, G.; Sube, R.

1979-03-01

140 titles of reports issued by Soviet institutes (KFTI, EFI, IAE, IFVE, ITEF, NIIAR, NIIEFA, FEI, RI, SFTI) in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering have been arranged according to the INIS subject scope. The reports are available on a loan basis from ZfK Rossendorf, Information Department, Dresden

Title list of selected Soviet reports in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering. 7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumann, G.; Sube, R.

1979-03-01

139 titles of reports issued by Soviet institutes (KFTI, EFI, IAE, IFVE, ITEF, NIIAR, NIIEFA, FEI, RI, SFTI) in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering have been arranged according to the INIS subject scope. The reports are available on a loan basis from ZfK Rossendorf, Information Department, Dresden

Title list of selected Soviet reports in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering. 13

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumann, G.; Sube, R.

1979-12-01

136 titles of reports issued by Soviet institutes (KFTI, EFI, IAE, IFVE, ITEF, NIIAR, NIIEFA, FEI, RI, SFTI) in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering have been arranged according to the INIS subject scope. The reports are available on a loan basis from ZfK Rossendorf, Information Department, Dresden

Title list of selected Soviet reports in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering. 10

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumann, G.; Sube, R.

1979-07-01

142 titles of reports issued by Soviet institutes (KFTI, EFI, IAE, IFVE, ITEF, NIIAR, NIIEFA, FEI, RI, SFTI) in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering have been arranged according to the INIS subject scope. The reports are available on a loan basis from ZfK Rossendorf, Information Department, Dresden

Title list of selected Soviet reports in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering. 14

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumann, G.; Sube, R.

1979-12-01

136 titles of reports issued by Soviet institutes (KFTI, EFI, IAE, IFVE, ITEF, NIIAR, NIIEFA, FEI, RI, SFTI) in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering have been arranged according to the INIS subject scope. The reports are available on a loan basis from ZfK Rossendorf, Information Department, Dresden

Title list of selected Soviet reports in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering. 11

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumann, G.; Sube, R.

1979-07-01

158 titles of reports issued by Soviet institutes (KFTI, EFI, IAE, IFVE, ITEF, NIIAR, NIIEFA, FEI, RI, SFTI) in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering have been arranged according to the INIS subject scope. The reports are available on a loan basis from ZfK Rossendorf, Information Department, Dresden

Title list of selected Soviet reports in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering. 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumann, G.; Sube, R.

1979-03-01

135 titles of reports issued by Soviet institutes (KFTI, EFI, IAE, IFVE, ITEF, NIIAR, NIIEFA, FEI, RI, SFTI) in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering have been arranged according to the INIS subject scope. The reports are available on a loan basis from ZfK Rossendorf, Information Department, Dresden

Title list of selected Soviet reports in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering. 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumann, G.; Sube, R.

1979-03-01

133 titles of reports issued by Soviet institutes (KFTI, EFI, IAE, IFVE, ITEF, NIIAR, NIIEFA, FEI, RI, SFTI) in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering have been arranged according to the INIS subject scope. The reports are available on a loan basis from ZfK Rossendorf, Information Department, Dresden

Title list of selected Soviet reports in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering. 12

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumann, G.; Sube, R.

1979-12-01

136 titles of reports issued by Soviet institutes (KFTI, EFI, IAE, IFVE, ITEF, NIIAR, NIIEFA, FEI, RI, SFTI) in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering have been arranged according to the INIS subject scope. The reports are available on a loan basis from ZfK Rossendorf, Information Department, Dresden

Title list of selected Soviet reports in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering. 8

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumann, G.; Sube, R.

1979-03-01

141 titles of reports issued by Soviet institutes (KFTI, EFI, IAE, IFVE, ITEF, NIIAR, NIIEFA, FEI, RI, SFTI) in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering have been arranged according to the INIS subject scope. The reports are available on a loan basis from ZfK Rossendorf, Information Department, Dresden

Title list of selected Soviet reports in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering. 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumann, G.; Sube, R.

1979-03-01

135 titles of reports issued by Soviet institutes (KFTI, EFI, IAE, IFVE, ITEF, NIIAR, NIIEFA, FEI, RI, SFTI) in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering have been arranged according to the INIS subject scope. The reports are available on a loan basis from ZfK Rossendorf, Information Department, Dresden

Title list of selected Soviet reports in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering. 15

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumann, G.; Sube, R.

1979-12-01

137 titles of reports issued by Soviet institutes (KFTI, EFI, IAE, IFVE, ITEF, NIIAR, NIIEFA, FEI, RI, SFTI) in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering have been arranged according to the INIS subject scope. The reports are available on a loan basis from ZfK Rossendorf, Information Department, Dresden

Title list of selected Soviet reports in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering. 0

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumann, G.; Sube, R.

1977-09-01

161 titles of reports issued by Soviet institutes (KFTI, EFI, IAE, IFVE, ITEF, NIIAR, NIIEFA, FEI, RI, SFTI) in the fields of nuclear research and nuclear engineering have been arranged according to the INIS subject scope. The reports are availabl on a loan basis from ZfK Rossendorf, Information Department, Dresden

U.S. Russian Cooperation Can Reduce Nuclear Risks of Soviet Breakup

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kosminsky, J

1992-01-01

.... While this redirection of resources signals the end of a four-decade threat to America, it also creates a host of risks, ranging from Soviet nuclear scientists selling their services to outlaw states...

Computer-based control systems of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalashnikov, V.K.; Shugam, R.A.; Ol'shevsky, Yu.N.

1975-01-01

Computer-based control systems of nuclear power plants may be classified into those using computers for data acquisition only, those using computers for data acquisition and data processing, and those using computers for process control. In the present paper a brief review is given of the functions the systems above mentioned perform, their applications in different nuclear power plants, and some of their characteristics. The trend towards hierarchic systems using control computers with reserves already becomes clear when consideration is made of the control systems applied in the Canadian nuclear power plants that pertain to the first ones equipped with process computers. The control system being now under development for the large Soviet reactors of WWER type will also be based on the use of control computers. That part of the system concerned with controlling the reactor assembly is described in detail

Nuclear power in USSR. Present status and future outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zemskoff, Pierre.

1980-05-01

This study on nuclear electricity in the USSR deals with the main aspects of the development motivations of this form of energy in the country. The various systems developed are recalled, with their complex of power stations in operations or under construction, as well as the various other Soviet achievements: processs heat reactors, prefabricated reactors, etc. The nuclear industry in the USSR, profitability of the base facilities and cooperation with foreign countries are briefly reviewed [fr

Overview of nuclear safety regulations in countries of Easter Europe and the former Soviet Union. Working material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-10-01

The document contains a compilation of information on Nuclear Safety Regulations in countries of Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union provided by the representatives of Armenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine in the Steering Committee of the Extrabudgetary Programme on the Safety of WWER Nuclear Power Plants (the Steering Committee provides co-ordination and guidance to the IAEA on technical matters and serves as a forum for exchange of information with the European Commission and with other international and financial organizations). A separate abstract was prepared for each of the seven individual papers

On the activities and perspective works of Soviet Scientist Committee for peace against nuclear hazard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Velikhov, E.P.

1986-01-01

Activities of Soviet Scientists' Committee for peace against nuclear hazard established in May 1983 was considered. Committee efforts are directed at struggle for nuclear weapon destruction, for stopping of all kinds of its tests against disposition of nuclear waepon in space. Soviet scientist report on SDI says that such system may serve not only as defensive means but also as means of destruction of earth, air and other objects and represents the most serious danger. Together with american scientists the Committee investigated ecological consequencies of nuclear war which results strongly impressed all over the world. Attention is paid to prospects in the Committee work related to the development of nuclear weapon destribution procedures as well as procedures and means of controls for destruction and limitation of weapons

Nuclear steam supply system KLT-40 enhanced safety as independent power supply source. Employment prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polunichev, V.I.; Sayanov, D.G.; Ardabievsky, A.A.

1993-01-01

High quality of KLT-40 nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) providing enhanced safety is attained owing to the development and operation experience of equipments and systems in Soviet nuclear icebreakers. First of all they are the operating nuclear-powered icebreakers open-quotes Arktikaclose quotes, open-quotes Sibirclose quotes, open-quotes Rossiyaclose quotes, open-quotes Sovetsky Soyuzclose quotes, the limited draught icebreakers of joint Soviet-Finnish manufacturing open-quotes Taimyrclose quotes open-quotes Vaigachclose quotes. 30-years trouble-free operation of icebreaker open-quotes Leninclose quotes, the ancestor of nuclear powered fleet, is unprecedented. Operation life of individual equipment items amounts to 107000 hours, that testifies to high reliability and life characteristics of NSSS. Trouble-free operation of the nuclear-powered icebreakers' reactor plants (RPs) exceeded 130 reactor years, that proves high quality of design decisions being underlain in the basis of the KLT-40 NSSS for the lighter-cargo carrier open-quotes Sevmorputclose quotes, which was put into operation into 1988. Besides it testifies to the expediency of KLT-40 NSSS employment as a power source in different power installations. The KLT-40 is a reactor plant with a pwr type reactor. The design is described in detail with diagrams

Power Distance Perceptions in Post-Soviet Russia: Understanding the Workplace Environment

OpenAIRE

Kamenchuk, Olga

2004-01-01

The modem business economy is characterized by increased collaboration among different organizations across nation al boundaries. Post-Soviet Russia is one of the regions that is witnessing rapid economic growth and development of international business relations. Because of the challenges in intercultural communication the current study focuses on the problem of power distance, specifically in the workplace (in post-Soviet Russia). A phenomenological perspective, based on qualitative meth...

A plan for Soviet nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stone, R.

1992-01-01

If environmentalist forces are successful, the Russian government may soon establish the country's first comprehensive program for dealing with nuclear waste. Later this month the Russian parliament, back from its summer recess, is expected to begin considering a bill on this topic. A draft copy indicates that Russia is starting with the basics: It orders the government to develop a means of insulting waste from the environment, to form a national waste processing program, and to create a registry for tracking where spent atomic fuel is stored or buried. The bill comes on the heels of a November 1991 decree by Russian President Boris Yeltsin to step up efforts to deal with nuclear waste issues and to create a government registry of nuclear waste disposal sites by 1 January 1993. The former Soviet Union has come under fire from environmentalists for dumping low- and intermediate-level nuclear wastes in the Arctic Ocean and for improperly storing waste at sites in the southern Urals and Belarus. Adding to the bill's urgency is the fact that Russia is considering sites for underground repositories for high-level waste at Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk, Chelyabinsk, and on the Kola Peninsula

Development of nuclear power plant simulators for Soviet-designed nuclear reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohut, P.; Tutu, N.K.; Cleary, E.J.; Erickson, K.G.; Yoder, J.; Kroshilin, A.

2001-01-01

The US Department of Energy (US DOE), under the US government's International Nuclear Safety Program (INSP), is implementing a program of developing and providing simulators for many of the Russian and Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) manage and provide technical oversight of the various INSP simulator projects for DOE. The program also includes a simulator technology transfer process to simulator design organizations in Russia and Ukraine. Training programs, installation of new simulators, and enhancements in existing simulators, are viewed as providing a relatively fast and cost-effective technology transfer that will result in measurable improvement in the safety culture and operation of NPPs. A review of this program, its present status, and its accomplishments are provided in this paper

Who's bound by the former Soviet Union's arms control treaties?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhinelander, J.B.; Bunn, G.

1991-01-01

A crucial issue raised by the disintegration of the Soviet central government is what happens to Soviet arms control obligations. As the Soviet government transforms or collapses in the wake of the failed August coup, which of the resulting entities will be bound by the treaties the Soviet Union entered into? Under international law, the obligations of a state are not affected by even such dramatic changes in government. No one yet knows, however, what the end result of the ongoing devolution of power in the erstwhile Soviet Union will be. As illustrations of what could happen to Soviet arms control obligations - not predictions of the future - the authors pose two alternative scenarios. In the first, they assume that most of the current 12 republics, including all of the big four where substantial nuclear forces and the largest conventional forces are located (Russia, Ukraine, Khazakhstan, and Belarus), ultimately form a loose confederation with sufficient central authority to be called a nation-state and to carry out the essence of Soviet obligations under major arms control treaties. In the second, they assume that the union disintegrates further, with these four key republics seceding entirely and recognizing one another as independent states - a step which is apparently one of the US criteria for granting its own recognition. In this scenario, the Russian republic maintains its basic territory and replaces the central government as the power center for military and foreign affairs. In each of these cases, they will describe the general issues affecting the Soviet Union's international obligations, and consider specifically the two most important arms control agreements now in force - the multilateral nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the bilateral Antiballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty

Nuclear power in space. Use of reactors and radioactive substances as power sources in satellites and space probes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoestbaeck, Lars

2008-11-01

Today solar panels are the most common technique to supply power to satellites. Solar panels will work as long as the power demand of the satellite is limited and the satellite can be equipped with enough panels, and kept in an orbit that allows enough sunlight to hit the panels. There are various types of space missions that do not fulfil these criteria. With nuclear power these types of missions can be powered regardless of the sunlight and as early as 1961 the first satellite with a nuclear power source was placed in orbit. Out of seventy known space missions that has made use of nuclear power, ten have had some kind of failure. In no case has the failure been associated with the nuclear technology used. This report discusses to what degree satellites with nuclear power are a source for potential radioactive contamination of Swedish territory. It is not a discussion for or against nuclear power in space. Neither is it an assessment of consequences if radioactive material from a satellite would reach the earth's surface. Historically two different kinds of Nuclear Power Sources (NPS) have been used to generate electric power in space. The first is the reactor where the energy is derived from nuclear fission of 235 U and the second is the Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) where electricity is generated from the heat of naturally decaying radionuclides. NPS has historically only been used in space by United States and the Soviet Union (and in one failing operation Russia). Nuclear Power Sources have been used in three types of space objects: satellites, space probes and moon/Mars vehicles. USA has launched one experimental reactor into orbit, all other use of NPS by the USA has been RTG:s. The Soviet Union, in contrast, only launched a few RTG:s but nearly forty reactors. The Soviet use of NPS is less transparent than the use in USA and some data published on Soviet systems are more or less well substantiated assessments. It is likely that also future

Eastern Europe's nuclear power. Buying peace of mind

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

The use of nuclear power to generate electricity is much more widely used in Eastern Europe than it is generally in the West. When these countries were part of the centrally planned economies of the former Soviet Union, many vast reactors were constructed and commissioned. Since the Chernobyl accident in 1986, and following political independence from Russia, many of these huge reactors are under threat of closure. The energy situation in Eastern Europe is acute. The break down of the old order has left individual countries struggling to maintain a power supply. While the debate over the safety, or otherwise, of these giant nuclear power plants continues, there is a continuing dialogue in the West about how to pay for safety improvements to bring these reactors up to international standards of safety. (UK)

From the first nuclear power plant to fourth-generation nuclear power installations [on the 60th anniversary of the World's First nuclear power plant

Science.gov (United States)

Rachkov, V. I.; Kalyakin, S. G.; Kukharchuk, O. F.; Orlov, Yu. I.; Sorokin, A. P.

2014-05-01

Successful commissioning in the 1954 of the World's First nuclear power plant constructed at the Institute for Physics and Power Engineering (IPPE) in Obninsk signaled a turn from military programs to peaceful utilization of atomic energy. Up to the decommissioning of this plant, the AM reactor served as one of the main reactor bases on which neutron-physical investigations and investigations in solid state physics were carried out, fuel rods and electricity generating channels were tested, and isotope products were bred. The plant served as a center for training Soviet and foreign specialists on nuclear power plants, the personnel of the Lenin nuclear-powered icebreaker, and others. The IPPE development history is linked with the names of I.V. Kurchatov, A.I. Leipunskii, D.I. Blokhintsev, A.P. Aleksandrov, and E.P. Slavskii. More than 120 projects of various nuclear power installations were developed under the scientific leadership of the IPPE for submarine, terrestrial, and space applications, including two water-cooled power units at the Beloyarsk NPP in Ural, the Bilibino nuclear cogeneration station in Chukotka, crawler-mounted transportable TES-3 power station, the BN-350 reactor in Kazakhstan, and the BN-600 power unit at the Beloyarsk NPP. Owing to efforts taken on implementing the program for developing fast-neutron reactors, Russia occupied leading positions around the world in this field. All this time, IPPE specialists worked on elaborating the principles of energy supertechnologies of the 21st century. New large experimental installations have been put in operation, including the nuclear-laser setup B, the EGP-15 accelerator, the large physical setup BFS, the high-pressure setup SVD-2; scientific, engineering, and technological schools have been established in the field of high- and intermediate-energy nuclear physics, electrostatic accelerators of multicharge ions, plasma processes in thermionic converters and nuclear-pumped lasers, physics of compact

The Nuclear Power Revival in Eastern Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bayou, Celine

2007-01-01

Far from traumatized by the April 1986 Chernobyl accident, the Central and Eastern European countries as well as the CIS are showing a growing interest in nuclear energy: this choice may be explained by increased energy demands and safer supply requirements but also by the battle against global warming. In effect, commitments made on limiting greenhouse gas emissions (particularly for the EU new member states) are becoming increasingly important as these countries return to growth. Thus, nuclear power seems to be a partial but secure means of not endangering the latter while adopting a more respectful stance vis-a-vis the environment. Thus, each country is coming out in favour of the civilian use of nuclear power: Russia has been reviving its nuclear program over the last few years, while countries obliged to close their decrepit or Soviet style power stations (Bulgaria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Armenia) have projects to build new ones. Those who possess reactors (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, the Ukraine) are endeavouring to increase their potential, those which had hitherto no civilian nuclear facilities are now planning to build them (Belarus, Albania) or are contributing to projects in neighbouring countries (Estonia, Latvia, Poland). Within this context, the anti-nuclear argument has difficulty in finding a voice in the East

Agreement of 27 September 1988 between the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Government of India for the application of safeguards in connection with the supply of a nuclear power station from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

The full text of the Agreement of 27 September 1988 between the Agency and the Government of India for the application of safeguards in connection with the supply of a nuclear power station composed of two pressurized light water reactors, each of 1000 MW(e) from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is reproduced

Soviet debate on missile defense

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parrott, B.

1987-04-01

Although the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) is meant to cope with the danger of a Soviet nuclear attack, the recent US debate over SDI has paid surprisingly little attention to Soviet views of ballistic missile defense. Despite the existence of a substantial body of pertinent scholarship, the debate has failed to take adequate account of major changes in Soviet ballistic missile defense policy since the mid-1960s. It has also neglected the links between current Soviet military policy and broader Soviet political and economic choices. The Soviets regard SDI not as a novel undertaking to reduce the risks of nuclear war but as an extension of the geopolitical competition between the superpowers. This competition has been dominated in the 1980s, in the Soviet view, by sharply increased US assertiveness and the decline of detente. Viewing SDI as a manifestation of these general trends, Soviet decision makers find the prospect of an unregulated race in ballistic missile defenses and military space technologies deeply unsettling. The deterioration of superpower relations has raised serious doubts in Moscow about the wisdom of Soviet external policy during the 1970s and has provoked sharp internal differences over policy toward the US. Already highly suspicious of the Reagan administration, the elite is united by a general conviction that SDI is an American gambit that may ultimately undercut past Soviet strategic gains and pose a grave new threat to Soviet security. 14 references.

Consequences and countermeasures in a nuclear power accident: Chernobyl experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirichenko, Vladimir A; Kirichenko, Alexander V; Werts, Day E

2012-09-01

Despite the tragic accidents in Fukushima and Chernobyl, the nuclear power industry will continue to contribute to the production of electric energy worldwide until there are efficient and sustainable alternative sources of energy. The Chernobyl nuclear accident, which occurred 26 years ago in the former Soviet Union, released an immense amount of radioactivity over vast territories of Belarus, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation, extending into northern Europe, and became the most severe accident in the history of the nuclear industry. This disaster was a result of numerous factors including inadequate nuclear power plant design, human errors, and violation of safety measures. The lessons learned from nuclear accidents will continue to strengthen the safety design of new reactor installations, but with more than 400 active nuclear power stations worldwide and 104 reactors in the Unites States, it is essential to reassess fundamental issues related to the Chernobyl experience as it continues to evolve. This article summarizes early and late events of the incident, the impact on thyroid health, and attempts to reduce agricultural radioactive contamination.

Soviet science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medvedev, Z.A.

1979-01-01

In this brief history of science in the Soviet Union the emphasis is on the interaction between scientific and technological developments and the political objectives of the Soviet government Reference is made to the development of nuclear energy for military and for peaceful purposes. In an appendix, a rather detailed account is given of a 'nuclear disaster in the South Urals area'; reference is made to ecological, genetic and population researches in the areas contaminated by long-lived products of radioactive waste (e.g. Sr-90 and Cs-137). Section headings are: lakes; mammals; population genetics and radiation genetics (covering plants, animals and soil activity). (U.K.)

Proposed principles on the use of nuclear power sources in space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, G.L.

1988-01-01

Since the 1978 reentry of the Soviet satellite Cosmos 954, the United Nations has been discussing the use of nuclear power sources in outer space. Most of these deliberations have taken place in the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, its two subcommittees (Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and Legal Subcommittee) and their associated working groups. This paper focuses on the technical agreements reached by the Working Group on the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space (WGNPS), the legal principles agreed to by the Legal Subcommittee, and relevant treaties on the use of outer space and the use of nuclear power. To date the conclusion reached by the WGNPS in its 1981 report represents a succinct statement of U.N. consensus and of the U.S. position: The Working Group reaffirmed its previous conclusion that nuclear power sources can be used safely in outer space, provided that all necessary safety precautions are met

The US National Resources Defense Council/Soviet Academy of Sciences Nuclear Test Ban Verification Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cochran, T.B.

1989-01-01

The first week in September 1987 was an extraordinary one for arms control verification. As part of the co-operative Test Ban Verification Project of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Soviet Academy of Sciences, fourteen American scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (at the University of California- San Diego), University of Nevada-Reno and the University of Colorado went to the region of the Soviet's principal nuclear test site near Semipalatinsk. Together with their Soviet counterparts from the Institute of Physics of the Earth (IPE) in Moscow, they fired off three large chemical explosions. The purpose of these explosions was to demonstrate the sensitivity of the three seismic stations surrounding the test site, to study the efficiency with which high-frequency seismic waves propagate in the region, and to study differences between chemical explosions, nuclear explosions and earthquakes in order more firmly to establish procedures for verification of a nuclear test ban. This paper presents a review of the results of these experiments, an update on the status of the joint project, and a review of the significance of high frequency seismic data to test ban verification

The European nuclear power industry: Restructuring for combined strength and worldwide leadership

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsberg, C.W.; Norman, R.E.; Reich, W.J.; Hill, L.J.

1993-01-01

The European nuclear power industry is being restructured from an industry drawn along national lines to a European-wide industry. This, in part, reflects growth of the European Economic Community, but it also reflects changes in the international nuclear power industry. The objectives of the participants, beyond better integration of the nuclear industry in Western Europe, are to (1) obtain European leadership of the worldwide commercial nuclear power industry, (2) improve medium- and long-term safety of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (FSU) power reactors, and (3) reduce domestic concerns about nuclear power. The activities to achieve these goals include (1) formation of Nuclear Power International (a joint venture of the German and French nuclear power plant vendors for design and construction of nuclear power plants), (2) formation of a utility group to forge agreement throughout Europe on what the requirements are for the next generation of nuclear power plants, and (3) agreement by regulators in multiple European countries to harmonize regulations. This is to be achieved before the end of the decade. These changes would allow a single design of nuclear power plant to be built anywhere in Europe. The creation of European-wide rules (utility requirements, engineering standards, and national regulations) would create strong economic and political forces for other European countries (Eastern Europe and FSU) to meet these standards

The European nuclear power industry: Restructuring for combined strength and worldwide leadership

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forsberg, C.W.; Norman, R.E.; Reich, W.J.; Hill, L.J.

1993-06-18

The European nuclear power industry is being restructured from an industry drawn along national lines to a European-wide industry. This, in part, reflects growth of the European Economic Community, but it also reflects changes in the international nuclear power industry. The objectives of the participants, beyond better integration of the nuclear industry in Western Europe, are to (1) obtain European leadership of the worldwide commercial nuclear power industry, (2) improve medium- and long-term safety of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (FSU) power reactors, and (3) reduce domestic concerns about nuclear power. The activities to achieve these goals include (1) formation of Nuclear Power International (a joint venture of the German and French nuclear power plant vendors for design and construction of nuclear power plants), (2) formation of a utility group to forge agreement throughout Europe on what the requirements are for the next generation of nuclear power plants, and (3) agreement by regulators in multiple European countries to harmonize regulations. This is to be achieved before the end of the decade. These changes would allow a single design of nuclear power plant to be built anywhere in Europe. The creation of European-wide rules (utility requirements, engineering standards, and national regulations) would create strong economic and political forces for other European countries (Eastern Europe and FSU) to meet these standards.

Energy supply, nuclear power, and the international energy situation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pierer, H. von

1991-01-01

The Chernobyl accident has greatly intensified the readiness for international cooperation on problems of reactor safety and for exchanges of operating experience. That accident was more than a regional event. If all psychological and political consequences are taken into account, its international significance is apparent. In principle, it demonstrated not the lack of safety of nuclear power plants generally, but rather that of the Soviet RBMK reactor line, which would not have been licensed in any Western country because of its inherent unsafety. In the long run, the worldwide acceptance of nuclear power can be regained and stabilized only by an open dialog and by international exchanges of experience. The pronounced growth of the world's population requires energy policy to think beyond national frontiers. The rising energy requirement permits of no other decision than to exploit all technically feasible and economically viable as well as ecologically tolerable sources of energy. This includes nuclear power as well as solar energy. (orig.) [de

Nuclear power's changing future - Fastest growth in Asia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

Twenty-two of the last 31 nuclear power plants (NPPs) connected to the world's energy grid have been built in Asia, driven by the pressures of economic growth, natural resource scarcity and increasing populations. Of the new NPPs presently under construction, 18 of the 27 are located in Asia, while construction has virtually halted in Western European and North American countries with long-standing nuclear power programmes, says the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA reports that although four Western European countries have decided to shut down their nuclear energy plants, the future of nuclear energy in Europe and North America is still far from clear, during a period when energy needs and concerns over global warming are both rising. Only one new NPP is beginning construction in Western Europe. No new NPPs are planned in North America, although that could change very soon. The Conference examines the status and future of nuclear power 50 years after the first nuclear energy producing plant came o n-line , at a plant near Moscow in the then Soviet Union on June 26, 1954. It covers the following topics: Nuclear Prospects in Near and Long-Term; Nuclear Power Today: Shifting to the East; Climate Change and Economics: Factors for Growth (NPPs Avoid Carbon Emissions, Costs are Low at Operating Plants; New Plants are Expensive); the Key Issues are Safety and Waste management; Uranium resources are abundant; sustainable development

SKODA Nuclear Machinery - tradition and expertise in nuclear power industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svitak, F.

1997-01-01

The SKODA Nuclear Machinery company is a major manufacturer of nuclear reactor assemblies and supplier of WWER type primary coolant circuits. In the past, the company was nearly a monopolistic manufacturer of WWER reactor assemblies supplied to the Central and East European countries (except the USSR) grouped in the former Council of Mutual Economic Assistance. Over the 1980-1993 period, 21 units of the WWER-440 type and 3 units of the WWER-1000 type were manufactured. The company keeps abreast of technological progress and has been switching to new manufacturing areas, such as compact storage racks for spent fuel pools, hermetic cable bushings, spent fuel storage and transport casks, and cooperation in the manufacture of neutron flux measuring channels. Technological services provided to nuclear power plants constitute another important field of the company's business. The company's combined expertise in Soviet and Western designed PWRs is a considerable asset. (P.A.)

VVER Reactor Safety in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union

Science.gov (United States)

Papadopoulou, Demetra

2012-02-01

VVER Soviet-designed reactors that operate in Eastern Europe and former Soviet republics have heightened international concern for years due to major safety deficiencies. The governments of countries with VVER reactors have invested millions of dollars toward improving the safety of their nuclear power plants. Most of these reactors will continue to operate for the foreseeable future since they provide urgently-needed electrical power. Given this situation, this paper assesses the radiological consequences of a major nuclear accident in Eastern Europe. The paper also chronicles the efforts launched by the international nuclear community to improve the safety of the reactors and notes the progress made so far through extensive collaborative efforts in Armenia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine to reduce the risks of nuclear accidents. Western scientific and technical staff collaborated with these countries to improve the safety of their reactor operations by strengthening the ability of the regulator to perform its oversight function, installing safety equipment and technologies, investing time in safety training, and working diligently to establish an enduring safety culture. Still, continued safety improvement efforts are necessary to ensure safe operating practices and achieve timely phase-out of older plants.

East/West cooperation on the safety of USSR-designed nuclear power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spencer, P.H.

1991-01-01

In the aftermath of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Soviet Union, nuclear power plant operators throughout the world came together in May 1989 to form the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO). When it became clear that the operators of plants of an early design supplied by the USSR needed assistance in the upgrading of the safety of these units, WANO was uniquely placed to assist and facilitate in this. In July 1990, WANO took the decision to form a special project to assist the operators of the VVER 440/230 plants in their efforts to increase the safety standards for these units. The work performed by this special project team is described

The evolution of Soviet forces, strategy, and command

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ball, D.; Bethe, H.A.; Blair, B.G.; Bracken, P.; Carter, A.B.; Dickinson, H.; Garwin, R.L.; Holloway, D.; Kendall, H.W.

1988-01-01

This paper reports on the evolution of Soviet forces, strategy and command. Soviet leaders have repeatedly emphasized that it would be tantamount to suicide to start a nuclear war. Mutual deterrence, however, does not make nuclear was impossible. The danger remains that a large-scale nuclear was could start inadvertently in an intense crisis, or by escalation out of a conventional war, or as an unforeseen combination of these. For these reasons crisis management has become a central issue in the United States, but the standard Soviet response to this Western interest has been to say that what is needed is crisis avoidance, not recipes for brinkmanship masquerading under another name. There is much sense in this view. Nevertheless, this demeanor does not mean that the Soviet Union has given no thought to the danger that a crisis might lead to nuclear war, only that Soviet categories for thinking about such matters differ from those employed in the United States

Various technical and legal aspects of nuclear power sources in outer space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boeck, H.; Summerer, L.

2001-12-01

Since the very first days of space exploration, nuclear power was considered as an alternative to solar cells for the generation of energy in space. Especially for larger exploration missions beyond Mars, nuclear power sources (NPS) are almost unavoidable. NPS are developed, produced and flown on a continuous basis since almost 40 years by the USA and the Soviet Union, now Russia. While the technological capabilities certainly exist within Europe, Europe has not developed space nuclear power sources. This work is structured in four parts, enlightening this subject from different viewpoints on the European level. In a first chapter, European centres researching in the broader field of this technology are listed. A second chapter deals with the properties and hazards connected with plutonium, the element used in Radioisotope Thermal Generators (RTG). Recent technological developments in the field of RTG are reviewed in chapter 4, while chapter 3 deals with the international legal implications of the use of nuclear power sources in outer space. Refs. 30 (author)

Analysis of the 1957-58 Soviet nuclear accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trabalka, J.R.; Eyman, L.D.; Auerbach, S.I.

1979-12-01

The occurrence of a Soviet accident in the winter of 1957-58, involving the atmospheric release of reprocessed fission wastes (cooling time approximately 1-2 yrs.), appears to have been confirmed, primarily by an analysis of the USSR radioecology literature. Due to the high population density in the affected region (Cheliabinsk Province in the highly industrialized Urals Region) and the reported level of 90 Sr contamination, the event probably resulted in the evacuation and/or resettlement of the human population from a significant area (100-1000 km 2 ). The resulting contamination zone is estimated to have contained approximately 10 6 Ci of 90 Sr (reference radionuclide); a relatively small fraction of the total may have been dispersed as an aerosol. Although a plausible explanation for the incident exists (i.e., use of now-obsolete waste storage- 137 Cs isotope separation techniques), it is not yet possible, based on the limited information presently available, to completely dismiss this phenomenon as a purely historical event. It seems imperative that we have a complete explanation of the causes and consequences of this incident. Soviet experience gained in application of corrective measures would be invaluable to the rest of the world nuclear community

Incorporation of severe accidents in the licensing of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvarenga, Marco Antonio Bayout; Rabello, Sidney Luiz

2011-01-01

Severe accidents are the result of multiple faults that occur in nuclear power plants as a consequence from the combination of latent failures and active faults, such as equipment, procedures and operator failures, which leads to partial or total melting of the reactor core. Regardless of active and latent failures related to the plant management and maintenance, aspects of the latent failures related to the plant design still remain. The lessons learned from the TMI accident in the U.S.A., Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union and, more recently, in Fukushima, Japan, suggest that severe accidents must necessarily be part of design-basis of nuclear power plants. This paper reviews the normative basis of the licensing of nuclear power plants concerning to severe accidents in countries having nuclear power plants under construction or in operation. It was addressed not only the new designs of nuclear power plants in the world, but also the design changes in plants that are in operation for decades. Included in this list are the Brazilian nuclear power plants, Angra-1, Angra-2, and Angra-3. This paper also reviews the current status of licensing in Brazil and Brazilian standards related to severe accidents. It also discusses the impact of severe accidents in the emergency plans of nuclear power plants. (author)

Incorporation of severe accidents in the licensing of nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alvarenga, Marco Antonio Bayout; Rabello, Sidney Luiz, E-mail: bayout@cnen.gov.b, E-mail: sidney@cnen.gov.b [Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN) Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2011-07-01

Severe accidents are the result of multiple faults that occur in nuclear power plants as a consequence from the combination of latent failures and active faults, such as equipment, procedures and operator failures, which leads to partial or total melting of the reactor core. Regardless of active and latent failures related to the plant management and maintenance, aspects of the latent failures related to the plant design still remain. The lessons learned from the TMI accident in the U.S.A., Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union and, more recently, in Fukushima, Japan, suggest that severe accidents must necessarily be part of design-basis of nuclear power plants. This paper reviews the normative basis of the licensing of nuclear power plants concerning to severe accidents in countries having nuclear power plants under construction or in operation. It was addressed not only the new designs of nuclear power plants in the world, but also the design changes in plants that are in operation for decades. Included in this list are the Brazilian nuclear power plants, Angra-1, Angra-2, and Angra-3. This paper also reviews the current status of licensing in Brazil and Brazilian standards related to severe accidents. It also discusses the impact of severe accidents in the emergency plans of nuclear power plants. (author)

Ethnicity and Power in the Soviet Union

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrzej Wierzbicki

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Twenty years have passed since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Up until the point of dissolution, the Soviet authorities and intellectual elite had attempted to build a community in order to unite all Soviet citizens in the spirit of socialist modernisation. Although it is difficult to demonstrate that ‘a Soviet nation’ was successfully created [1], the attempt to build such a nation can serve as a case study through which to examine nation-building processes for constructivists as well as modernists . In addition to socialist modernisation, the Soviet nation aimed to be identified as a state, which would make it similar to the political nations dominant in western countries. Contrary to western tradition, however, it was not a nation state that provided full rights for all its citizens, but rather a socialist state that was ‘ruled by workers and peasantry’. Nevertheless, the authorities aimed to give the Soviet nation the characteristics of a specific nation state. “It was a nation that in historical terms strived, or more accurately part of which strived, to form or proclaim a particular state” [2]. While at the time of proclaiming the USSR there was no such thing as the Soviet nation, it can be assumed that it was intended to become a constructed titular nation. The majority of national communities, even created ones, have an ethnic core. However academics cannot agree on the kind of state the USSR was, to what extent it took into account the ethnicity of its multinational population, how much it reflected the values, culture, and interests of its largest population group (i.e., the Russians or even whether it was a Russian national state despite the strong influence of Russian ideology and politics. Some Russian academics, especially those in nationalistic circles (e.g., Valerij Solovej as well as western scholars such as Terry Martin and Geoffrey Hosking stressed that Russians dominated demographically and politically

Preparation for and building of V-1 nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smatlak, S.; Spirko, M.

1981-01-01

Some findings and problems encountered during the construction of the V-1 nuclear power plant at Jaslovske Bohunice are discussed from the point of view of the investor, mainly problems associated with project preparation and relations between suppliers and the customer. The progress of construction is described and the dates are shown of the main stages of construction and tests. The construction proceeded according to a net diagram and was controlled by the construction management and a coordination group headed by the investor. An international start-up commission was established for the start-up stage. The fields are outlined of the participation and co-operation of Soviet organizations during project preparation, supplies, assembly, start-up, and fuel supplies for the V-1 nuclear power plant. (B.S.)

International measures for supporting the Ukraine in decommissioning Chernobyl nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolf, J.

2006-01-01

The destruction of Block 4 of the Ukranian nuclear power plant in Chernobyl on 26 April 1986 was the largest and most momentous accident in the civil use of nuclear energy. Its far-reaching and lasting ecological, heath-related and economic effects confronted the then Soviet and later the Ukraine with grave problems. Particularly after the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc and the emergence of information about the safety shortcomings of RBMK-type (Chernobyl-type) reactors the Western states pressed for the decommissioning of these reactors. At the G7 summit in Naples in 1994 the Ukraine was offered an action plan of support if it were willing to close down Chernobyl nuclear power plant. This initiative led to the signing on 20 December 1995 of a Memorandum of Understanding on the Closure of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant between the G7 states, the European Commission and the Ukraine. It contained an assurance by President Kuchma that Chernobyl nuclear power plant would be closed by the year 2000

The SIPRI report. The wars of the world. The Soviet heritage. The proliferation of mass destruction weapons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raschke, M.

1993-12-01

This book is an extract from the SIPRI yearbook 1993 which discusses and analyzes the year's major political topics, i.e. the U.N. peace-making diplomacy, the consequences of the CSCE process, the major armed conflicts, new fronts, the wars in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the former Soviet republics, in Cambodia, and in southern Africa, the Soviet conflict heritage, ethnonationalism, the availability and the risks of the availability of nuclear weapons, the development and proliferation of nuclear weapons, the new nuclear powers, the U.N. Iraq committee of inquiry, and the Iraqi potential of weapons. (orig./HSCH) [de

Assessment of the impacts of transferring certain nuclear reactor technologies to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Upton, J.W. Jr.

1987-06-01

The Office of International Security Affairs of the US Department of Energy (DOE) has asked Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) researchers to assist in evaluating the impact that transfer of specific nuclear reactor technologies may have on US national security interests. The evaluation is intended to be used as a technical basis and guideline to approve or disapprove requests from government and industry to transfer a specific technology to Soviet countries. The US Government has a responsibility to review such requests. For the post-Chernobyl information-gathering and dissemination process, the DOE is serving as the US Government's point of contact with private industry. It is DOE's policy to encourage and assist the Eastern Bloc countries to enhance the safety, reliability, and safe operation of civil nuclear reactor power plant facilities worldwide consistent with US national security and nonproliferation interests. Any requests from industry for the supply of nuclear reactor technology, equipment, and services will be considered in accordance with existing nuclear export policy, law, and regulations. All requests and proposals, whether discussed in this document or not, will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. It should be noted that this is the initial version of the report. Subsequent, updated versions are expected to follow. Design and operation of nuclear reactor power plants involves an extensive array of technologies, not all of which have been addressed here

Automated control system for the Temelin nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Labik, V.

1990-01-01

Instrumentation of the automated control system of the Temelin nuclear power plant in the section of the main production unit and of the major auxiliary equipment is described, the results of testing are reported, and the present status of design activities is assessed. The suitability of application of Czechoslovak automation facilities to the instrumentation of the automated control system of the power plant was confirmed by the Soviet designer and supplier based on favorable results of polygonal testing. Capacity problems in the development of the designs and user software are alleviated by extensive cooperation. It is envisaged that all tasks will be fulfilled as planned. (P.A.). 1 fig., 5 refs

Nuclear energy and its functions for development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nevskij, V.P.

1980-01-01

25 years have passed since the first nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union started operation and thus laid the foundations for the development of a fundamentally new branch of economy - nuclear industry. At present the following nuclear power plants are operated in the Soviet Union: Belojarsk, Kola, Bilibino, Armenia, Leningrad, Kursk, and Tschernobylj, the number of power plant units amounting to 19, the total electric power to 0.09 GW. In total the plants have generated 44.8 billion kWh in 1978; for 1979 a total generation of 54 billion kWh is expected. By the following five-year plans the construction of nuclear power plants is to be still essentially extended: about 20% of the total electric power is planned to be produced by nuclear power plants. In the course of this extension the new nuclear power plants are planned to achieve individual capacities between 4 and 6 GW, the nuclear heating power plants 2 GW. In addition there will be facilities for nuclear production of heat only with a thermal output of up to 1 GW. (orig./UA) [de

Scientific research in the Soviet Union

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mtingwa, S.K.

1990-01-01

I report on the scientific aspects of my US/USSR Interacademy Exchange Visit to the Soviet Union. My research was conducted at three different institutes: the Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow, the Leningrad Nuclear Physics Institute in Gatchina, and the Yerevan Physics Institute in Soviet Armenia. I included relevant information about the Soviet educational system, salaries of Soviet physicists, work habits and research activities at the three institutes, and the relevance of that research to work going on in the United States. 18 refs

Ongoing research experiments at the former Soviet nuclear test site in eastern Kazakhstan

Science.gov (United States)

Leith, William S.; Kluchko, Luke J.; Konovalov, Vladimir; Vouille, Gerard

2002-01-01

Degelen mountain, located in EasternKazakhstan near the city of Semipalatinsk, was once the Soviets most active underground nuclear test site. Two hundred fifteen nuclear tests were conducted in 181 tunnels driven horizontally into its many ridges--almost twice the number of tests as at any other Soviet underground nuclear test site. It was also the site of the first Soviet underground nuclear test--a 1-kiloton device detonated on October 11, 1961. Until recently, the details of testing at Degelen were kept secret and have been the subject of considerable speculation. However, in 1991, the Semipalatinsk test site became part of the newly independent Republic of Kazakhstan; and in 1995, the Kazakhstani government concluded an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to eliminate the nuclear testing infrastructure in Kazakhstan. This agreement, which calls for the "demilitarization of the infrastructure directly associated with the nuclear weapons test tunnels," has been implemented as the "Degelen Mountain Tunnel Closure Program." The U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency, in partnership with the Department of Energy, has permitted the use of the tunnel closure project at the former nuclear test site as a foundation on which to support cost-effective, research-and-development-funded experiments. These experiments are principally designed to improve U.S. capabilities to monitor and verify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), but have provided a new source of information on the effects of nuclear and chemical explosions on hard, fractured rock environments. These new data extends and confirms the results of recent Russian publications on the rock environment at the site and the mechanical effects of large-scale chemical and nuclear testing. In 1998, a large-scale tunnel closure experiment, Omega-1, was conducted in Tunnel 214 at Degelen mountain. In this experiment, a 100-ton chemical explosive blast was used to test technologies for monitoring the

Chernobyl and status of nuclear power development in the USSR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gagarinskii, A.Yu.

1989-01-01

recently concluded agreement on cooperation with the American Nuclear Society, and these problems are also reflected in this agreement. We believe that the IAEA inspections, both being carried out, as, for instance, the recent OSART mission at the Rovno NPP, and those planned, of the Soviet nuclear projects and of the operating NPPs will enable us to make the public confidence in nuclear power come back. At present the IAEA expert inspection of the Gorky NPP is being prepared, which will include both the concept and the NPP design analysis and their practical realization at the plant under construction. But first of all we rely on our own efforts. I believe that soon a new social organization will appear in the USSR - the-Soviet Nuclear Society. In any case, however, the most effective realization of the whole program of works on nuclear power needs a wide international cooperation

Chernobyl and status of nuclear power development in the USSR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gagarinskii, A Yu [I.V. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, Kurchatov Square, 123182 Moscow (Russian Federation)

1989-07-01

recently concluded agreement on cooperation with the American Nuclear Society, and these problems are also reflected in this agreement. We believe that the IAEA inspections, both being carried out, as, for instance, the recent OSART mission at the Rovno NPP, and those planned, of the Soviet nuclear projects and of the operating NPPs will enable us to make the public confidence in nuclear power come back. At present the IAEA expert inspection of the Gorky NPP is being prepared, which will include both the concept and the NPP design analysis and their practical realization at the plant under construction. But first of all we rely on our own efforts. I believe that soon a new social organization will appear in the USSR - the-Soviet Nuclear Society. In any case, however, the most effective realization of the whole program of works on nuclear power needs a wide international cooperation.

Civilian nuclear ships

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oelgaard, P.L.

1993-03-01

This report contains a review of the information available on nuclear powered ships, built for civilian purposes. In the introduction a short discussion is given of the reasons for the limited use of nuclear ships for these purposes. In the second section a brief review is presented of data for the three experimental/merchant ships build by the United States, Germany and Japan, i.e. NS Savannah, NS Otto Hahn and NS Mutsu. In the third section the Soviet/Russian icebreaker NS Lenin is considered. Its design, operational experience and the introduction of a new nuclear propulsion plant is reviewed. In the fourth section the newer Soviet/Russian icebreakers with nuclear propulsion are considered. Finally design of the Soviet/Russian icebreaker transport/container ship NS Sevmorput is reviewed in the fifth section. The future Russian plans for nuclear vessels for the arctic waters are briefly discussed. (au)

The LWR nuclear power plant market in the Seventies and Eighties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bohmann, W.; Fickel, O.

1981-01-01

In the early eighties, forecasts agreed in predicting steep increases in the contributions of nuclear power to electricity generation in the industrialized countries. The importance of nuclear power should have been raised even further by the so-called oil crises of 1973 and the development of oil prices since. However, at the beginning of the eighties, the time has come for a new, realistic assessment of the further development of nuclear power. In most industrialized countries, except for France and, with some reservations, the Soviet Union, the further development, led to sometimes dramatic cutbacks in the expansion programs planned. However, as has become evident also internationally, e.g. at the 1980 Munich World Energy Conference, there is no doubt that nuclear power is needed in the industrialized countries, especially also with a view of to the development in countries of the Third World, in a larger proportion than is feasible in the near future, given the present stagnation in this field. Despite the bad situation, which has been persisting for many years especially in the Federal Republic of Germany, nuclear industry must therefore be maintained in an position enabling it to meet requirements rising on a medium term basis. (orig./UA) [de

Cooperation of Atomehnergoehksport and Skodaexport in the sphere of atomic power engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gulko, V.D.

1986-01-01

The cooperation is briefly outlined of the Czechoslovak foreign trade organization Skodaexport and its Soviet counterpart Atomehnergoehksport in nuclear power engineering. Thanks to this cooperation within socialist economic integration, 12 WWER-440 units of a total capacity of 5,280 MWe will be built in Czechoslovakia by 1990 followed by the construction of WWER-1000 reactors. Thus, by the year 2000, the total installed capacity in Czechoslovakia will be 15 to 16 thousand MWe. The reactors are being built according to Soviet project designs, with active participation of Soviet experts and organizations. Within the project of cooperation, the Soviet Union also supplies Czechoslovakia with nuclear fuel and regularly provides spent fuel disposal. On the other hand, Czechoslovakia supplies the Soviet Union and other CMEA member countries with reactor components, especially WWER-440 primary circuit equipment, and will become the main supplier of WWER-1000 primary circuit equipment, both according to Soviet project designs. This and close cooperation of Czechoslovak and Soviet organizations ranks Czechoslovakia among the major suppliers of technological equipment for nuclear power plants in CMEA countries. (L.O.)

Risk and Soviet Security Decisions

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hull, Andrew

1990-01-01

.... There are several exceptions to general Soviet risk aversion in using military power. But in each instance, the Soviet Union has fared rather badly when it chanced large risks in pursuit of correspondingly high potential gains...

Power supply for nuclear power plant home consumption using inverter sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stepar, V.; Tvrdik, J.

1988-01-01

A description is presented of the system configuration of a nuclear power plant with WWER-440 and WWER-1000 units and of a system of guaranteed power supply for the plant home consumption network for a WWER-440 power plant. The power supply network consists of 6 inverter supplies for safety systems, 4 supplies for nonsystem facilities and of a minimum of three power supplies for facilities outside the units. A diagram is shown and the principle described of the currently used ABP 1500 power supply system of Soviet origin. Using the experience from its operation, a Czechoslovak inverter supply system was designed featuring parallel operation of the inverter units. The principles are given for the design of a power supply system of an output of 75 kVA, the diagram is shown and the principle described. The design allows implementing and using the system without redundancy or in redundant operation of the 2 from 3 type at an installed capacity of 66%, or of the 1 from 2 type at an installed capacity of 50% of the output. The system is undergoing tests that should verify its reliability. (J.B.). 3 figs., 1 tab

New nuclear power plants in Europe 1984. Pt 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1984-01-01

The atw report on new nuclear power plants in Europe contains both a survey of the Federal Republic of Germany, which was pubslished in the April 1984 issue, and an overview of the nuclear power plant situation in 26 European countries including the Soviet Union and six other CMEA countries. Also this year's review includes specific status reports, complete with technical information, about all nuclear generating units under construction, in the project and concrete planning phases. The fifteen nuclear power plants newly commissioned in Europe since last year's atw report was published are covered in a similar way. Moreover, introductory summaries describe the plants in operation in each country and their 1983 electricity generation. A general introduction provides an outlook on developments in Western and Eastern Europe. The total number of nuclear power plants now in operation and under construction in Europe is 300 units with an aggregate gross 219, 320 MWe. Of these, 185 units are located in Western Europe, 115 in Eastern Europe. The units currently in operation of this total are 180 with 103,978 MWe in sixteen European countries; of these, 126 units with 74,869 MWe are run in eleven West European countries, 54 units with an aggregate 29,109 MWe in five East European countries. Of the 120 nuclear generating units at present under construction with an aggregate 115,342 MWe in fifteen European countries, 59 units with 63,442 MWe are located in eight West European, 61 units with 51,900 MWe in seven East European countries. (orig./UA) [de

Soviet Military Power

Science.gov (United States)

1987-03-01

some 27,000 meters of bridging equipment, 13 1 ."¾. million metric tons of arms and ammunition, "J -- and 60 million metric tons of petrol (fuel...rhis ammuitnition. lDuring aI warn sýuppjlis fromn stratev!1( s4tuck- a1lomg with ove-(r 9 m-illion metric tons o )f petrol 10 ~iilt- In thi. Stlviit...been a target for new Soviet overtures Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Petrovskiy through political influence operations and ex- went to Tunisia , Iraq

Ensuring the operational safety of nuclear power plants with WWER reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shasharin, G.A.; Veretennikov, G.A.; Abagyan, A.A.; Lesnoj, S.A.

1984-01-01

At the start of 1983, 27 nuclear power producing units with reactor facilities of the WWER type were in operation in the Soviet Union and other countries. In 1982 the average load factor for nuclear power plants with WWER reactors was 73 per cent. There was not a single nuclear accident or even damage with any significant radiation consequences in the WWER reactors during the entire period of their operation. The most modern nuclear power plants with WWER-440 and WWER-1000 reactors meet all present-day international requirements. Safe operation of the plants is achieved by a variety of measures, the most important of which include: procedures for increasing the reliability of plant equipment and systems; ensuring exact compliance with plant operating instructions; ensuring reliable operation of plant safety systems; action directed towards maintaining the skills of plant personnel at a level adequate to ensure the taking of proper action during transient processes and accident situations. The paper discusses concrete steps for ensuring safe nuclear power plant operation along these lines. In particular, measures such as the following are described: the use of a system for collecting and processing information on equipment failures and defects; the development and introduction of methods of early defect diagnosis; the performance of complex testing of safety systems; the training of highly skilled personnel for nuclear power plants at educational combines and at teaching and training centres making use of simulators; arranging accident-prevention training and special instruction for personnel. (author)

Project designing of Temelin nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krychtalek, Z.; Linek, V.

1989-01-01

The geological and seismic parameters are listed of the Temelin nuclear power plant. The division of the site in building zones is described. The main zones consist of the power generation unit zone with the related auxiliary buildings of hot plants and of the auxiliary buildings of the nonactive part with industrial buildings. The important buildings are interconnected with communication and technology bridges. Cooling towers and spray pools and the entrance area are part of the urbanistic design. The architectonic design of the buildings uses standard building elements and materials. The design of the buildings is based on the requirements on their function and on structural load and on the demands of maximal utilization of the type of the reinforced concrete prefab structure system. The structure is made of concrete or steel cells. The project design is based on Soviet projects. The layout is shown of the main power generation units and a section is presented of a 1,000 MW unit. (J.B.). 2 figs

Teaching - methodical and research center of hydrogen power engineering and platinum group metals in the former Soviet Union countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evdokimov, A.A; Sigov, A.S; Shinkarenko, V.V.

2005-01-01

Full text: Teaching - Methodical and Research Center (TMRC) 'Sokolinaja Gora' is founded in order to provide methodical-information and scientific support of institutes of higher education in the field of hydrogen power engineering and platinum group metals in Russia and in the countries of the Former Soviet union. It is independent association of creative communities of scientist of higher educational specialists. The main directions of the Center activity are: 1. Teaching-methodological support and development of teaching in the field of hydrogen power engineering and platinum group metals in Russia in the countries of the Former Soviet Union. Themes of teaching includes the basic of safe using of hydrogen technologies and devices, ecological, economic and law aspects of new hydrogen power engineering, transition to which in 21 century is one of the central problems of mankind survival; 2. Organizing of joint researches by independent creative communities of scientists in the field of hydrogen power engineering and platinum group metal; 3. Independent scientific examination, which is made by Advisory Committee of High Technologies consisting of representatives of the countries of Former Soviet Union, which are standing participants of an Annual International Symposia 'Hydrogen Power Engineering and Platinum Group Metals in the Former Soviet Union Countries'. Structure of the Center: 1. Center of strategic development in the field of high technologies; 2. Scientific Research Institute of Hydrogen Power Engineering and Platinum Group Metals; 3. Teaching-Methodical Association in specialization 'Hydrogen Power Engineering and economics' and hydrogen wide spread training; 4. Media Center 'Hydrogen Power Engineering and Platinum Group Metals', 5. Organizational Center; 6. Administrative Center. The Center will be established step-by-step in 2005-2010 on the basis of the following programs: Teaching-methodological program. On the basis of this program it is planned to

Flux stability and power control in the Soviet RBMK-1000 reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meriwether, G.H.; McNeece, J.P.

1993-08-01

As a result of the Chernobyl accident, the Soviets have studied and implemented various design changes to improve the safety of the RBMK reactors. The safety measurements include modifications of the control rod configuration, fuel enrichment increase from 2.0 to 2.4 weight percent U-235, and installation of additional supplemental absorbers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of increased fuel enrichment, different control rod positions, and supplemental absorber loadings on reactivity control, power distribution within the large RBMK core, and relative stability against power oscillations

Risks of potential accidents of nuclear power plants in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slaper, H.; Eggink, G.J.; Blaauboer, R.O.

1993-12-01

This report is focussed on an integrated assessment of probabilistic cancer mortality risks due to possible accidental releases from the European nuclear power plants. For each of the European nuclear power plants the probability of accidental releases per year of operation is combined with the consequences in terms of the excess doses received over a lifetime (70 years). Risk estimates are restricted to cancer mortality and do not include immediate or short term deaths in the direct vicinity ( -8 per year in Western Europe. Going East the risks increase gradually to over 1000 x 10 -8 per year in regions of the former Soviet Union, where reactors of the Chernobyl type are located. The nuclear power plants in the East European countries dominate the estimated risk pattern and contribute at least 40-50% to the average risk in the West European countries. Improving the reactor safety in eastern European countries could lead to considerable reductions in estimated excess mortality risks. In western Europe the mortality risk might be reduced by a factor of two, and in eastern Europe by a factor of 100 to 1000. (orig.)

Safety assessment of unit 5 (WWER-440/W-213) of the Greifswald nuclear power station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-02-01

The report represents the common results of the program of German-Soviet cooperation in reactor safety and radiation protection. The technical plant and features of type WWER-440/W-213 nuclear power plants, basic legal licensing principles, reactor core and pressurized components, load resulting from accidents, systems engineering, spreading impacts, civil engineering aspects, and the evaluation of operating experience are described. (DG)

Radiation safety practice at nuclear power stations and estimation of dose burdens to the USSR general public in the context of the country's nuclear power development plans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vorob'ev, E.I.; Il'in, L.A.; Turovskij, V.D.; Buldakov, L.A.; Lusev, N.G.; Pavlovskij, O.A.; Parkhomenko, G.M.

1983-01-01

The paper sets forth the main features of the State system of health protection for staff and the general public, and likewise the essentials of environmental protection. The principles of standardizing radiation factors are given for power station personnel and for the general public, together with the main provisions of the health Standards and Rules for radiation protection at present valid in the USSR. Data are quoted on the radiation situation at nuclear power stations and on the size of releases of radioactive aerosols and liquid effluents to the environment. The paper pays particular attention to analyses of the radiation situation in districts where nuclear power stations are situated and also to the type and scope of monitoring of radioactive environmental contamination. An analysis of the coefficients achieved with Soviet pressurized water (WWER), high-power channel-type (RBMK) and fast (BN) reactors currently in large-scale use shows that in terms both of release levels of radioactive substances and of the dose burdens to staff and general public these reactors are comparable with the best foreign nuclear power installations. Values actually measured and values calculated for the basic parameters of the radiation situation in areas of the USSR where nuclear power stations are situated confirm the safety of these facilities as regards the health of the general public and the extremely low levels of their effects on the environment. In conclusion, the paper quotes estimates of the collective effective dose equivalent to the USSR population expected to result from implementation of the country's nuclear power programme up to the year 2000. Radiation safety problems associated with nuclear power production which still require solution are enumerated. (author)

Nuclear safeguards and security in a changing world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badolato, E.V.

1986-01-01

Two major crises of 1986 - the Chernobyl nuclear accident and international terrorism have had the effect of making what everyone does even more critically important for U.S. national security and for the security of the world. Chernobyl can be a starting point for efforts to make nuclear power systems safer and more benign. It also poses very basic questions for nuclear arms control activities. A fundamental objective of the Administration's arms control policy is to achieve substantial and equitable reductions in U.S. and Soviet nuclear forces with effective verification. However, Chernobyl served to remind the U.S. once again of the obsessive secretiveness of the Soviet Union and the difficulties of obtaining information on Soviet nuclear weapon activities. All of this points to the importance of developing improved monitoring technologies and obtaining Soviet agreement on on-site inspection. Nuclear safeguards and security developments in response to a changing world are the topic of discussion in this paper

A Soviet view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tikhonov, S.Y.

1992-01-01

During the past several years, the international situation has changed greatly. Efforts to maintain strategic stability have replaced the desire for strategic superiority. Equally important, new thinking in the Soviet Union has greatly accelerated the political warming between the superpowers. As a result of thee developments, the Soviet Union and the United States have come to the conclusion that a nuclear war cannot be won and should never be fought. These events have drastically reduced the probability of the deliberate use of nuclear or conventional weapons. However, the risk of a military crisis and its consequences still exist. Indeed, the risk of a nuclear exchange is still possible. What has changed, however, is that in the current international climate, a crisis or war may result unintentionally because of misperceptions, misunderstanding, accident, or technical fault. While the probability of this is admittedly small, it remains far greater than that of deliberate conflict. The purpose of this chapter, therefore, is twofold. First, it identifies potential sources of unintended crises and conflicts and recommends appropriate confidence-building measures. Second, it addresses CBMs and their potential roles in nuclear crisis de-escalation

National security. Nuclear silo counterforce: calculating the Soviet--U.S. balance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1975-01-01

In recent months the nuclear counterforce work of Kosta Tsipis of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has gained wide circulation. His arguments are grounded on comparing, for the Soviet Union and the U. S., the lethality (or K factor), rather than numbers of missiles or throw weight. The latter parameters, he claims, are irrelevant to a counterforce capability against ICBM silos, whereas K, which is a function of yield and accuracy, is a valid measure of potential counterforce performance. Using K factors, he reaches a number of conclusions indicating that the U. S. has and will continue to have counterforce superiority over the U.S.S.R. We have analyzed the counterforce situation also using K factors, but taking into account several parameters and arguments not included by Dr. Tsipis. Although some of the conclusions of our analysis agree with his, there are significant differences. In particular, we find that by 1985 the Soviet Union could equal the U. S. in counterforce lethality and could have a first-strike countersilo capability. (auth)

USSR orders computers to improve nuclear safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1990-01-01

Control Data Corp (CDC) has received an order valued at $32-million from the Soviet Union for six Cyber 962 mainframe computer systems to be used to increase the safety of civilian nuclear powerplants. The firm is now waiting for approval of the contract by the US government and Western Allies. The computers, ordered by the Soviet Research and Development Institute of Power Engineering (RDIPE), will analyze safety factors in the operation of nuclear reactors over a wide range of conditions. The Soviet Union's civilian nuclear program is one of the largest in the world, with over 50 plants in operation. Types of safety analyses the computers perform include: neutron-physics calculations, radiation-protection studies, stress analysis, reliability analysis of equipment and systems, ecological-impact calculations, transient analysis, and support activities for emergency response. They also include a simulator with realistic mathematical models of Soviet nuclear powerplants to improve operator training

Fire hazard analysis for WWER nuclear power plants. Report of the IAEA extrabudgetary programme on the safety of WWER nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-12-01

This status report presents an overview of the different techniques available to carry out a fire hazard analysis, from qualitative criteria to quantitative methodologies of different purposes and basis; and then, it details a simplified methodology based on a screening approach which could be used in former Soviet designed nuclear power plants. The methodology presented in this report is an adequate means to identify fire related plant specific vulnerabilities to severe accidents, and it provides a useful tool for ranking the various plant fires according to their significances, as well as technical basis for prioritizing the implementation of plant improvements. The applicability of the methodology proposed to the former Soviet Union designed reactors has been evaluated. Its usefulness to the purpose defined above is conclusive. However, some aspects need further consideration, among others data sources and screening criteria. Computer codes for studying fire effects and fire spread in plant locations are also dealt with. Some computer codes are shortly described, from simplified models to more complex ones which allow more accurate modelling of geometries and accounting for additional phenomena. 10 refs, 5 tabs

In situ radiation measurements at the former Soviet Nuclear Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tipton, W.J.

1996-06-01

A team from the Remote Sensing Laboratory conducted a series of in situ radiological measurements at the former Soviet Nuclear Test Site near Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan, during the period of July 21-30, 1994. The survey team measured the terrestrial gamma radiation at selected areas on the site to determine the levels of natural and man-made radiation. The survey was part of a cooperative effort between the United States team and teams of radiation scientists from the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia. In addition to in situ radiation measurements made by the United States and Russian teams, soil samples were collected and analyzed by the Russian and Kazakhstani teams. All teams conducted their measurements at ten locations within the test site. The United States team also made a number of additional measurements to locate and verify the positions of three potential fallout plumes containing plutonium contamination from nonnuclear tests. In addition, the United States team made several measurements in Kurchatov City, the housing area used by personnel and their families who work(ed) at the test sites. Comparisons between the United States and Russian in situ measurements and the soil sample results are presented as well as comparisons with a Soviet aerial survey conducted in 1990-1991. The agreement between the different types of measurements made by all three countries was quite good

The role of PRA in the safety assessment of VVER Nuclear Power Plants in Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kot, C.

1999-01-01

Ukraine operates thirteen (13) Soviet-designed pressurized water reactors, VVERS. All Ukrainian plants are currently operating with annually renewable permits until they update their safety analysis reports (SARs), in accordance with new SAR content requirements issued in September 1995, by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority and the Government Nuclear Power Coordinating Committee of Ukraine. The requirements are in three major areas: design basis accident (DBA) analysis, probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), and beyond design-basis accident (BDBA) analysis. The last two requirements, on PRA and BDBA, are new, and the DBA requirements are an expanded version of the older SAR requirements. The US Department of Energy (USDOE), as part of its Soviet-Designed Reactor Safety activities, is providing assistance and technology transfer to Ukraine to support their nuclear power plants (NPPs) in developing a Western-type technical basis for the new SARs. USDOE sponsored In-Depth Safety Assessments (ISAs) are in progress at three pilot nuclear reactor units in Ukraine, South Ukraine Unit 1, Zaporizhzhya Unit 5, and Rivne Unit 1, and a follow-on study has been initiated at Khmenytskyy Unit 1. The ISA projects encompass most areas of plant safety evaluation, but the initial emphasis is on performing a detailed, plant-specific Level 1 Internal Events PRA. This allows the early definition of the plant risk profile, the identification of risk significant accident sequences and plant vulnerabilities and provides guidance for the remainder of the safety assessments

Economics and financing of future power: Is there a case for nuclear?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skinner, R.G.

1993-01-01

The most recent projections by the International Energy Agency of world energy demand and supply to 2010, points to a nearly 50% increase in world energy demand and regions outside of the western world will consume the greatest share. The projected growth rate from electricity is expected to be fulfilled mostly by natural gas. Examined in this paper are the factors that influence the economics of nuclear energy and the ability to finance it. Public perception may hinge on future nuclear performance in the former Soviet Union and in Eastern and Central Europe, the IEA's recent work with the World Bank and European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on the power sector of that region is briefly discussed. Finally, brief reference is made to some of the principal issues that might bear on the role of nuclear power in the twenty first century, in particular its relation to environmental policy and the role of natural gas in electricity production. 9 refs., 1 tab

The sinking of the Soviet Mike class nuclear powered submarine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

The purpose of this preliminary study is to assess the quantities of the longer-lived or persistent radioactive materials, or source terms, that have been lost at sea with the sinking of the Soviet MIKE class submarine off Bear Island on 7 April 1989. The report arrives at an assessment of the amount of radioactivity and compares this to the quantities of radioactive materials dumped by the UK from 1953 to 1982 at which time sea dumping of radioactive wastes was suspended by international resolve. This comparison can be used to assess the relative significance of the sinking of this submarine. The study does not extrapolate the estimated radioactive source terms to an environmental or radiological significance of the sinking, although it is concluded that unless the submarine is recovered intact from the ocean floor, the by far greater part of the radioactive materials on board will disperse to the marine environment at some future time, if they are not doing so already. (author)

Soviet civil defense is inadequate and meaningless

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaplan, F.M.

1985-01-01

In this paper, the author argues that Soviet civil defense plans exist primarily on paper and are used to pacify the Soviet people, not as plans to survive and prevail in a nuclear confrontation with the U.S. The author describes how the Soviet people have little faith in the civil defense programs. They don't believe they can survive an attack. Furthermore, he says the Soviets have never staged an evacuation exercise in any major city nor, even in smaller towns, has an entire community been evacuated. The author says there are numerous problems with the shelter programs as well. Very few existing shelters have any food stocks, only a few more have any water. There is little evidence that Soviet leaders have planned their economy with civil defense in mind. Nor - given the blatant inadequacies of Soviet civil defense programs, the marked vulnerabilities of the Soviet economy, and the intrinsic limitation and uncertainties about civil defense generally - is there much basis for claiming that Soviet leaders, even in desperate straits, would risk war with the United States while counting on civil defense measures to limit the damage wreaked on the Soviet Union

Nuclear power and the problems of its development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nevskij, V.P.

1979-01-01

The state and prospects of nuclear power in the Soviet Union are considered. Problems of NPP exploitation are discussed, as well as ways of improving the organization of timely and qualitative putting NPP into operation. The main problem of a wide programme of NPP construction is to provide NPP security, reliability and effectiveness. This can be provided by exploiting highly reliable technological equipment and taking appropriate measures during NPP designing, construction and exploitation. One of the main ways to solve these problems is to increase the automation level, to improve control and to provide a gradual transfer from the automation of separate processes to the creation of automatic all-regime NPP control systems

Nuclear security in a transformed world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gottfried, K.; Dean, J.

1991-01-01

In the wake of the failed coup attempt in the Soviet Union, the world stands hopeful that a new era of international peace and cooperation lies ahead. President Bush's unilateral reductions in tactical nuclear weapons and in the alert levels of US forces, coupled with President Gorbachev's largely reciprocal actions, are important steps toward realizing that hope. While bold in the context of recent arms control history, however, these actions are modest in the face of the current enormous opportunity and the shifting threats the world now faces. Even with these welcome unilateral actions, the likely continued presence of thousands of nuclear weapons throughout many of the Soviet republics, the temporary uncertainty over central government command during the coup, and fuller knowledge of Iraq's aggressive efforts to build a nuclear bomb serve as stark reminders that the danger of nuclear catastrophe has not disappeared. Although a deliberate attack by the Soviet Union against the US or Europe is now almost inconceivable, nuclear weapons continue to pose significant threats to US security and world peace. These threats fall into three broad categories: a persistent risk of regional nuclear war involving countries other than the Soviet Union that are already in possession of nuclear weapons or capable of building them; the spread of nuclear weapons to other countries; accidental or unauthorized use. To meet this new challenge, three key steps must be taken: reduce dramatically Soviet and US nuclear arsenals; negotiate restrictions on the arsenals of other nuclear powers; strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime

'Concrete shell formwork' technology applied to the construction of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fejes, A.

1982-01-01

The conventional formworking technology could not meet the unusual requirements needed in constructing the concrete walls of the nuclear power plant building. A new concrete shell formworking developed in the Soviet Union has been adapted to meet the criteria. Prefabricated concrete shells are mounted separately during construction on separated parts of the reinforcing structure. The steps of the construction process are described with the economic evaluation of this new construction technology. (R.P.)

Report on the environmental and sanitary impacts of the nuclear tests performed by France between 1960 and 1996 and elements of comparison with the tests performed by the other nuclear Powers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bataille, Ch.; Revol, H.

2002-01-01

This report makes a comprehensive presentation of the French atmospheric and underground nuclear tests performed in Sahara and Polynesia between 1960 and 1996 with their possible impact on the health of populations and personnel and on the environment. A comparison is made with similar tests performed by other nuclear Powers: US (Marshall islands, Nevada), former Soviet union (Semipalatinsk, Novaya Zemlya), UK (several atmospheric test-sites), China, India, Pakistan. (J.S.)

Nuclear power in space. Use of reactors and radioactive substances as power sources in satellites and space probes; Kaernkraft i rymden. Anvaendningen av reaktorer och radioaktiva aemnen som kraftkaellor i satelliter och rymdsonder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoestbaeck, Lars

2008-11-15

Today solar panels are the most common technique to supply power to satellites. Solar panels will work as long as the power demand of the satellite is limited and the satellite can be equipped with enough panels, and kept in an orbit that allows enough sunlight to hit the panels. There are various types of space missions that do not fulfil these criteria. With nuclear power these types of missions can be powered regardless of the sunlight and as early as 1961 the first satellite with a nuclear power source was placed in orbit. Out of seventy known space missions that has made use of nuclear power, ten have had some kind of failure. In no case has the failure been associated with the nuclear technology used. This report discusses to what degree satellites with nuclear power are a source for potential radioactive contamination of Swedish territory. It is not a discussion for or against nuclear power in space. Neither is it an assessment of consequences if radioactive material from a satellite would reach the earth's surface. Historically two different kinds of Nuclear Power Sources (NPS) have been used to generate electric power in space. The first is the reactor where the energy is derived from nuclear fission of 235U and the second is the Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) where electricity is generated from the heat of naturally decaying radionuclides. NPS has historically only been used in space by United States and the Soviet Union (and in one failing operation Russia). Nuclear Power Sources have been used in three types of space objects: satellites, space probes and moon/Mars vehicles. USA has launched one experimental reactor into orbit, all other use of NPS by the USA has been RTG:s. The Soviet Union, in contrast, only launched a few RTG:s but nearly forty reactors. The Soviet use of NPS is less transparent than the use in USA and some data published on Soviet systems are more or less well substantiated assessments. It is likely that also future

Nuclear power: Public opinion in social crisis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gagarinski, A.

1995-01-01

power programme, the Scientific, Educational and information Centre for the problems of radiation safety, power engineering and radioecological education, was established. This Centre has undertaken the functions of public information. At the same time, the democratic reforms in the society have helped the nuclear professionals to understand, that activities of only state organizations cannot in principle be satisfactory neither for solving the internal problems of nuclear community, nor for public relations. Six years ago the USSR Nuclear Society has been established. In a short period It has united about 3000 nuclear specialists and about 100 scientific and design organizations and industrial enterprises from almost all the Soviet Union. After the Union collapsed, the Nuclear Society has managed to preserve its Status of organization, uniting specialists from the former - USSR states, and it has promoted establishment of the Ukrainian, the Kazakh (and, possibly, the Belarussian.) Nuclear Societies, which are members of the international association Nuclear Society (with headquarters in Moscow). Since the very beginning of its activities, the Nuclear Society considered public relations as its principal ask. Soon it became clear that, having no funds, the non-governmental organization must use, to full extent, the advantages of its public status. Three examples of the last two years, when, in our opinion, these advantages were successfully used, are described

Nuclear power. Volume 1. Nuclear power plant design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedersen, E.S.

1978-01-01

NUCLEAR POWER PLANT DESIGN is intended to be used as a working reference book for management, engineers and designers, and as a graduate-level text for engineering students. The book is designed to combine theory with practical nuclear power engineering and design experience, and to give the reader an up-to-date view of the status of nuclear power and a basic understanding of how nuclear power plants function. Volume 1 contains the following chapters; (1) nuclear reactor theory; (2) nuclear reactor design; (3) types of nuclear power plants; (4) licensing requirements; (5) shielding and personnel exposure; (6) containment and structural design; (7) main steam and turbine cycles; (8) plant electrical system; (9) plant instrumentation and control systems; (10) radioactive waste disposal (waste management) and (11) conclusion

The Politics of Nuclear Power and Waste Storage in Asia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sovacool, Benjamin (National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore)), e-mail: bsovacool@nus.edu.sg

2010-09-15

A complex interplay of social, economic, and political factors makes anticipating the scale and scope of nuclear power expansion difficult for both established and aspiring nuclear nations. In response, this article investigates the forms of social, political, and economic organization conducive to nuclear power expansion. We define 'socio-political economy' as the dynamic forces of state and society which influence the nuclear power industry. We begin by developing a theoretical framework of nuclear socio-political economy based primarily upon the evolution of nuclear energy in France (with supplemental insights from the former Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and United States). This emergent framework posits that strong state involvement in guiding economic development, centralization of national energy planning, campaigns to link technological progress to a national revitalization, influence of technocratic ideology on policy decisions, subordination of challenges to political authority, and low levels of civic activism were influential factors in supporting the expansion of nuclear power in France. These six catalysts create conducive conditions in unique ways. First, a history of strong government intervention in guiding the direction of economic development is a requisite condition seemingly because nuclear power is a 'socio--technically inflexible' technology that requires a high degree of supply chain coordination which only the government is capable of unifying. Second, a highly centralized energy sector infuses the requisite control for planning and implementing a sustained expansion of nuclear power in the midst of a politicized environment. Third, the presence of a government strategy that attempts to link technological developments to a national renaissance fosters the formation of a national culture which tolerates risks associated with risk-prone technologies. Fourth, the dominance of a technocratic approach to policymaking appears

The Politics of Nuclear Power and Waste Storage in Asia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sovacool, Benjamin

2010-09-01

A complex interplay of social, economic, and political factors makes anticipating the scale and scope of nuclear power expansion difficult for both established and aspiring nuclear nations. In response, this article investigates the forms of social, political, and economic organization conducive to nuclear power expansion. We define 'socio-political economy' as the dynamic forces of state and society which influence the nuclear power industry. We begin by developing a theoretical framework of nuclear socio-political economy based primarily upon the evolution of nuclear energy in France (with supplemental insights from the former Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and United States). This emergent framework posits that strong state involvement in guiding economic development, centralization of national energy planning, campaigns to link technological progress to a national revitalization, influence of technocratic ideology on policy decisions, subordination of challenges to political authority, and low levels of civic activism were influential factors in supporting the expansion of nuclear power in France. These six catalysts create conducive conditions in unique ways. First, a history of strong government intervention in guiding the direction of economic development is a requisite condition seemingly because nuclear power is a 'socio--technically inflexible' technology that requires a high degree of supply chain coordination which only the government is capable of unifying. Second, a highly centralized energy sector infuses the requisite control for planning and implementing a sustained expansion of nuclear power in the midst of a politicized environment. Third, the presence of a government strategy that attempts to link technological developments to a national renaissance fosters the formation of a national culture which tolerates risks associated with risk-prone technologies. Fourth, the dominance of a technocratic approach to policymaking appears to provide the

United States Department of Energy's reactor core protection evaluation methodology for fires at RBMK and VVER nuclear power plants. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-06-01

This document provides operators of Soviet-designed RBMK (graphite moderated light water boiling water reactor) and VVER (pressurized light water reactor) nuclear power plants with a systematic Methodology to qualitatively evaluate plant response to fires and to identify remedies to protect the reactor core from fire-initiated damage

Nuclear power. Volume 2. Nuclear power project management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedersen, E.S.

1978-01-01

NUCLEAR POWER PLANT DESIGN is intended to be used as a working reference book for management, engineers and designers, and as a graduate-level text for engineering students. The book is designed to combine theory with practical nuclear power engineering and design experience, and to give the reader an up-to-date view of the status of nuclear power and a basic understanding of how nuclear power plants function. Volume 2 contains the following chapters: (1) review of nuclear power plants; (2) licensing procedures; (3) safety analysis; (4) project professional services; (5) quality assurance and project organization; (6) construction, scheduling, and operation; (7) nuclear fuel handling and fuel management; (8) plant cost management; and (9) conclusion

Lessons learned from the safety assistance program for soviet-designed reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinberg, N.

1999-01-01

Two examples of nuclear power situation were compared in this conference paper - the situation in Lithuania and the situation in the Ukraine. Based on the examples mentioned, author conclude that the effectiveness of the Multi-National Safety Assistance Program for Soviet -Designed Reactors in a given recipient country does not depend, in practice, on engineering issues. The principal aspects that determine this effectiveness are: first, the level of safety culture in the country, beginning at the Governmental level but also at the level of the senior managers of nuclear power. The other important factor which contributes is the availability of a well-developed national program for upgrading NPP safety. The economical well-being of nuclear power and of the country as a whole also has a major effect on the effectiveness of the western technical assistance programs that are trying to upgrade reactor safety in a particular recipient country. And finally, international community should have well coordinated and well substantiated safety assistance program for specific country

The nuclear safety account and the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maltini, F.

1996-01-01

In 1993, the G-7 officially proposed that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development set up the Nuclear Safety Account (NSA) and act as the Account's secretariat. The Bank's Board of Directors approved this proposal and the Rules of the NSA on 22 March 1993 and the NSA became effective on 14 April 1993. The NSA finances, through grants, operational and near-term technical safety improvements for Soviet-designed nuclear reactors in the countries of the former Soviet Union, central and eastern Europe. Priority is given to those reactors which present the highest level of risk that can be significantly reduced by short-term and cost-effective safety improvements, and which are necessary to ensure the continuing electricity supply in the region. Efforts are therefore focused on WWER 440/230 and RBMK types of reactors and on the purchase of equipment as opposed to studies, which a number of donors already fund. Finance from the NSA is not used to extend the operating lifetime of unsafe reactors

No ''all clear'' signal yet. Although the West has set up support programmes for nuclear power plants in eastern Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roehrlich, D.

1996-01-01

During the first years after the catastrophic nuclear accident at Chernobyl, reports on Soviet nuclear power plants leaking to the west seldom contained hard facts. Now, after five years of a partnership between east and west in matters of reactor safety, things are clearer. What the commitment of the west to more reactor safety in eastern Europe means in practice was the subject of the winter meeting of the Deutsches Atomforum, Bonn. (orig.) [de

Compact simulators for WWER-440 type nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vegh, E.; Janosy, J.S.

1991-09-01

This paper describes a compact simulator for VVER-440 type plants. Up till now three simulators have been delivered: to Paks Nuclear Power Plant (Hungary), and to Kola and Rovno NPPs (Soviet Union). In this compact simulator the modelling complexity of the plant is almost similar to that of a full-scope one apart from the Control Room being replaced by a Control Desk and four colour graphic display units. The simulation of the plant covers the whole operating range: from cold shut-down state to nominal power level. The simulator contains up to 32 different initial conditions. Moreover, every 5 minutes the simulator produces so called 'snapshots', i.e. disc images of the Data Base. Using these snapshots the instructor can go back in time (called backtracking) in order to repeat some previously passed events

Nuclear power in Czechoslovakia and its development within the CMEA collaboration framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavel, S.

1984-01-01

The state of and prospects for the development of nuclear pwer and energy machine building in Czechoslovakia are considered. In 1980 the NPPs generated 1.5% of the country's energy. It is envisaged that by 1990 the share of NPPs will rise to 9.2% and by 2000 to 15%. Since 1974, when an agreement with the Soviet Union was signed on cooperation and specialization in producing equipment for NPPs, a new industry, nuclear power machine building, has been successfully developed in Czechoslovakia. The production of steam generators, volume compensators, main gate valves, pipelines, special fittings, special pumps and auxiliary systems of the primary circuit has been mastered. Presently, the Czechoslovakian industry is capable of manufacturing above 80% of the whole servicing equipment of WWER-440 power units. Alongside with the USSR, Czechoslovakia has become the second greatest supplier of equipment for NPPs among the COMECON member-states. By 2000 it is planned to put into operation 12 WWER-440 power unit and 6 WWER-1000 power units with the total capacity of 11280 MW. An experimental agro-nuclear complex will soon be constructed in which NPP heat will be utilized for growing vegetables, fruit, mushrooms and for breeding fish

Nuclear Power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Douglas-Hamilton, J.; Home Robertson, J.; Beith, A.J.

1987-01-01

In this debate the Government's policy on nuclear power is discussed. Government policy is that nuclear power is the safest and cleanest way of generating electricity and is cheap. Other political parties who do not endorse a nuclear energy policy are considered not to be acting in the people's best interests. The debate ranged over the risks from nuclear power, the UK safety record, safety regulations, and the environmental effects of nuclear power. The Torness nuclear power plant was mentioned specifically. The energy policy of the opposition parties is strongly criticised. The debate lasted just over an hour and is reported verbatim. (UK)

Status report of the US Department of Energy's International Nuclear Safety Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-12-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) implements the US Government's International Nuclear Safety Program to improve the level of safety at Soviet-designed nuclear power plants in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Unkraine. The program is conducted consistent with guidance and policies established by the US Department of State (DOS) and the Agency for International Development and in close collaboration with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Some of the program elements were initiated in 1990 under a bilateral agreement with the former Soviet Union; however, most activities began after the Lisbon Nuclear Safety Initiative was announced by the DOS in 1992. Within DOE, the program is managed by the International Division of the Office of Nuclear Energy. The overall objective of the International Nuclear Safety Program is to make comprehensive improvements in the physical conditions of the power plants, plant operations, infrastructures, and safety cultures of countries operating Soviet-designed reactors. This status report summarizes the Internatioal Nuclear Safety Program's activities that have been completed as of September 1994 and discusses those activities currently in progress

FROM THE HISTORY OF PHYSICS: The development of the first Soviet atomic bomb

Science.gov (United States)

Goncharov, German A.; Ryabev, Lev D.

2001-01-01

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, two remarkable physical phenomena — the fission of heavy nuclei and the chain fission reaction — were discovered, implying that a new powerful source of energy (nuclear fission energy) might become a practical possibility for mankind. At that time, however, the political situation in the world made the development of the atomic bomb the main objective of nuclear energy research in the countries involved. The first atomic bombs, notoriously used in the war against Japan, were produced by the United States of America only six and a half years after the discovery of fission. Four years later, the first Soviet atomic bomb was tested. This was a major step toward the establishment of nuclear parity which led to stability and global peace and thus greatly influenced the destiny of human kind. Based on documentary materials covering the period from 1939 to 1949, this paper traces the origin and evolution of the physical ideas behind the first Soviet atomic bomb and discusses the most important events associated with the project.

Soviet satellite communications science and technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Birch, J.N.; Campanella, S.J.; Gordon, G.D.; McElroy, D.R.; Pritchard, W.L.; Stamminger, R.

1991-08-01

This is a report by six US scientists and engineers concerning the current state of the art and projections of future Soviet satellite communications technologies. The panel members are experts in satellite stabilization, spacecraft environments, space power generation, launch systems, spacecraft communications sciences and technologies, onboard processing, ground stations, and other technologies that impact communications. The panel assessed the Soviet ability to support high-data-rate space missions at 128 Mbps by evaluating current and projected Soviet satellite communications technologies. A variety of space missions were considered, including Earth-to-Earth communications via satellites in geostationary or highly elliptical orbits, those missions that require space-to-Earth communications via a direct path and those missions that require space-to-Earth communications via a relay satellite. Soviet satellite communications capability, in most cases, is 10 years behind that of the United States and other industrialized nations. However, based upon an analysis of communications links needed to support these missions using current Soviet capabilities, it is well within the current Soviet technology to support certain space missions outlined above at rates of 128 Mbps or higher, although published literature clearly shows that the Soviet Union has not exceeded 60 Mbps in its current space system. These analyses are necessary but not sufficient to determine mission data rates, and other technologies such as onboard processing and storage could limit the mission data rate well below that which could actually be supported via the communications links. Presently, the Soviet Union appears to be content with data rates in the low-Earth-orbit relay via geostationary mode of 12 Mbps. This limit is a direct result of power amplifier limits, spacecraft antenna size, and the utilization of K{sub u}-band frequencies. 91 refs., 16 figs., 15 tabs.

Nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-01-01

Data concerning the existing nuclear power plants in the world are presented. The data was retrieved from the SIEN (Nuclear and Energetic Information System) data bank. The information are organized in table forms as follows: nuclear plants, its status and type; installed nuclear power plants by country; nuclear power plants under construction by country; planned nuclear power plants by country; cancelled nuclear power plants by country; shut-down nuclear power plants by country. (E.G.) [pt

Cross border environmental issues arising from the former Soviet Union nuclear fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaw, B.R.; Dooley, J.J.; Bradley, D.J.

1998-02-01

Radioactive contamination from sites in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) threaten bordering states via transport through marine environments. Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Finland share waterways or border common bodies of water with the FSU. Cross-border contamination resulting from past and in some cases current radioactive waste practices FSU nuclear wastes could under the right circumstances destabilize military, economic, or other relationships between the FSU and these border nations. The United States has an ongoing obligation to assist many of these border nations in times of need. This analysis was sponsored by the Office of Policy and International Affairs, Office of Materials-Asset Management and National Security Policy Analysis. The Center for Environmental Security was tasked to identify cross-border and other policy issues from an extensive body of technical materials dealing with nuclear materials management in the Former Soviet Union compiled over time by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The analysis focused on cross-border impacts but also provides insights into policy analysis based on this existing technical work. The efficiencies and results realized by this study indicate that this analytical methodology has merit for additional policy studies. There are three elements comprising the problem of understanding cross border transport. The amount of FSU nuclear waste that has been disposed of in ways that did not, or probably will not contain the waste is the first element. The past and probable future entry of these wastes into groundwater and surface waters, thence to seas is the second. Finally, adverse effects on human health and welfare from ingesting contaminated sea products, and from damaged fisheries and food production activities is the third

Nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porter, Arthur.

1980-01-01

This chapter of the final report of the Royal Commission on Electric Power Planning in Ontario updates its interim report on nuclear power in Ontario (1978) in the light of the Three Mile Island accident and presents the commission's general conclusions and recommendations relating to nuclear power. The risks of nuclear power, reactor safety with special reference to Three Mile Island and incidents at the Bruce generating station, the environmental effects of uranium mining and milling, waste management, nuclear power economics, uranium supplies, socio-political issues, and the regulation of nuclear power are discussed. Specific recommendations are made concerning the organization and public control of Ontario Hydro, but the commission concluded that nuclear power is acceptable in Ontario as long as satisfactory progress is made in the disposal of uranium mill tailings and spent fuel wastes. (LL)

The Soviet Union

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lynch, A.

1991-01-01

William T. R. Fox's pre-nuclear age analysis provides an excellent starting point for the authors' discussion of the role of nuclear weapons in Soviet security policy. By pointing to some of the non-nuclear, more properly geopolitical sources of peace in East-West relations, Fox's forceful analysis serves as a reminder to approach the authors' study with caution. Too often, there has been a tendency to reduce the etiology of war and peace in East-West relations to its nuclear aspect without proper regard for other, primarily geopolitical, components which provide the all-important context in which nuclear weapons work their indisputable deterrent effect. Two geopolitical sources for the relative peace in post-war East-West relations have been the inability of either the Soviet Union or the United states to employ direct military force in politically significant terms against the vital interests of the other; and an abiding preference, on the part of both, for a divided Germany within a divided Europe. Any other plausible alternative, of course, would almost certainly have involved a united Germany and the related likelihood that it would either gravitate to one or the other alliance or, itself, would constitute the third leg of an intrinsically unstable tri-polar relationship. This paper reports that the prevailing inclination to analyze East-West security as a direct function of nuclear deterrence (witness the Western consternation about INF and denuclearization, and the proliferation of think-tank study groups on post-nuclear security) begs the probability that there are in fact a variety of deeply rooted structures of stability in East-West relations and so exaggerates the delicacy of the existing security order in Europe. to an extent, this follows form the general acceptance of deterrence theory in the West, especially in the United States, and the undoubtedly singular character and role of nuclear weapons in that order

The Grand Strategy of the Soviet Union

Science.gov (United States)

1982-03-25

of diverse echnic the highest origin could rise to AleveLs of power in all branches of the state. Plainly that is not the case in today’s Soviet...and psychological reasons, the new primacy given to external aggrandizement intensifies ethnic tensions inside Soviet society. The failure to fulfill...or perhaps because our own means are simply too small, we come to terms psychologically with its increasing power by persuading ourselves that it

Advanced applications of water cooled nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-07-01

By August 2007, there were 438 nuclear power plants (NPPs) in operation worldwide, with a total capacity of 371.7 GW(e). Further, 31 units, totaling 24.1 GW(e), were under construction. During 2006 nuclear power produced 2659.7 billion kWh of electricity, which was 15.2% of the world's total. The vast majority of these plants use water-cooled reactors. Based on information provided by its Member States, the IAEA projects that nuclear power will grow significantly, producing between 2760 and 2810 billion kWh annually by 2010, between 3120 and 3840 billion kWh annually by 2020, and between 3325 and 5040 billion kWh annually by 2030. There are several reasons for these rising expectations for nuclear power: - Nuclear power's lengthening experience and good performance: The industry now has more than 12 000 reactor years of experience, and the global average nuclear plant availability during 2006 reached 83%; - Growing energy needs: All forecasts project increases in world energy demand, especially as population and economic productivity grow. The strategies are country dependent, but usually involve a mix of energy sources; - Interest in advanced applications of nuclear energy, such as seawater desalination, steam for heavy oil recovery and heat and electricity for hydrogen production; - Environmental concerns and constraints: The Kyoto Protocol has been in force since February 2005, and for many countries (most OECD countries, the Russian Federation, the Baltics and some countries of the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe) greenhouse gas emission limits are imposed; - Security of energy supply is a national priority in essentially every country; and - Nuclear power is economically competitive and provides stability of electricity price. In the near term most new nuclear plants will be evolutionary water cooled reactors (Light Water Reactors (LWRs) and Heavy Water Reactors (HWRs), often pursuing economies of scale. In the longer term, innovative designs that

Former Soviet Regulations for seismic design of NPPs and comparison with current international practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostarev, V.; Schukin, A.; Berkovski, A.

1997-01-01

This paper presents a summary of current earthquake design criteria used in former Soviet Regulations for equipment and piping systems of nuclear power plants in light of those used in United States and Japan. The detailed comparative seismic analysis of PWR (WWER) Primary Coolant Loop System (PCLS) according to Former Soviet (Russian) PNAE Code and ASME BPV Code with some comments regarding to Japan Code JEAG - 4601 was undertaken for better understanding of the differences and coincidences of seismic design criteria and requirements. The selection of these three guides for the study has very simple explanation: according to ASME BVPC, JEAG and PNAE the huge majority of existing NPPs has been designed. (J.P.N.)

Former Soviet Regulations for seismic design of NPPs and comparison with current international practice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kostarev, V; Schukin, A; Berkovski, A [CKTI-Vibroseism Co. Ltd. (Cape Verde)

1997-03-01

This paper presents a summary of current earthquake design criteria used in former Soviet Regulations for equipment and piping systems of nuclear power plants in light of those used in United States and Japan. The detailed comparative seismic analysis of PWR (WWER) Primary Coolant Loop System (PCLS) according to Former Soviet (Russian) PNAE Code and ASME BPV Code with some comments regarding to Japan Code JEAG - 4601 was undertaken for better understanding of the differences and coincidences of seismic design criteria and requirements. The selection of these three guides for the study has very simple explanation: according to ASME BVPC, JEAG and PNAE the huge majority of existing NPPs has been designed. (J.P.N.)

Nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abd Khalik Wood

2005-01-01

This chapter discussed the following topics related to the nuclear power: nuclear reactions, nuclear reactors and its components - reactor fuel, fuel assembly, moderator, control system, coolants. The topics titled nuclear fuel cycle following subtopics are covered: , mining and milling, tailings, enrichment, fuel fabrication, reactor operations, radioactive waste and fuel reprocessing. Special topic on types of nuclear reactor highlighted the reactors for research, training, production, material testing and quite detail on reactors for electricity generation. Other related topics are also discussed: sustainability of nuclear power, renewable nuclear fuel, human capital, environmental friendly, emission free, impacts on global warming and air pollution, conservation and preservation, and future prospect of nuclear power

Characteristics of seismic waves from Soviet peaceful nuclear explosions in salt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adushkin, V.V.; Kaazik, P.B.; Kostyuchenko, V.N.; Kuznetsov, O.P.; Nedoshivin, N.I.; Rubinshtein, K.D.; Sultanov, D.D. [Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation). Inst. for Dynamics of the Geospheres

1995-04-01

The report is carried out by the Institute for Dynamics of the Geospheres, Russian Academy of Sciences under contract NB280344 with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of California. The work includes investigation of seismic waves generation and propagation from Soviet peaceful underground nuclear explosions in salt based on the data from temporary and permanent seismic stations. The explosions were conducted at the sites Azgir and Vega within the territory of the Caspian depression of the Russian platform. The data used were obtained in the following conditions of conduction: epicentral distance range from 0 to 60 degrees, yields from 1 to 65 kt and depths of burial from 160 to 1500 m.

Nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1980-01-01

The committee concludes that the nature of the proliferation problem is such that even stopping nuclear power completely could not stop proliferation completely. Countries can acquire nuclear weapons by means independent of commercial nuclear power. It is reasonable to suppose if a country is strongly motivated to acquire nuclear weapons, it will have them by 2010, or soon thereafter, no matter how nuclear power is managed in the meantime. Unilateral and international diplomatic measures to reduce the motivations that lead to proliferation should be high on the foreign policy agenda of the United States. A mimimum antiproliferation prescription for the management of nuclear power is to try to raise the political barriers against proliferation through misuse of nuclear power by strengthening the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and to seek to raise the technological barriers by placing fuel-cycle operations involving weapons-usable material under international control. Any such measures should be considered tactics to slow the spread of nuclear weapons and thus earn time for the exercise of statesmanship. The committee concludes the following about technical factors that should be considered in formulating nuclear policy: (1) rate of growth of electricity use is a primary factor; (2) growth of conventional nuclear power will be limited by producibility of domestic uranium sources; (3) greater contribution of nuclear power beyond 400 GWe past the year 2000 can only be supported by advanced reactor systems; and (4) several different breeder reactors could serve in principle as candidates for an indefinitely sustainable source of energy

Nuclear power development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nealey, S.

1990-01-01

The objective of this study is to examine factors and prospects for a resumption in growth of nuclear power in the United States over the next decade. The focus of analysis on the likelihood that current efforts in the United States to develop improved and safer nuclear power reactors will provide a sound technical basis for improved acceptance of nuclear power, and contribute to a social/political climate more conducive to a resumption of nuclear power growth. The acceptability of nuclear power and advanced reactors to five social/political sectors in the U.S. is examined. Three sectors highly relevant to the prospects for a restart of nuclear power plant construction are the financial sector involved in financing nuclear power plant construction, the federal nuclear regulatory sector, and the national political sector. For this analysis, the general public are divided into two groups: those who are knowledgeable about and involved in nuclear power issues, the involved public, and the much larger body of the general public that is relatively uninvolved in the controversy over nuclear power

Nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, P.

1990-01-01

Written from the basis of neutrality, neither for nor against nuclear power this book considers whether there are special features of nuclear power which mean that its development should be either promoted or restrained by the State. The author makes it dear that there are no easy answers to the questions raised by the intervention of nuclear power but calls for openness in the nuclear decision making process. First, the need for energy is considered; most people agree that energy is the power to progress. Then the historicalzed background to the current position of nuclear power is given. Further chapters consider the fuel cycle, environmental impacts including carbon dioxide emission and the greenhouse effect, the costs, safety and risks and waste disposal. No conclusion either for or against nuclear power is made. The various shades of opinion are outlined and the arguments presented so that readers can come to their own conclusions. (UK)

Radioactive and other environmental threats to the United States and the Arctic resulting from past Soviet activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

Earlier this year the Senate Intelligence Committee began to receive reports from environmental and nuclear scientists in Russia detailing the reckless nuclear waste disposal practices, nuclear accidents and the use of nuclear detonations. We found that information disturbing to say the least. Also troubling is the fact that 15 Chernobyl style RBMK nuclear power reactors continue to operate in the former Soviet Union today. These reactors lack a containment structure and they're designed in such a way that nuclear reaction can actually increase when the reactor overheats. As scientists here at the University of Alaska have documented, polar air masses and prevailing weather patterns provide a pathway for radioactive contaminants from Eastern Europe and Western Russia, where many of these reactors are located. The threats presented by those potential radioactive risks are just a part of a larger Arctic pollution problem. Every day, industrial activities of the former Soviet Union continue to create pollutants. I think we should face up to the reality that in a country struggling for economic survival, environment protection isn't necessarily the high priority. And that could be very troubling news for the Arctic in the future

Radioactive and other environmental threats to the United States and the Arctic resulting from past Soviet activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1993-12-31

Earlier this year the Senate Intelligence Committee began to receive reports from environmental and nuclear scientists in Russia detailing the reckless nuclear waste disposal practices, nuclear accidents and the use of nuclear detonations. We found that information disturbing to say the least. Also troubling is the fact that 15 Chernobyl style RBMK nuclear power reactors continue to operate in the former Soviet Union today. These reactors lack a containment structure and they`re designed in such a way that nuclear reaction can actually increase when the reactor overheats. As scientists here at the University of Alaska have documented, polar air masses and prevailing weather patterns provide a pathway for radioactive contaminants from Eastern Europe and Western Russia, where many of these reactors are located. The threats presented by those potential radioactive risks are just a part of a larger Arctic pollution problem. Every day, industrial activities of the former Soviet Union continue to create pollutants. I think we should face up to the reality that in a country struggling for economic survival, environment protection isn`t necessarily the high priority. And that could be very troubling news for the Arctic in the future.

Strategy of nuclear power in Korea, non-nuclear-weapon state and peaceful use of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagasaki, Takao

2005-01-01

The nuclear power plant started at Kori in Korea in April, 1978. Korea has carried out development of nuclear power as a national policy. The present capacity of nuclear power plants takes the sixes place in the world. It supplies 42% total power generation. The present state of nuclear power plant, nuclear fuel cycle facility, strategy of domestic production of nuclear power generation, development of next generation reactor and SMART, strategy of export in corporation with industry, government and research organization, export of nuclear power generation in Japan, nuclear power improvement project with Japan, Korea and Asia, development of nuclear power system with nuclear diffusion resistance, Hybrid Power Extraction Reactor System, radioactive waste management and construction of joint management and treatment system of spent fuel in Asia are stated. (S.Y.)

Soviet Counterinsurgency Operations in Afghanistan (1979-1988)

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-29

Soviet commitment in Afghanistan. was to be an "economy of force" mission, with the focus of Red Army combat power to remain in the European theatre ...critically for its operational and tactical resupply capability. ’’The Soviets in Afghanis4Ul,li1ce the Americansin Vietnam, discovered thai helicopters were

Quality control and assurance in building the Dukovany nuclear power plant - check on and filing of quality certificates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sokola, J.

1986-01-01

The following documents were used for determining the range of documentation required for the construction of the Dukovany nuclear power plant: the decree valid in Czechoslovakia for all industrial structures, the respective Czechoslovak State and branch standards and several special Soviet regulations. For the central recording of all documents on the quality of deliveries and assemblies a special quality assurance unit was set up on the site of the nuclear power plant. In the system of the flow of documents on the quality of the structure of the Dukovany nuclear power plant there are 16 addressees, from outside subcontractors to on-site managerial staff, work safety inspectors, etc., to the enterprise archives and the department of scientific and technical information. A brief description is presented of the different types of documents on the quality of deliveries and assemblies, and the method of inspection of their content and completeness is described. (Z.M.)

Power generation by nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bacher, P.

2004-01-01

Nuclear power plays an important role in the world, European (33%) and French (75%) power generation. This article aims at presenting in a synthetic way the main reactor types with their respective advantages with respect to the objectives foreseen (power generation, resources valorization, waste management). It makes a fast review of 50 years of nuclear development, thanks to which the nuclear industry has become one of the safest and less environmentally harmful industry which allows to produce low cost electricity: 1 - simplified description of a nuclear power generation plant: nuclear reactor, heat transfer system, power generation system, interface with the power distribution grid; 2 - first historical developments of nuclear power; 3 - industrial development and experience feedback (1965-1995): water reactors (PWR, BWR, Candu), RBMK, fast neutron reactors, high temperature demonstration reactors, costs of industrial reactors; 4 - service life of nuclear power plants and replacement: technical, regulatory and economical lifetime, problems linked with the replacement; 5 - conclusion. (J.S.)

Nuclear power economic database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding Xiaoming; Li Lin; Zhao Shiping

1996-01-01

Nuclear power economic database (NPEDB), based on ORACLE V6.0, consists of three parts, i.e., economic data base of nuclear power station, economic data base of nuclear fuel cycle and economic database of nuclear power planning and nuclear environment. Economic database of nuclear power station includes data of general economics, technique, capital cost and benefit, etc. Economic database of nuclear fuel cycle includes data of technique and nuclear fuel price. Economic database of nuclear power planning and nuclear environment includes data of energy history, forecast, energy balance, electric power and energy facilities

Letter from Mr. M. Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, to Dr. H. Blix, Director General of the Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-06-01

The full text of the letter from Mr. M. Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, to Dr. H. Blix, Director General of the IAEA after the nuclear accident at Chernobyl power station is presented. Suggestions for the establishment of an international regime of safe nuclear power development as a result of lessons from the Chernobyl accident are made

Nuclear power controversy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, A.W.

1976-01-01

Arthur W. Murphy in the introductory chapter cites the issues, pro and con, concerning nuclear power. In assessing the present stance, he first looks back to the last American Assembly on nuclear power, held October 1957 and notes its accomplishments. He summarizes the six papers of this book, which focus on nuclear power to the end of this century. Chapter I, Safety Aspects of Nuclear Energy, by David Bodansky and Fred Schmidt, deals with the technical aspects of reactor safety as well as waste storage and plutonium diversion. Chapter 2, The Economics of Electric Power Generation--1975-2000, by R. Michael Murray, Jr., focuses specifically on coal-fired and nuclear plants. Chapter 3, How Can We Get the Nuclear Job Done, by Fritz Heimann, identifies actions that must take place to develop nuclear power in the U.S. and who should build the reprocessing plants. Chapter 4, by Arthur Murphy, Nuclear Power Plant Regulation, discusses the USNRC operation and the Price-Anderson Act specifically. Chapter 5, Nuclear Exports and Nonproliferation Strategy, by John G. Palfrey, treats the international aspects of the problem with primary emphasis upon the situation of the U.S. as an exporter of technology. Chapter 6, by George Kistiakowsky, Nuclear Power: How Much Is Too Much, expresses doubt about the nuclear effort, at least in the short run

China as a nuclear power: its military policy and its role in world politics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, B.

1986-01-01

With their current conventional weapons, it is impossible for the Chinese to check a Soviet invasion. And, given China's defense technology and the priority of economic development, the prospect of a rapid defense modernization is also not too good. More importantly, since China has changed from a revolutionary power into a status quo power, it can no longer lure the enemy deep and use the strategy of people's war to sink the enemy. Under these circumstances, China has no choice but to use nuclear weapons for national defense. Resting national security on nuclear weapons is a matter of necessity rather than of choice to China. But his strategy unavoidably conflicts with another of China's needs: the need to polish its peace-loving image. To extricate itself from the dilemma, China has chosen to actively participate in the game of arms control - a tactic that can make China appear peace-loving and, if it really leads the superpowers to cut their nuclear arsenals, can also bolster China's national security. In fact, even if Chinese participation in arms control does not force the superpowers to cut their nuclear weapons, it has already encouraged the mounting global anti-nuclear movement, and increased the pressure on the superpowers

Financing nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheriffah Noor Khamseah Al-Idid Syed Ahmad Idid

2009-01-01

Global energy security and climate change concerns sparked by escalating oil prices, high population growth and the rapid pace of industrialization are fueling the current interest and investments in nuclear power. Globally, a significant number policy makers and energy industry leaders have identified nuclear power as a favorable alternative energy option, and are presently evaluating either a new or an expanded role for nuclear power. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported that as of October 2008, 14 countries have plans to construct 38 new nuclear reactors and about 100 more nuclear power plants have been written into the development plans of governments for the next three decades. Hence as new build is expected to escalate, issues of financing will become increasingly significant. Energy supply, including nuclear power, considered as a premium by government from the socio-economic and strategic perspective has traditionally been a sector financed and owned by the government. In the case for nuclear power, the conventional methods of financing include financing by the government or energy entity (utility or oil company) providing part of the funds from its own resources with support from the government. As national financing is, as in many cases, insufficient to fully finance the nuclear power plants, additional financing is sourced from international sources of financing including, amongst others, Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) and Multilateral Development Institutions. However, arising from the changing dynamics of economics, financing and business model as well as increasing concerns regarding environmental degradation , transformations in methods of financing this energy sector has been observed. This paper aims to briefly present on financing aspects of nuclear power as well as offer some examples of the changing dynamics of financing nuclear power which is reflected by the evolution of ownership and management of nuclear power plants

Nuclear deception: soviet information policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffmann, E.P.

1986-01-01

The effect of the accident at the Chernobyl Unit 4 Reactor on information policies in the USSR is examined. The lack of an agreed-upon information policy and intraparty disagreement over domestic and foreign policy help to explain the delay in disclosure of the accident and conflicting statements concerning long-term health effects. A modest change in policy since Chernobyl has been noted: the willingness of Soviet spokespersons to discuss and debate issues with foreign correspondents, to publish sharply critical letters from citizens and a few foreign officials, and to provide many details about the nature and consequences of the accident

Nuclear power debate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunwick, Richard

2005-01-01

A recent resurgence of interest in Australia in the nuclear power option has been largely attributed to growing concerns over climate change. But what are the real pros and cons of nuclear power? Have advances in technology solved the sector's key challenges? Do the economics stack up for Australia where there is so much coal, gas and renewable resources? Is the greenhouse footprint' of nuclear power low enough to justify its use? During May and June, the AIE hosted a series of Branch events on nuclear power across Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. In the interest of balance, and at risk of being a little bit repetitive, here we draw together four items that resulted from these events and that reflect the opposing views on nuclear power in Australia. Nuclear Power for Australia: Irrelevant or Inevitable? - a summary of the presentations to the symposium held by Sydney Branch on 8 June 2005. Nuclear Reactors Waste the Planet - text from the flyer distributed by The Greens at their protest gathering outside the symposium venue on 8 June 2005. The Case For Nuclear Power - an edited transcript of Ian Hore-Lacy's presentation to Adelaide Branch on 19 May 2005 and to Perth Branch on 28 June 2005. The Case Against Nuclear Power - an article submitted to Energy News by Robin Chappie subsequent to Mr Hore-Lacy's presentation to Perth Branch

The Soviet program for peaceful uses of nuclear explosions. Revision 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nordyke, M.D.

1996-10-01

An extensive review is given of the US and Russian efforts on peaceful uses of nuclear explosions (PNE). The Soviet PNE program was many times larger than the US Plowshare program in terms of both the number of applications explored with field experiments and the extent to which they were introduced into industrial use. Several PNE applications, such as deep seismic sounding and oil stimulation, have been explored in depth and appear to have had a positive cost benefit at minimal public risk. Closure of runaway gas wells is another possible application where all other techniques fail. However, the fundamental problem with PNEs is the fact that, if they are to be economically significant, there must be widespread use of the technology, involving large numbers of sites, each of which presents a potential source of radioactivity to the environment and nearby communities. Russia now has more than 100 sites where significant high-level radioactivity has been buried. Experience over the last 20 years in US and in today`s Russia shows that it is virtually impossible to gain public acceptance of such applications of nuclear energy. In addition, PNEs also pose a difficult problem in the arms control area. Under a comprehensive test ban, any country conducting PNEs would, in appearance if not in fact, receive information useful for designing new nuclear weapons or maintaining an existing nuclear stockpile, information denied to the other parties to the treaty. 6 tabs, 10 figs.

Nuclear power prospects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1960-09-15

A survey of the nuclear power needs of the less-developed countries and a study of the technology and economics of small and medium scale power reactors are envisioned by the General Conference. Agency makes its services available to Member States to assist them for their future nuclear power plans, and in particular in studying the technical and economic aspects of their power programs. The Agency also undertakes general studies on the economics of nuclear power, including the collection and analysis of cost data, in order to assist Member States in comparing and forecasting nuclear power costs in relation to their specific situations

Feasibility and options for purchasing nuclear weapons, highly enriched uranium (HEU) and plutonium from the former Soviet Union (FSU)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

In response to a recent tasking from the National Security Council, this report seeks to analyze the possible options open to the US for purchasing, from the former Soviet Union (FSU) substantial quantities of plutonium and highly enriched uranium recovered from the accelerated weapons retirements and dismantlements that will soon be taking place. The purpose of this paper is to identify and assess the implications of some of the options that now appear to be open to the United States, it being recognized that several issues might have to be addressed in further detail if the US Government, on its own, or acting with others seeks to negotiate any such purchases on an early basis. As an outgrowth of the dissolution of the Soviet Union three of the C.I.S. republics now possessing nuclear weapons, namely the Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, have stated that it is their goal, without undue delay, to become non-nuclear weapon states as defined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Of overriding US concern is the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Third World, and the significant opportunity that the availability of such a large quantity of surplus weapons grade material might present in this regard, especially to a cash-starved FSU Republic. Additionally, the US, in its endeavor to drawdown its own arsenal, needs to assure itself that these materials are not being reconfigured into more modern weapons within the CIS in a manner which would be inconsistent with the stated intentions and publicized activities. The direct purchase of these valuable materials by the US government or by interested US private enterprises could alleviate these security concerns in a straightforward and very expeditious manner, while at the same time pumping vitally needed hard currency into the struggling CIS economy. Such a purchase would seem to be entirely consistent with the Congressional mandate indicated by the Soviet Nuclear Threat Reduction Act of 1991

On simulation of the atmospheric acoustic channel for some nuclear tests in former soviet test site Semipalatinsk

Science.gov (United States)

Sorokin, A. G.; Lobycheva, I. Yu.

2011-08-01

This paper presents data on the recording of infrasound from distant nuclear explosions set off in former soviet test site Semipalatinsk and recorded by infrasonic station Irkutsk-Badary of the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics SB RAS in the Tunkinsky region in the Buryat Republic. We assess the state of the atmospheric acoustic channel (AAC) along the propagation path. Results of the AAC modeling are compared with experimental data.

Nuclear power in Asia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hagen, Ronald E.

1998-08-01

Contains Executive Summary and Chapters on: Nuclear Energy in the Asian context; Types of nuclear power reactors used in Asia; A survey of nuclear power by country; The economics of nuclear power; Fuels, fuel cycles and reprocessing; Environmental issues and waste disposal; The weapons issues and nuclear power; Conclusions. (Author)

Nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bupp, I.C.

1991-01-01

Is a nuclear power renaissance likely to occur in the United States? This paper investigates the many driving forces that will determine the answer to that question. This analysis reveals some frequently overlooked truths about the current state of nuclear technology: An examination of the issues also produces some noteworthy insights concerning government regulations and related technologies. Public opinion will play a major role in the unfolding story of the nuclear power renaissance. Some observers are betting that psychological, sociological, and political considerations will hod sway over public attitudes. Others wager that economic and technical concerns will prevail. The implications for the nuclear power renaissance are striking

Identity and Othering in Past and Present: Representations of the Soviet Era in Estonian Post-Soviet Textbooks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katrin Kello

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses representations of the ‘core Soviet era’ (1945-1985 in Estonian post-Soviet history textbooks (1989-2016. Attitudes towards the Soviet system have been a rich resource for identity building, and hence a powerful political tool across the whole of the post-Soviet block. Based on an analysis of sections about the Soviet era in Estonia in 21 textbooks, the paper takes a look at how textbooks reflect broader processes of social meaning making, identity building and othering after a profound social and political turn. In 1989 and during the early 1990s, perspectives and narratives in Estonian history textbooks were closely related to social memory and national politics, enacting a specific social representation of the Soviet era that dominated the Estonian-speaking public space during the 1990s. The Soviet era, Russia and local Russians became the main Others for Estonia and Estonians. Over time, public discourse has diversified. The national curriculum and textbooks, however, still maintain the canon that formed in 1990s and thus reflect earlier sentiments. Apart from the increasing salience of Soviet-era daily life in more recent textbooks, the thematic choices and emphases have changed little since the 1990s. Therefore, even if the style of writing has ‘cooled down’, issues of identity preservation, resistance and accommodation, together with a saliently negative representation of wrongdoings by the Soviet system, still prevail. On the one hand, this testifies to the resilience of an established tradition in the textbook genre in general. On the other hand, it reflects the dominance of an ethnocentric tradition in Estonian history textbook writing. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for interethnic relations in Estonia.

Nuclear safety. Concerns about the nuclear power reactors in Cuba

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wells, Jim; Aloise, Gene; Flaherty, Thomas J.; Fitzgerald, Duane; Zavala, Mario; Hayward, Mary Alice

1992-09-01

In 1976, the Soviet Union and Cuba concluded an agreement to construct two 440-megawatt nuclear power reactors near Cienfuegos on the south central coast of Cuba, about 180 miles south of Key West, Florida. The construction of these reactors, which began around 1983, was a high priority for Cuba because of its heavy dependence on imported oil. Cuba is estimated to need an electrical generation capacity of 3,000 megawatts by the end of the decade. When completed, the first reactor unit would provide a significant percentage (estimated at over 15 percent) of Cuba's need for electricity. It is uncertain when Cuba's nuclear power reactors will become operational. On September 5, 1992, Fidel Castro announced the suspension of construction at both of Cuba's reactors because Cuba could not meet the financial terms set by the Russian government to complete the reactors. Cuban officials had initially planned to start up the first of the two nuclear reactors by the end of 1993. However, before the September 5 announcement, it was estimated that this reactor would not be operational until late 1995 or early 1996. The civil construction (such as floors and walls) of the first reactor is currently estimated to be about 90 percent to 97 percent complete, but only about 37 percent of the reactor equipment (such as pipes, pumps, and motors) has been installed. The civil construction of the second reactor is about 20 percent to 30 percent complete. No information was available about the status of equipment for the second reactor. According to former Cuban nuclear power and electrical engineers and a technician, all of whom worked at the reactor site and have recently emigrated from Cuba, Cuba's nuclear power program suffers from poor construction practices and inadequate training for future reactor operators. One former official has alleged, for example, that the first reactor containment structure, which is designed to prevent the accidental release of radioactive material into

Nuclear power in perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Addinall, E.; Ellington, H.

1982-01-01

The subject is covered in chapters: (the nature of nuclear power) the atomic nucleus - a potential source of energy; how nuclear reactors work; the nuclear fuel cycle; radioactivity - its nature and biological effects; (why we need nuclear power) use of energy in the non-communist world -the changing pattern since 1950; use of energy - possible future scenarios; how our future energy needs might be met; (a possible long term nuclear strategy) the history of nuclear power; a possible nuclear power strategy for the Western World; (social and environmental considerations) the hazards to workers in the nuclear power industry; the hazards to the general public (nuclear power industry; reactor operation; transport of radioactive materials; fuel reprocessing; radioactive waste disposal; genetic hazards); the threat to democratic freedom and world peace. (U.K.)

Service life monitoring of the main components at the Temelin nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hahn, J.; Vincour, D.

2007-01-01

Knowledge and experience gained from the introduction and periodical implementation of life assessment of the major components of the Temelin nuclear power plant is summarized. The initial Soviet technical design of the plant did not incorporate lifetime monitoring and evaluation, therefore it was completed with demonstrative strength and lifetime calculations from Czech companies. Moreover, a Westinghouse primary circuit diagnosis and monitoring system, including the monitoring of temperature and pressure cycles for low-cycle fatigue evaluation, was installed at the plant. The DIALIFE code for the calculation of mainly the low-cycle fatigue of the key pressure components, was developed and installed subsequently as a superstructure to the monitoring system. (author)

Chernobyl as the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johanna Lindbladh

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The belief in technology was fundamental in Soviet culture. When the nuclear reactor exploded and harvested souls and spread illness throughout a vast area, over the course of many years, an image of the collapse of the Soviet Union was thereby created. Chernobyl became an image of the apocalypse of communism.

Optimization in the scale of nuclear power generation and the economy of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Toshiharu

1983-01-01

In the not too distant future, the economy of nuclear power will have to be restudied. Various conditions and circumstances supporting this economy of nuclear power tend to change, such as the decrease in power demand and supply, the diversification in base load supply sources, etc. The fragility in the economic advantage of nuclear power may thus be revealed. In the above connection, on the basis of the future outlook of the scale of nuclear power generation, that is, the further reduction of the current nuclear power program, and of the corresponding supply and demand of nuclear fuel cycle quantities, the aspect of the economic advantage of nuclear power was examined, for the purpose of optimizing the future scale of nuclear power generation (the downward revision of the scale, the establishment of the schedule of nuclear fuel cycle the stagnation of power demand and nuclear power generation costs). (Mori, K.)

Nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abd Khalik Wood

2003-01-01

This chapter discuss on nuclear power and its advantages. The concept of nucleus fission, fusion, electric generation are discussed in this chapter. Nuclear power has big potential to become alternative energy to substitute current conventional energy from coal, oil and gas

Text of the joint U.S.-Soviet summit statement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-12-01

The document reproduces the text of the joint U.S.-Soviet summit statement issued on 10 December 1987 at the conclusion of the meeting between the President of the United States and the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Washington, December 7-10, 1987). It refers to the arms control (including nuclear weapons), human rights and humanitarian concerns, regional issues, bilateral affairs and further meetings

Energy Balance of Nuclear Power Generation. Life Cycle Analyses of Nuclear Power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wallner, A.; Wenisch, A.; Baumann, M.; Renner, S.

2011-01-01

The accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima in March 2011 triggered a debate about phasing out nuclear energy and the safety of nuclear power plants. Several states are preparing to end nuclear power generation. At the same time the operational life time of many nuclear power plants is reaching its end. Governments and utilities now need to take a decision to replace old nuclear power plants or to use other energy sources. In particular the requirement of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) is used as an argument for a higher share of nuclear energy. To assess the contribution of nuclear power to climate protection, the complete life cycle needs to be taken into account. Some process steps are connected to high CO2 emissions due to the energy used. While the processes before and after conventional fossil-fuel power stations can contribute up to 25% of direct GHG emission, it is up to 90 % for nuclear power (Weisser 2007). This report aims to produce information about the energy balance of nuclear energy production during its life cycle. The following key issues were examined: How will the forecasted decreasing uranium ore grades influence energy intensity and greenhouse emissions and from which ore grade on will no energy be gained anymore? In which range can nuclear energy deliver excess energy and how high are greenhouse gas emissions? Which factors including ore grade have the strongest impact on excess energy? (author)

Nuclear power and nuclear safety 2008

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauritzen, B.; Oelgaard, P.L.; Kampmann, D.

2009-06-01

The report is the fifth report in a series of annual reports on the international development of nuclear power production, with special emphasis on safety issues and nuclear emergency preparedness. The report is written in collaboration between Risoe DTU and the Danish Emergency Management Agency. The report for 2008 covers the following topics: status of nuclear power production, regional trends, reactor development, safety related events of nuclear power, and international relations and conflicts. (LN)

Power program and nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chernilin, Yu.F.

1990-01-01

Main points of the USSR power program and the role of nuclear power in fuel and power complex of the country are considered. Data on dynamics of economic indices of electric power generation at nuclear power plants during 1980-1988 and forecasts till 2000 are presented. It is shown that real cost of 1 kW/h of electric power is equal to 1.3-1.8 cop., and total reduced cost is equal to 1.8-2.4 cop

30-th anniversary of nuclear power engineering in the USSR. Safety problems of nuclear engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulov, E.V.; Sidorenko, V.A.; Kovalevich, O.M.

1984-01-01

The problems of safety and protection of personnel, population and environments from the NPP radiation effect in the Soviet Union in cases of possible accidents and in the course of normal operation are discussed. The problem of safety assurance includes scientific technological and organizational aspects. The necessity of accounting the ''national factor'' in the form of a possible NPP location, existing legislation experience gained, etc. is noted. The main trends in ensuring safety are a high quality of equipment manufacturing and assembly, quality control of equipment at all stages of operation, development and realization of efficient protective measures and devices, assurance of safety precautions at all stages of designing equipment production, NPP operation and maintenance, functioning of the system of state control of NPP safety assurance. The skill and training of personnel are necessary prerequisite for ensuring safety of nuclear power plants

Nuclear power revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grear, B.

2008-01-01

Modern development of nuclear power technology and the established framework of international agreements and conventions are responding to the major political, economic and environmental issues - high capital costs, the risks posed by nuclear wastes and accidents, and the proliferation of nuclear weaponry - that until recently hindered the expansion of nuclear power.

600 MW nuclear power database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao Ruiding; Chen Guorong; Chen Xianfeng; Zhang Yishu

1996-01-01

600 MW Nuclear power database, based on ORACLE 6.0, consists of three parts, i.e. nuclear power plant database, nuclear power position database and nuclear power equipment database. In the database, there are a great deal of technique data and picture of nuclear power, provided by engineering designing units and individual. The database can give help to the designers of nuclear power

Supply of appropriate nuclear technology for the developing world: small power reactors for electricity generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heising-Goodman, C.D.

1981-01-01

This paper reviews the supply of small nuclear power plants (200 to 500 MWe electrical generating capacity) available on today's market, including the pre-fabricated designs of the United Kingdom's Rolls Royce Ltd and the French Alsthom-Atlantique Company. Also, the Russian VVER-440 conventionally built light-water reactor design is reviewed, including information on the Soviet Union's plans for expansion of its reactor-building capacity. A section of the paper also explores the characteristics of LDC electricity grids, reviewing methods available for incorporating larger plants into smaller grids as the Israelis are planning. Future trends in reactor supply and effects on proliferation rates are also discussed, reviewing the potential of the Indian 220 MWe pressurised heavy-water reactor, South Korean and Jananese potential for reactor exports in the Far East, and the Argentine-Brazilian nuclear programme in Latin America. This study suggests that small reactor designs for electrical power production and other applications, such as seawater desalination, can be made economical relative to diesel technology if traditional scaling laws can be altered by adopting and standardising a pre-fabricated nuclear power plant design. Also, economy can be gained if sufficient attention is concentrated on the design, construction and operating experience of suitably sized conventionally built reactor systems. (author)

Matvei Petrovich Bronstein and Soviet theoretical physics in the thirties

CERN Document Server

Gorelik, Gennady E

1994-01-01

Gennady E. Gorelik and Victor Ya. Frenkel Matvei Petrovich Bronstein and Soviet Theoretical Physics in the Thirties Translated by Valentina M. Levina The short life and tragic death of Matvei Petrovich Bronstein (1906-1938) may be seen as a symbol of the man's time and his country. One of the most remarkable features of Soviet history was the impressive advance of its physical sciences against the brutal and violent background of totalitarianism. Soviet advances in nuclear and space technology form an important part of world history. These achievements had their roots in the 1930s, when Bronstein's generation entered science. Among his friends were the famous physicists Lev Landau and George Gamow. Bronstein worked in the vast field of theoretical physics, ranging from nuclear physics to astrophysics and from relativistic quantum theory to cosmology. His pioneering work on quantizing gravitation goes beyond the history of physics, because today the quantum theory of gravitation occupies a special place in fun...

Nuclear power and nuclear safety 2006

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauritzen, B.; Oelgaard, P.L.; Kampmann, D.; Majborn, B.; Nonboel, E.; Nystrup, P.E.

2007-04-01

The report is the fourth report in a series of annual reports on the international development of nuclear power production, with special emphasis on safety issues and nuclear emergency preparedness. The report is written in collaboration between Risoe National Laboratory and the Danish Emergency Management Agency. The report for 2006 covers the following topics: status of nuclear power production, regional trends, reactor development and development of emergency management systems, safety related events of nuclear power, and international relations and conflicts. (LN)

Nuclear power and nuclear safety 2004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-03-01

The report is the second report in a new series of annual reports on the international development of nuclear power production, with special emphasis on safety issues and nuclear emergency preparedness. The report is written in collaboration between Risoe National Laboratory and the Danish Emergency Management Agency. The report for 2004 covers the following topics: status of nuclear power production, regional trends, reactor development and development of emergency management systems, safety related events of nuclear power and international relations and conflicts. (ln)

Nuclear power and nuclear safety 2005

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauritzen, B.; Oelgaard, P.L.; Kampman, D.; Majborn, B.; Nonboel, E.; Nystrup, P.E.

2006-03-01

The report is the third report in a series of annual reports on the international development of nuclear power production, with special emphasis on safety issues and nuclear emergency preparedness. The report is written in collaboration between Risoe National Laboratory and the Danish Emergency Management Agency. The report for 2005 covers the following topics: status of nuclear power production, regional trends, reactor development and development of emergency management systems, safety related events of nuclear power and international relations and conflicts. (ln)

Russian's nuclear gambit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rostow, E.V.

1984-01-01

The Soviet strategy is to use arms control agreements to neutralize Western Europe by separating it from the US by building political pressure to allow the Soviets to have nuclear superiority. Rostow believes that an adequate nuclear deterrent and a solid alliance system can withstand the pressure of the Soviet arms buildup and propaganda without succumbing to defeatist view. Soviet-American equality is the basic issue in the I.N.F. and START talks. It is essential to counter the Soviet position that the British, French, and Chinese weapons must be included even though they are not significant to the Soviet Union. Criticism of the Reagan administration's ''hard line'' on this matter plays into Soviet hands. Reagan's greatest contribution may come if he resists the temptation to compromise for political gain

The Korean nuclear power program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Chang Tong

1996-01-01

Although the world nuclear power industry may appear to be in decline, continued nuclear power demand in Korea indicates future opportunities for growth and prosperity in this country. Korea has one of the world's most vigorous nuclear power programs. Korea has been an active promoter of nuclear power generation since 1978, when the country introduced nuclear power as a source of electricity. Korea now takes pride in the outstanding performance of its nuclear power plants, and has established a grand nuclear power scheme. This paper is aimed at introducing the nuclear power program of Korea, including technological development, international cooperation, and CANDU status in Korea. (author). 2 tabs

The text of the Agreement of 7 October 1983 between Cuba and the Agency for the application of safeguards in connection with the supply of a zero-power nuclear reactor from the Hungarian People's Republic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

The full text of the agreement of 7 October 1983 between Cuba and the Agency for the application of safeguards in connection with the supply of a zero-power nuclear reactor from the Hungarian People's Republic and to the nuclear material to be used therein to be supplied by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is presented

Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Characterization and Design Parameters for the Sites of the Nuclear Power Plants of Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savy, J.B.; Foxall, W.

2000-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (US DOE), under the auspices of the International Nuclear Safety Program (INSP) is supporting in-depth safety assessments (ISA) of nuclear power plants in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union for the purpose of evaluating the safety and upgrades necessary to the stock of nuclear power plants in Ukraine. For this purpose the Hazards Mitigation Center at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has been asked to assess the seismic hazard and design parameters at the sites of the nuclear power plants in Ukraine. The probabilistic seismic hazard (PSH) estimates were updated using the latest available data and knowledge from LLNL, the U.S. Geological Survey, and other relevant recent studies from several consulting companies. Special attention was given to account for the local seismicity, the deep focused earthquakes of the Vrancea zone, in Romania, the region around Crimea and for the system of potentially active faults associated with the Pripyat Dniepro Donnetts rift. Aleatory (random) uncertainty was estimated from the available data and the epistemic (knowledge) uncertainty was estimated by considering the existing models in the literature and the interpretations of a small group of experts elicited during a workshop conducted in Kiev, Ukraine, on February 2-4, 1999

Soviet equipment flies in

CERN Multimedia

CERN PhotoLab

1978-01-01

End of February 1977 a Soviet Ilyushin-76 heavy freight aircraft landed at Cointrin airport having on board fifty large wire proprtional chambers and associated apparatus, together weighing 10 tons, supplied by the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, USSR. The equipment was for the CERN- Dubna-Munich-Saclay experiment NA4 on deep inelastic muon scattering being set up in the North Area of SPS. See Weekly Bulletin 11/78.

The rise and fall of nuclearism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ungar, S.

1992-01-01

Chapter one outlines the historical context that made faith in nuclear omnipotence conceivable. It shows how the idea of omnipotence derived from religious and scientific trends in the West. Chapter two shows how the idea of omnipotence was beginning to form around the scientific enterprise and was then put on the map by the atomic bomb. Chapter three examines how politicians immediately ascribed a sense of omnipotence to the bomb. Chapter four examines the public reception of the bomb. Chapters five through seven examine the moral panics unleashed by Soviet challenges to the American sense of nuclear omnipotence. They deal, respectively, with the Soviet atomic bomb-Korean war panic, the Sputnik panic, and the Cuban missile crisis. Chapter eight examines the radical reversal that followed the Sputnik and missile crisis panic. Chapter nine considers the ultimate consequence of totalitarian omnipotence: the abiding fear of a Soviet first strike. The conclusion examines the implications of the bomb's confounding power in the new world authorized by the Gorbachev revolution

The politics of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elliott, D.

1978-01-01

The contents of the book are: introduction; (part 1, the economy of nuclear power) nuclear power and the growth of state corporatism, ownership and control - the power of the multi-nationals, economic and political goals - profit or control, trade union policy and nuclear power; (part 2, nuclear power and employment) nuclear power and workers' health and safety, employment and trade union rights, jobs, energy and industrial strategy, the alternative energy option; (part 3, political strategies) the anti-nuclear movement, trade unions and nuclear power; further reading; UK organisations. (U.K.)

The reality of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, D.

1979-01-01

The following matters are discussed in relation to the nuclear power programmes in USA and elsewhere: siting of nuclear power plants in relation to a major geological fault; public attitudes to nuclear power; plutonium, radioactive wastes and transfrontier contamination; radiation and other hazards; economics of nuclear power; uranium supply; fast breeder reactors; insurance of nuclear facilities; diversion of nuclear materials and weapons proliferation; possibility of manufacture of nuclear weapons by developing countries; possibility of accidents on nuclear power plants in developing countries; radiation hazards from use of uranium ore tailings; sociological alternative to use of nuclear power. (U.K.)

Development of the nuclear technology in Latvia in the second half of 20 century

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavars, V.; Tomsons, E.

2004-01-01

In the second part of 20th century Latvia that was at that time a part of the Soviet Union, one of the nuclear power world powers, participated in the development of nuclear technology. Already in the 60ies the local specialists created an original nuclear equipment highly recognized by specialists from different countries. The most important of them was critical assembly (zero power nuclear reactor) - RKS, large-scale gamma rays source - RK-LM, special control devices for space-rocket nuclear reactors and a renovated research nuclear reactor IRT-M with thermo power of 5MW, etc.(authors)

Contamination of the Northern Oceans from Releases of Radioactivity from the Former Soviet Union

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez, Leo S.

1999-01-01

During the Cold War the handling of Soviet military nuclear wastes was a classified topic--kept secret to hide the status and readiness of Soviet military forces. Following the end of the Cold War information about the handling of nuclear wastes by agencies of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) became available. The US Government response to the disclosure of disposal of radioactive wastes into the Arctic Ocean and into rivers that drain into the Arctic Ocean was the finding of the Arctic Nuclear Waste Assessment Program (ANWAP) in the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Projects were aided by ANWAP to study the behavior, transport, and fate of radionuclides in the Arctic Ocean. One of the research teams, the Risk Assessment Integration Group (RAIG) assessed the potential risks to humans and to the environment, particularly in the US Alaskan Arctic

Similarities and differences between conventional power and nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yingrong

2011-01-01

As the implementation of the national guideline of 'proactively promoting nuclear power development', especially after China decided in 2006 to introduce Westinghouse's AP1000 technology, some of the power groups specialized in conventional power generation, have been participating in the preliminary work and construction of nuclear power projects in certain degrees. Meanwhile, such traditional nuclear power corporations as China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation (CGNPC) have also employed some employees with conventional power generation experience. How can these employees who have long been engaged in conventional power generation successfully adapt to the new work pattern, ideology, knowledge, thinking mode and proficiency of nuclear power, so that they can fit in with the work requirements of nuclear power and become qualified as soon as possible? By analyzing the technological, managerial and cultural features of nuclear power, as well as some issues to be kept in mind when engaged in nuclear power, this paper intends to make some contribution to the nuclear power development in the specific period. (author)

Nuclear power in Korea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rim, C S [Radioactive Waste Management Centre, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon, Choong-Nam (Korea, Republic of)

1990-07-01

Before addressing the issue of public and utility acceptance of nuclear power in Korea, let me briefly explain the Korean nuclear power program and development plan for a passively safe nuclear power plant in Korea. At present, there are eight PWRs and one CANDU in operation; two PWRs are under construction, and contract negotiations are underway for one more CANDU and two more PWRs, which are scheduled to be completed by 1997,1998 and 1999, respectively. According to a recent forecast for electricity demand in Korea, about fifty additional nuclear power plants with a generating capacity of 1000MWe are required by the year 2030. Until around 2006, Korean standardized nuclear power plants with evolutionary features such as those in the ALWR program are to be built, and a new type of nuclear power plant with passive safety features is expected to be constructed after 2006. The Korean government is making a serious effort to increase public understanding of the safety of nuclear power plants and radioactive waste storage and disposal. In addition, the Korean government has recently introduced a program of benefits for residents near nuclear power plants. By this program, common facilities such as community centers and new roads are constructed, and scholarships are given to the local students. Nuclear power is accepted positively by the utility and reasonably well by the public in Korea.

Nuclear power in Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rim, C.S.

1990-01-01

Before addressing the issue of public and utility acceptance of nuclear power in Korea, let me briefly explain the Korean nuclear power program and development plan for a passively safe nuclear power plant in Korea. At present, there are eight PWRs and one CANDU in operation; two PWRs are under construction, and contract negotiations are underway for one more CANDU and two more PWRs, which are scheduled to be completed by 1997,1998 and 1999, respectively. According to a recent forecast for electricity demand in Korea, about fifty additional nuclear power plants with a generating capacity of 1000MWe are required by the year 2030. Until around 2006, Korean standardized nuclear power plants with evolutionary features such as those in the ALWR program are to be built, and a new type of nuclear power plant with passive safety features is expected to be constructed after 2006. The Korean government is making a serious effort to increase public understanding of the safety of nuclear power plants and radioactive waste storage and disposal. In addition, the Korean government has recently introduced a program of benefits for residents near nuclear power plants. By this program, common facilities such as community centers and new roads are constructed, and scholarships are given to the local students. Nuclear power is accepted positively by the utility and reasonably well by the public in Korea

Cost of nuclear power generation judged by power rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirai, Takaharu

1981-01-01

According to estimation guidance, power rates in general are the proper cost plus the specific compensation and adjustment addition. However, the current system of power rates is of power-source development promotion type involving its tax. The structure of power rate determination must be restudied now especially in connection of nuclear power generation. The cost of nuclear power generation as viewed from power rate is discussed as follows: the fear of military application of power plants, rising plant construction costs, the loophole in fuel cost calculation, unreasonable unit power cost, depreciation and repair cost, business compensation, undue business compensation in nuclear power, the costs of nuclear waste management, doubt concerning nuclear power cost, personnel, pumping-up and power transmission costs in nuclear power, energy balance analysis, nuclear power viewed in entropy, the suppression of power consumption. (J.P.N.)

Nuclear Power in Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ha, Duk-Sang

2009-01-01

Full text: Korea's nuclear power program has been promoted by step-by-step approach; the first stage was 1970's when it depended on the foreign contractors' technology and the second was 1980's when it accumulated lots of technology and experience by jointly implementing the project. Lastly in the third stage in 1990's, Korea successfully achieved the nuclear power technological self-reliance and developed its standard nuclear power plant, so-called Optimized Power Reactor 1000 (OPR 1000). Following the development of OPR 1000, Korea has continued to upgrade the design, known as the Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR 1400) and APR+. Korea is one of the countries which continuously developed the nuclear power plant projects during the last 30 years while the other advanced countries ceased the project, and therefore, significant reduction of project cost and construction schedule were possible which benefits from the repetition of construction project. And now, its nuclear industry infrastructure possesses the strong competitiveness in this field.The electricity produced from the nuclear power is 150,958 MWh in 2008, which covers approximately 36% of the total electricity demand in Korea, while the installed capacity of nuclear power is 17,716 MW which is 24% of the total installed capacity. We are currently operating 20 units of nuclear power plants in Korea, and also are constructing 8 additional units (9,600 MW). Korea's nuclear power plants have displayed their excellent operating performance; the average plant capacity factor was 93.4% in 2008, which are about 15% higher than the world average of 77.8%. Moreover, the number of unplanned trips per unit was only 0.35 in 2008, which is the world top class performance. Also currently we are operating four CANDU nuclear units in Korea which are the same reactor type and capacity as the Cernavoda Units. They have been showing the excellent operating performance, of which capacity in 2008 is 92.8%. All the Korean

Worldwide nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Royen, J.

1981-01-01

Worldwide nuclear power (WNP) is a companion volume to UPDATE. Our objective in the publication of WNP is to provide factual information on nuclear power programs and policies in foreign countries to U.S. policymakers in the Federal Government who are instrumental in defining the direction of nuclear power in the U.S. WNP is prepared by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy from reports obtained from foreign Embassies in Washington, U.S. Embassies overseas, foreign and domestic publications, participation in international studies, and personal communications. Domestic nuclear data is included only where its presence is needed to provide easy and immediate comparisons with foreign data

Main Characteristics of Nuclear Power Plants in the European Union and Candidate Countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lillington, J.N.; Turland, B.D.; Haste, T.J.; Seiler, J.M.; Tapia, J.; Carretero, A.; Perez, T.; Geutges, A.; Sehgal, B.R.; Mattila, L.; Holmstrom, H.; Karwat, H.; Maroti, L.; Husarcek, J.

2001-10-01

The main objective was to advise the EC on future challenges and opportunities in terms of enhanced co-operation in the area of nuclear safety and harmonization of safety requirements and practices in an enlarged European Union Part of this activity was to provide a summary of the plant characteristics of the operating civil nuclear power plants in the EU Member and Candidate Countries. The present report provides these data in three formats: A reference table which lists the main characteristics of nuclear power-producing reactors operating in the European Union (EU) and Candidate Countries, as at 31 December 1999. Also included, for the sake of completeness, are data for reactors in the former Soviet Union, such as Russia and the Ukraine. The format adopted follows that in the annual International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reference data report ''Nuclear Power Reactors of the World'', from which much of the information was taken; A summary table indicating totals by reactor type covering Western and Eastern Europe separately, again from IAEA sources, giving number of plant, total generating capacity and total years in operation. A list of the abbreviations for different reactor types is also provided; A set of detailed data sheets giving main plant characteristics for different reactor types ordered by country. These data sheets cover reactors in EU Member and Candidate Countries only. Details are provided on the origin of the data where these are available, so that further information may be obtained if desired and where permitted by commercial and/or proprietary considerations. (author)

Energy policy of the 10. SED congress and peaceful use of nuclear power in the GDR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mittsinger, V.; Krauze, Kh.; Kremer, Yu.

1984-01-01

The state-of-the-art and perspectives on the development of the GDR energy and raw material basis are considered. The main directions in the GDR energy strategy for the 80-ies adopted by the 10-th SED Congress are discussed. It is noted that the NPP share in the total power generation which in 1970 had been below 1% increased up to 12% by 1981. In 1983 commercial heat consumption was employed for the first time from NPP units with the capacity of 440 MW for the heat supply of a town of Greifswald. The nuclear power development program udtil the year of 2000 envisages to complete the construction of the Bruno Lensehner NPP and to put four units with WWER-440 intoR operation before 1990. This NPP with the total capacity of 3520 MW must become a great contribution to a regular power supply of the country. It is planned to put into operation the first power unit with the capacity of 10U0 MW to be built according to the Soviet standard project. In future this type of reactors will be used as serial to expand the GDR nuclear engineering basis

Nuclear power generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirao, Katumi; Sato, Akira; Kaimori, Kimihiro; Kumano, Tetsuji

2001-01-01

Nuclear power generation for commercial use in Japan has passed 35 years since beginning of operation in the Tokai Nuclear Power Station in 1966, and has 51 machines of reactor and about 44.92 MW of total output of equipment scale in the 21st century. However, an environment around nuclear energy becomes severer at present, and then so many subjects to be overcome are remained such as increased unreliability of the public on nuclear energy at a chance of critical accident of the JCO uranium processing facility, delay of pull-thermal plan, requirement for power generation cost down against liberalization of electric power, highly aging countermeasure of power plant begun its operation as its Genesis, and so on. Under such conditions, in order that nuclear power generation in Japan survives as one of basic electric source in future, it is necessary not only to pursue safety and reliability of the plant reliable to the public, but also to intend to upgrade its operation and maintenance by positively adopting good examples on operational management method on abroad and to endeavor further upgrading of application ratio of equipments and reduction of generation cost. Here were outlined on operation conditions of nuclear power stations in Japan, and introduced on upgrading of their operational management and maintenance management. (G.K.)

Elecnuc. Nuclear power plants worldwide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

This small folder presents a digest of some useful information concerning the nuclear power plants worldwide and the situation of nuclear industry at the end of 1997: power production of nuclear origin, distribution of reactor types, number of installed units, evolution and prediction of reactor orders, connections to the grid and decommissioning, worldwide development of nuclear power, evolution of power production of nuclear origin, the installed power per reactor type, market shares and exports of the main nuclear engineering companies, power plants constructions and orders situation, evolution of reactors performances during the last 10 years, know-how and development of nuclear safety, the remarkable facts of 1997, the future of nuclear power and the energy policy trends. (J.S.)

Nuclear power and nuclear weapons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaughen, V.C.A.

1983-01-01

The proliferation of nuclear weapons and the expanded use of nuclear energy for the production of electricity and other peaceful uses are compared. The difference in technologies associated with nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants are described

Ecologies of socialism: Soviet Gradostroitel'stvo and late soviet socialism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy Alexander Nunan

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The most lasting legacy of the Soviet experience, more so than institutions that persist in the Russian Federation today or the mentalities of citizens of post-Soviet states, was its transformation of Eurasia from a rural continent into an urban one. Particularly after the Great Patriotic War, the landscape of Soviet urban spaces changed as countless rows of low-quality apartment housing sprung up and a uniform socialist urban culture appeared to be forming. However, how and why this urban revolution happened, and what effect it had on the psychological makeup of Soviet citizens, remains lesser known. Meanwhile, while scholars of urban history such as Jane Jacobs, Reyner Banham, Lewis Mumford, and Mike Davis have produced fascinating tracts and monographs on the “ecologies” of American urban spaces – how, in other words, human beings in various political systems have interacted with the built urban landscape around them – limited work has been done on similar processes and histories in the Soviet world beyond the technical literature of the Cold War era. In this paper, I attempt to provide the outlines of such a history with such an approach by analyzing how changes in the Soviet urban fabric from approximately 1932 to 1980s affected social life in Soviet cities and among Soviet families. Basing my argument on close readings of Soviet books on gradostroitel'stvo (urban construction, urban studies as well as literature, and guided by the insights of the above-listed urbanist thinkers, I argue that changes in urban planning so altered the relationship between citizens, the Party, and History that the Soviet system lost key strengths that had emboldened it during the 1930s and 1940s. In particular, while new Soviet housing projects obviously raised the standard of living of a great portion of the population, in resolving the housing problem, they also dismantled the “stranger's gaze” – the everyday urban clashes that, enabled by

Economics of nuclear power projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, I.H.

1985-01-01

Nuclear power development in Taiwan was initiated in 1956. Now Taipower has five nuclear units in smooth operation, one unit under construction, two units under planning. The relatively short construction period, low construction costs and twin unit approach had led to the significant economical advantage of our nuclear power generation. Moreover betterment programmes have further improved the availability and reliability factors of our nuclear power plants. In Taipower, the generation cost of nuclear power was even less than half of that of oil-fired thermal power in the past years ever since the nuclear power was commissioned. This made Taipower have more earnings and power rates was even dropped down in March 1983. As Taiwan is short of energy sources and nuclear power is so well-demonstrated nuclear power will be logically the best choice for Taipower future projects

Accelerating nuclear power standards development and promoting sound nuclear power development in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Changli

2008-01-01

The paper expounds the importance of quickening establishment and perfection of nuclear power standard system in China, analyzes achievements made and problems existed during the development of nuclear power standards, put forward proposals to actively promote the work in this regard, and indicates that CNNC will further strengthen the standardization work, enhance coordination with those trades related to nuclear power standards, and jointly promote the development of nuclear power standards. (authors)

Soviet nostalgia and Russian politics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen White

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Communist rule did not end suddenly in 1989, or in 1991. And for many, at least in Russia, there was no radical break but a complex evolution in which many of the former ruling group, and many of the values of the Soviet period, remained intact. According to the evidence of national representative surveys, levels of support for the principle of a union state have consistently been very high. In 2008 survey, more than half (57% largely or entirely agreed that the demise of the USSR had been a ‘disaster’, and nearly two-thirds (64% thought the former Soviet republics that had established a Commonwealth of Independent States should reconstitute a single state or at least cooperate more closely. Across the three Slavic republics, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, it was guaranteed employment that was seen as the most positive feature of the old regime, and economic stagnation as its most serious shortcoming. Comparing the present and the Soviet period as they recalled it, ordinary Russians thought they had more opportunity to practise a religion, and to express their opinions. But ordinary people had (in their own view no more influence over the making of public policy than in the communist period, and they thought they were less likely to be treated fairly and equally by government. Age and living standards were the most powerful predictors of Soviet nostalgia when other variables were held constant. Nostalgics were much more likely to support parties of the left, or at least those that favoured public ownership, a Soviet or ‘more democratic Soviet’ system of government, and a closer association among the former Soviet republics; they were much less likely to support the parties that favoured the dissolution of the CIS, a wholly market economy, or Western-style democracy.

Nuclear Power Today and Tomorrow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bychkov, Alexander

2013-01-01

Worldwide, with 437 nuclear power reactors in operation and 68 new reactors under construction, nuclear power's global generating capacity reached 372.5 GW(e) at the end of 2012. Despite public scepticism, and in some cases fear, which arose following the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, two years later the demand for nuclear power continues to grow steadily, albeit at a slower pace. A significant number of countries are pressing ahead with plans to implement or expand their nuclear power programmes because the drivers toward nuclear power that were present before Fukushima have not changed. These drivers include climate change, limited fossil fuel supply, and concerns about energy security. Globally, nuclear power looks set to continue to grow steadily, although more slowly than was expected before the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. The IAEA's latest projections show a steady rise in the number of nuclear power plants in the world in the next 20 years. They project a growth in nuclear power capacity by 23% by 2030 in the low projection and by 100% in the high projection. Most new nuclear power reactors planned or under construction are in Asia. In 2012 construction began on seven nuclear power plants: Fuqing 4, Shidaowan 1, Tianwan 3 and Yangjiang 4 in China; Shin Ulchin 1 in Korea; Baltiisk 1 in Russia; and Barakah 1 in the United Arab Emirates. This increase from the previous year's figures indicates an on-going interest and commitment to nuclear power and demonstrates that nuclear power is resilient. Countries are demanding new, innovative reactor designs from vendors to meet strict requirements for safety, national grid capacity, size and construction time, which is a sign that nuclear power is set to keep growing over the next few decades.

The introduction of nuclear power in Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaafs, Daniel

2009-01-01

authorities in 1983. The reasons for the introduction may be traced to the history of the country. A young nation with a well educated people was ready to accept the new energy source in order to secure its future. And there were individuals with vision, who were able to steer the development in the right direction. The results of the introduction included: - lower electricity costs - the technical level of the industry was raised - new enterprises were formed and existing ones got a big boost, e.g. Nokia. The role of the domestic industry was decisive especially regarding Lovisa. Making reference to its high technical level, and to the construction of conventional power plants as well as to FiR I, our industry underlined the importance of using its competence also when building nuclear power plants. The lacking competence that was apparent in certain areas on the Soviet side could be compensated by our industry, a fact that was recognized by our authorities and Imatran Voima. (author)

Operational safety enhancement of Soviet-designed nuclear reactors via development of nuclear power plant simulators and transfer of related technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohut, P.; Epel, L.G.; Tutu, N.K.

1998-01-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE), under the US government's International Nuclear Safety Program (INSP), is implementing a program of developing and providing simulators for many of the Russian and Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) manage and provide technical oversight of the various INSP simulator projects for DOE. The program also includes a simulator technology transfer process to simulator design organizations in Russia and Ukraine. Training programs, installation of new simulators, and enhancements in existing simulators are viewed as providing a relatively fast and cost-effective technology transfer that will result in measurable improvement in the safety culture and operation of NPPs. A review of this program, its present status, and its accomplishments are provided in this paper

Nuclear power and other energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doederlein, J.M.

1975-01-01

A comparison is made between nuclear power plants, gas-fuelled thermal power plants and oil-fired thermal power plants with respect to health factors, economy, environment and resource exploitation, with special reference to the choice of power source to supplement Norwegian hydroelectric power. Resource considerations point clearly to nuclear power, but, while nuclear power has an overall economic advantage, the present economic situation makes its heavy capital investment a disadvantage. It is maintained that nuclear power represents a smaller environmental threat than oil or gas power. Finally, statistics are given showing that nuclear power involves smaller fatality risks for the population than many other hazards accepted without question. (JIW)

Nuclear Security for Floating Nuclear Power Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skiba, James M. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Scherer, Carolynn P. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2015-10-13

Recently there has been a lot of interest in small modular reactors. A specific type of these small modular reactors (SMR,) are marine based power plants called floating nuclear power plants (FNPP). These FNPPs are typically built by countries with extensive knowledge of nuclear energy, such as Russia, France, China and the US. These FNPPs are built in one country and then sent to countries in need of power and/or seawater desalination. Fifteen countries have expressed interest in acquiring such power stations. Some designs for such power stations are briefly summarized. Several different avenues for cooperation in FNPP technology are proposed, including IAEA nuclear security (i.e. safeguards), multilateral or bilateral agreements, and working with Russian design that incorporates nuclear safeguards for IAEA inspections in non-nuclear weapons states

Soviet Policy Toward Western Europe Objectives, Instruments, Results.

Science.gov (United States)

1986-02-01

Hellenic Socialist Move- ment ( PASOK ) and the development of ties between its left wing and the Greek Communist party (KKE). Before PASOK won an...absolute majority in the June 1985 elections, the Soviets may have hoped for the formation of a PASOK -KKE coalition or, more likely, an arrange- ment...whereby a minority PASOK government would remain in power with tacit Communist support. Although these expectations were not fulfilled, the Soviets expect

Nuclear power costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1963-01-01

A report prepared by the IAEA Secretariat and presented to the seventh session of the Agency's General Conference says that information on nuclear power costs is now rapidly moving from the domain of uncertain estimates to that of tested factual data. As more and more nuclear power stations are being built and put into operation, more information on the actual costs incurred is becoming available. This is the fourth report on nuclear power costs to be submitted to the IAEA General Conference. The report last year gave cost information on 38 nuclear power projects, 17 of which have already gone into operation. Certain significant changes in the data given last year are included-in the present report; besides, information is given on seven new plants. The report is divided into two parts, the first on recent developments and current trends in nuclear power costs and the second on the use of the cost data for economic comparisons. Both stress the fact that the margin of uncertainty in the basic data has lately been drastically reduced. At the same time, it is pointed out, some degree of uncertainty is inherent in the assumptions made in arriving at over-all generating cost figures, especially when - as is usually the case - a nuclear plant is part of an integrated power system

Competing with the Soviets science, technology, and the state in Cold War America

CERN Document Server

Wolfe, Audra J

2013-01-01

For most of the second half of the twentieth century, the United States and its allies competed with a hostile Soviet Union in almost every way imaginable except open military engagement. The Cold War placed two opposite conceptions of the good society before the uncommitted world and history itself, and science figured prominently in the picture. Competing with the Soviets offers a short, accessible introduction to the special role that science and technology played in maintaining state power during the Cold War, from the atomic bomb to the Human Genome Project. The high-tech machinery of nuclear physics and the space race are at the center of this story, but Audra J. Wolfe also examines the surrogate battlefield of scientific achievement in such diverse fields as urban planning, biology, and economics; explains how defense-driven federal investments created vast laboratories and research programs; and shows how unfamiliar worries about national security and corrosive questions of loyalty crept into the sup...

Nuclear power experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-01-01

The International Conference on Nuclear Power Experience, organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency, was held at the Hofburg Conference Center, Vienna, Austria, from 13 to 17 September 1982. Almost 1200 participants and observers from 63 countries and 20 organizations attended the conference. The 239 papers presented were grouped under the following seven main topics: planning and development of nuclear power programmes; technical and economic experience of nuclear power production; the nuclear fuel cycle; nuclear safety experience; advanced systems; international safeguards; international co-operation. The proceedings are published in six volumes. The sixth volume contains a complete Contents of Volume 1 to 5, a List of Participants, Authors and Transliteration Indexes, a Subject Index and an Index of Papers by Number

Soviet exoatmospheric neutral particle beam research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leiss, J.E.; Abrams, R.H.; Ehlers, K.W.; Farrell, J.A.; Gillespie, G.H.; Jameson, R.A.; Keefe, D.; Parker, R.K.

1988-02-01

This technical assessment was performed by a panel of eight U.S. scientists and engineers who are familiar with Soviet research through their own research experience, their knowledge of the published scientific literature and conference proceedings, and personal contacts with Soviet scientists and other foreign colleagues. Most of the technical components of a neutral particle beam generating system including the ion source, the accelerator, the accelerator radio frequency power supply, the beam conditioning and aiming system, and the beam neutralizer system are addressed. It does not address a number of other areas important to an exoatmospheric neutral beam system

Worldwide nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1981-01-01

Worldwide Nuclear Power (WNP) is a companion volume to Update. Our objective in the publication of WNP is to provide factual information on nuclear power programs and policies in foreign countries to U.S. policymakers in the Federal Government. Facts about the status of nuclear activities abroad should be available to those who are instrumental in defining the direction of nuclear power in the U.S. WNP is prepared by the Office of Nuclear Energy from reports obtained from foreign embassies in Washington, U.S. Embassies overseas, foreign and domestic publications, participation in international studies, and personal communications. It consists of two types of information, tabular and narrative. Domestic nuclear data is included only where its presence is needed to provide easy and immediate comparisons with foreign data. In general, complete U.S. information will be found in Update

Nuclear power in Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

The Canadian Nuclear Association believes that the CANDU nuclear power generation system can play a major role in achieving energy self-sufficiency in Canada. The benefits of nuclear power, factors affecting projections of electric power demand, risks and benefits relative to other conventional and non-conventional energy sources, power economics, and uranium supply are discussed from a Canadian perspective. (LL)

Nuclear power and the nuclear fuel cycle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1976-07-01

The IAEA is organizing a major conference on nuclear power and the nuclear fuel cycle, which is to be held from 2 to 13 May 1977 in Salzburg, Austria. The programme for the conference was published in the preceding issue of the IAEA Bulletin (Vol.18, No. 3/4). Topics to be covered at the conference include: world energy supply and demand, supply of nuclear fuel and fuel cycle services, radioactivity management (including transport), nuclear safety, public acceptance of nuclear power, safeguarding of nuclear materials, and nuclear power prospects in developing countries. The articles in the section that follows are intended to serve as an introduction to the topics to be discussed at the Salzburg Conference. They deal with the demand for uranium and nuclear fuel cycle services, uranium supplies, a computer simulation of regional fuel cycle centres, nuclear safety codes, management of radioactive wastes, and a pioneering research project on factors that determine public attitudes toward nuclear power. It is planned to present additional background articles, including a review of the world nuclear fuel reprocessing situation and developments in the uranium enrichment industry, in future issues of the Bulletin. (author)

Development of nuclear power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1962-01-15

An extensive discussion of problems concerning the development of nuclear power took place at the fifth regular session of the IAEA General Conference in September-October 1961. Not only were there many references in plenary meetings to the nuclear power plans of Member States, but there was also a more specific and detailed debate on the subject, especially on nuclear power costs, in the Program, Technical and Budget Committee of the Conference. The Conference had before it a report from the Board of Governors on the studies made by the Agency on the economics of nuclear power. In addition, it had been presented with two detailed documents, one containing a review of present-day costs of nuclear power and the other containing technical and economic information on several small and medium-sized power reactors in the United States. The Conference was also informed of the report on methods of estimating nuclear power costs, prepared with the assistance of a panel of experts convened by the Agency, which was reviewed in the July 1961 issue of this Bulletin

Development of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1962-01-01

An extensive discussion of problems concerning the development of nuclear power took place at the fifth regular session of the IAEA General Conference in September-October 1961. Not only were there many references in plenary meetings to the nuclear power plans of Member States, but there was also a more specific and detailed debate on the subject, especially on nuclear power costs, in the Program, Technical and Budget Committee of the Conference. The Conference had before it a report from the Board of Governors on the studies made by the Agency on the economics of nuclear power. In addition, it had been presented with two detailed documents, one containing a review of present-day costs of nuclear power and the other containing technical and economic information on several small and medium-sized power reactors in the United States. The Conference was also informed of the report on methods of estimating nuclear power costs, prepared with the assistance of a panel of experts convened by the Agency, which was reviewed in the July 1961 issue of this Bulletin

Nuclear power generation incorporating modern power system practice

CERN Document Server

Myerscough, PB

1992-01-01

Nuclear power generation has undergone major expansion and developments in recent years; this third edition contains much revised material in presenting the state-of-the-art of nuclear power station designs currently in operation throughout the world. The volume covers nuclear physics and basic technology, nuclear station design, nuclear station operation, and nuclear safety. Each chapter is independent but with the necessary technical overlap to provide a complete work on the safe and economic design and operation of nuclear power stations.

Development of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1960-01-01

The discussion on the development of nuclear power took place on 28 September 1960 in Vienna. In his opening remarks, Director General Cole referred to the widespread opinion that 'the prospect of cheap electricity derived from nuclear energy offers the most exciting prospect for improving the lot of mankind of all of the opportunities for uses of atomic energy'. He then introduced the four speakers and the moderator of the discussion, Mr. H. de Laboulaye, IAEA Deputy Director General for Technical Operations. n the first part of the discussion the experts addressed themselves in turn to four topics put forward by the moderator. These were: the present technical status of nuclear power, the present costs of nuclear power, prospects for future reductions in the cost of nuclear power, and applications of nuclear power in less-developed areas

Soviet energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-05-01

As it moves from a centrally planned economy toward a market-based system, the Soviet Union will need to produce and export large quantities of oil to help finance industrial development and to purchase consumer goods from the West. Since 1988, however, Soviet oil production has fallen by about 8.8 percent. Oil exports also have declined, falling by about 15 percent from 1988 to 1990. The main reasons for the production decline are the lack of enough capital for exploration and production and the use of outdated and inefficient production practices. While U.S.-Soviet joint ventures could potentially help reverse this situation, both the United States and the Soviet Union maintain policies and practices that hinder U.S. trade and investment in Soviet oil exploration and production. Despite such difficulties, several U.S. multinational oil companies are proceeding with joint venture agreements, and progress is being made on overcoming some of the obstacles. For example, training programs in western business practices are being offered b the U.S. government, private companies, and universities. In addition, the U.S. and Soviet governments are now negotiating a tax treaty. GAO summarized this report in testimony before Congress

Nuclear power: European report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2005-01-01

In 2004, nuclear power plants were operated and/or built in eighteen European countries. Thirteen of these countries are members of EU-25. Five of the ten countries joining the European Union on May 1, 2004 operate nuclear power stations. A total of 206 power reactors with a gross power of 181,941 MWe and a net power of 172,699 MWe were in operation at the end of the year. In 2004, one nuclear power plant was commissioned in Russia (Kalinin 3), two (Kmelnitzki 2 and Rowno 4) in Ukraine. Five nuclear power plants were decommissioned in Europe in the course of 2004. As announced in 2000, the Chapelcross 1 to Chapelcross 4 plants in Britain were shut down for economic reasons. In Lithuania, the Ignalina 1 unit was disconnected from the power grid, as had been demanded by the EU Commission within the framework of the negotiations about the country's accession to the EU. As a result of ongoing technical optimization in some plants, involving increases in reactor power or generator power as well as commissioning of plants of higher capacity, nuclear generating capacity increased by approx. 1.5 GW. In late 2004, four nuclear generating units were under construction in Finland (1), Romania (1), and Russia (2). 150 nuclear power plants were operated in thirteen states of the European Union (EU-25), which is sixteen more than the year before as a consequence of the accession of new countries. They had an aggregate gross power of 137,943 MWe and a net power of 131,267 MWe, generating approx. 983 billion gross kWh of electricity in 2003, thus again contributing some 32% to the public electricity supply in the EU-25. In largest share of nuclear power in electricity generation is found in Lithuania (80%), followed by 78% in France, 57% in the Slovak Republic, 56% in Belgium, and 46% in Ukraine. In several countries not operating nuclear power plants of their own, such as Italy, Portugal, and Austria, nuclear power makes considerable contributions to public electricity supply as

FREUDIAN COMPLEXES OF SOVIET AND POST-SOVIET PHILOLOGY IN STUDYING THE GOSPEL TEXT IN RUSSIAN LITERATURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivan Andreevich Esaulov

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The article looks at a number of marginal concepts of Freudian theory and at his articles on Dostoevsky that revealed the 'cultural unconscious' of the founder of psychoanalysis. We point at the similarities between Freud's cultural unconscious – with its negativity against of the “Christian God”, historical Russia and Russian people – and the Soviet type of culture, especially in its early period (1920s – early 1930s. The ardor of Freudo-Marxism typical for the highest levels of Soviet power and humanitarian studies lay in their striving towards a complete restructuring of Russian culture, state and man itself. Russian literature is interpreted on the basis of anti-Christian tenets and a set of criteria absolutely alien to Russian literature. We show that this mental attitude has not been overcome by post-Soviet literary criticism. Our article is a call on scholars of Russian literature to get rid of their Freudian complexes in the treatment of Russian culture.

Soviet Union: Summer school goes international

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1990-09-15

The traditional annual Soviet Summer School, held in June in Dubna on the banks of the Volga, this year had international participation for the first time. Initiated by Moscow's Physical Engineering Institute and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, the school has rotating themes, with the accent this year on developments in high energy physics.

Soviet Union: Summer school goes international

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1990-01-01

The traditional annual Soviet Summer School, held in June in Dubna on the banks of the Volga, this year had international participation for the first time. Initiated by Moscow's Physical Engineering Institute and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, the school has rotating themes, with the accent this year on developments in high energy physics

World nuclear developments after Chernobyl

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rippon, S.

1987-01-01

1986 will inevitably go down in history as the year of Chernobyl, the consequences of which must be delays in and even withdrawals from the development of nuclear power. On the credit side, the Soviet Union has done a rapid and remarkable job in sealing the damaged reactor and rehabilitating the station and the area while improving the safety of its total program. Equally effective has been the response of the IAEA. In terms of nuclear power's claim as a major source of energy, nothing has changed as a result of Chernobyl. 15% of the world's electricity is now produced from nearly 400 power reactors. In comparison with any other energy form nuclear energy must rank high in terms of economy, safety and environmental effects. What has changed is the public perception of nuclear power, and the effort world-wide which will need to be made to restore public confidence

The role of congress in future disposal of fissile materials from dismantled nuclear weapons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donnelly, W.H.; Davis, Z.S.

1991-01-01

Assuming the Soviet Union remains intact as a major power and the superpowers do not retrogress to a new Cold War era, it is likely that the United States and the Soviet Union will eventually agree to deep cuts in their nuclear arsenals. Future arms control agreements may be coupled with companion agreements to stop production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons, to dismantle the warheads of the nuclear weapons, and to dispose of their fissile materials to prevent reuse in new warheads. Such agreements would be negotiated by the U.S. executive branch but probably would require ratification, funding, and enabling legislation from the U.S. Congress if they are to succeed. There follows a brief review of the ideas for disposal of fissile materials from dismantled nuclear warheads and the potential role and influence of the Congress in the negotiation, ratification, and implementation of U.S.-Soviet agreements for such disposal

The TACIS Nuclear Programme: Assistance in Upgrading Russian Nuclear Power Stations - An Overview of the Individual Projects in the Internet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bieth, Michel; Schoels, Hubert

2006-01-01

The European Union' TACIS1 programme has been established for the New Independent States (NIS), among them in the Russian Federation since 1991. One priority of TACIS funding is Nuclear Safety. The European Commission has made available a total of 944 Million Euros for nuclear safety programmes covering the period 1991-2003. The TACIS nuclear safety programme is devoted to the improvement of the safety of Soviet designed nuclear installations in providing technology and safety culture transfer. JRC is carrying out works in the following areas: On-Site Assistance for TACIS operating Nuclear Power Plants; Design Safety and Dissemination of TACIS results; Reactor Pressure Vessel Embrittlement for VVER; Regulatory Assistance; Industrial Waste Management; Nuclear Safeguards; All TACIS projects, dealing with these areas of activity are now available in so called Project Description Sheets (PDS) or Project Results Sheets (PRS) in the Internet for everybody. JRC has created in the Internet an easy to open and to browse database which contains the result of works in relation to the above mentioned nuclear activities. This presentation gives an on-line overview of the app. 430 projects which have been implemented so far since the outset of the TACIS Nuclear Programme in the Russian Federation, which is representative to the other CIS countries, benefiting from the TACIS. The presentation will mainly consist of an on-line-demonstration of the TACIS Nuclear WEB Page, created by JRC. (authors)

Limited attacks on the United States and the Soviet Union

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levi, B.; Hippel, F. von.

1987-01-01

This report is focused on calculations carried out at Princeton University of the consequences of so-called ''limited'' nuclear attacks by the USA and the USSR on one another - primarily because such scenarios seem to be motivating the acquisition of new nuclear weapons. The conclusions were: The use of only a fraction of the destructive capacity in USA and Soviet nuclear arsenals could have catastrophic consequences to human kind. Although the primary justification of the tens of thousands of nuclear warheads in USA and Soviet arsenals is their potential use against military targets, the most commonly discussed potential large-scale military uses of these weapons - in attacks against the nuclear weapons of the other side - would result in tens of millions of civilian casualties. Certainly, if a first strike resulted in such a huge civilian toll, there could be little assurance of restraint in the response of the country that was attacked. The use of even 1% of the strategic arsenals of the USSR or the USA against the population, military industry or strategic-nuclear targets of the other nation could result in tens of millions of casualties. 17 refs, 6 figs, 5 tabs

The future of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeile, H.J.

1987-01-01

Present conditions and future prospects for the nuclear power industry in the United States are discussed. The presentation includes a review of trends in electrical production, the safety of coal as compared to nuclear generating plants, the dangers of radiation, the economics of nuclear power, the high cost of nuclear power in the United States, and the public fear of nuclear power. 20 refs

Reviewing nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, Colin

1990-01-01

The UK government has proposed a review of the prospects for nuclear power as the Sizewell B pressurized water reactor project nears completion in 1994. However, a delay in the completion of Sizewell B or a change of government could put off the review for some years beyond the mid 1990s. Anticipating, though, that such a review will eventually take place, issues which it should consider are addressed. Three broad categories of possible benefit claimed for nuclear power are examined. These are that nuclear power contributes to the security of energy supply, that it provides protection against long run fossil fuel price increases and that it is a means of mitigating the greenhouse effect. Arguments are presented which cost doubt over the reality of these benefits. Even if these benefits could be demonstrated, they would have to be set against the financial, health and accident costs attendant on nuclear power. It is concluded that the case may be made that nuclear power imposes net costs on society that are not justified by the net benefits conferred. Some comments are made on how a government review, if and when it takes place, should be conducted. (UK)

Nuclear power and modern society

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komarek, A.

1999-01-01

A treatise consisting of the following sections: Development of modern society (Origin of modern society; Industrial society; The year 1968; Post-industrial society; Worldwide civic society); Historic breaks in the development of the stationary power sector (Stationary thermal power; Historic breaks in the development of nuclear power); Czech nuclear power engineering in the globalization era (Major causes of success of Czech nuclear power engineering; Future of Czech nuclear power engineering). (P.A.)

Radonclose - the system of Soviet designed regional waste management facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horak, W.C.; Reisman, A.; Purvis, E.E. III.

1997-01-01

The Soviet Union established a system of specialized regional facilities to dispose of radioactive waste generated by sources other than the nuclear fuel cycle. The system had 16 facilities in Russia, 5 in Ukraine, one in each of the other CIS states, and one in each of the Baltic Republics. These facilities are still being used. The major generators of radioactive waste they process these are research and industrial organizations, medical and agricultural institution and other activities not related to nuclear power. Waste handled by these facilities is mainly beta- and gamma-emitting nuclides with half lives of less than 30 years. The long-lived and alpha-emitting isotopic content is insignificant. Most of the radwaste has low and medium radioactivity levels. The facilities also handle spent radiation sources, which are highly radioactive and contain 95-98 percent of the activity of all the radwaste buried at these facilities

Major changes in the world's nuclear power at the beginning of the new century

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dumitrache, Ion

2002-01-01

In the last decade of the 20th century the world nuclear power recorded some characteristic trends among which one can mention the following: - Almost total absence of investments in new NPPs in the industrialized countries except Japan and South Korea; - Policy of some governments to decrease the nuclear power sector in their countries up to a complete stop of electricity production in a foreseeable future (as in case of Sweden, Germany, Nederland and Belgium); - Projections indicating a steady decline of nuclear share in the national power production as for instance in USA, Germany, Great Britain, and other industrialized countries; - pressures upon countries late owners of soviet type NPPs in order to shut down completely the RBMK and WWER reactors; - a drastic reduction of the funds afforded for research dedicated to fission reactors of new concept, except Japan and South Korea; - almost negligible effects of the Kyoto protocol upon nuclear power, hopes being directed towards renewable energy sources. After second half of the year 1998 modest signals of future changes in the energy policy occurred. The US government admitted on basis of performance assessments and projections that the important role of nuclear power in US will be extended still for long after the years 2020-2030. Consequently, research concerning the future demand for fission based power began be financed. Gradually the countries of EU and Canada modified also their official position towards the role of nuclear fission in ensuring the electric energy needs of the future. The beginning of the new century was marked by a significant acceleration of changes of opinions in favor of nuclear power. Japan and South Korea stated that at least in the first half of the 21th century the fission NPP's will play a major role. Russia promoted new WWER reactor types of safety standards equivalent or higher than the western ones. Also China and India launched ambitious plans for building new NPPs. These new

Improved anchorage of steel linings at WWER nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouda, M.; Cepicky, J.

1987-01-01

Three variants were tested of anchoring the steel lining of special structures of nuclear power plants with WWER reactors, such as the containment, viz.: point anchorage with pins according to a Czechoslovak design, and two methods of linear anchorage according to a Soviet design and a design by the Institute for Industrial Construction of the GDR. Graphically shown are some results of the tests of the point anchorage with pins that showed the reliability of the method with respect to deformation and strain of the lining and of the anchoring elements at a lining temperature of up to 300 degC, which significantly exceeded the design-basis accident temperature of 150 degC. The advantages of the variant include a lower content of labour and an increased quality of welding jobs thanks to the application of the Nelson semi-automatic welding technique. (Z.M.). 10 figs., 7 refs

Nuclear power in space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anghaie, S.

2007-01-01

The development of space nuclear power and propulsion in the United States started in 1955 with the initiation of the ROVER project. The first step in the ROVER program was the KIWI project that included the development and testing of 8 non-flyable ultrahigh temperature nuclear test reactors during 1955-1964. The KIWI project was precursor to the PHOEBUS carbon-based fuel reactor project that resulted in ground testing of three high power reactors during 1965-1968 with the last reactor operated at 4,100 MW. During the same time period a parallel program was pursued to develop a nuclear thermal rocket based on cermet fuel technology. The third component of the ROVER program was the Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Applications (NERVA) that was initiated in 1961 with the primary goal of designing the first generation of nuclear rocket engine based on the KIWI project experience. The fourth component of the ROVER program was the Reactor In-Flight Test (RIFT) project that was intended to design, fabricate, and flight test a NERVA powered upper stage engine for the Saturn-class lunch vehicle. During the ROVER program era, the Unites States ventured in a comprehensive space nuclear program that included design and testing of several compact reactors and space suitable power conversion systems, and the development of a few light weight heat rejection systems. Contrary to its sister ROVER program, the space nuclear power program resulted in the first ever deployment and in-space operation of the nuclear powered SNAP-10A in 1965. The USSR space nuclear program started in early 70's and resulted in deployment of two 6 kWe TOPAZ reactors into space and ground testing of the prototype of a relatively small nuclear rocket engine in 1984. The US ambition for the development and deployment of space nuclear powered systems was resurrected in mid 1980's and intermittently continued to date with the initiation of several research programs that included the SP-100, Space Exploration

Role of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eklund, S.

1982-01-01

A survey of world nuclear installations, the operating experiences of power reactors, and estimates of future nuclear growth leads to the conclusion that nuclear power's share of world electric power supply will grow slowly, but steadily during this decade. This growth will lead advanced countries to use the commercial breeder by the end of the century. Nuclear power is economically viable for most industrialized and many developing countries if public acceptance problems can be resolved. A restructuring of operational safety and regulations must occur first, as well as a resolution of the safeguards and technology transfer issue. 7 figures, 7 tables

Role and position of Nuclear Power Plants Research Institute in nuclear power industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metke, E.

1984-01-01

The Nuclear Power Plants Research Institute carries out applied and experimental research of the operating states of nuclear power plants, of new methods of surveillance and diagnosis of technical equipment, it prepares training of personnel, carries out tests, engineering and technical consultancy and the research of automated control systems. The main research programme of the Institute is the rationalization of raising the safety and operating reliability of WWER nuclear power plants. The Institute is also concerned with quality assurance of selected equipment of nuclear power plants and assembly works, with radioactive waste disposal and the decommissioning of nuclear power plants as well as with the preparation and implementation of the nuclear power plant start-up. The Research Institute is developing various types of equipment, such as equipment for the decontamination of the primary part of the steam generator, a continuous analyzer of chloride levels in water, a gas monitoring instrument, etc. The prospects are listed of the Research Institute and its cooperation with other CMEA member countries. (M.D.)

Nuclear power in the Baltic Sea region: the history of emergence and the political and economic features of its development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kretinin Gennady

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This article focuses on the development of peaceful nuclear power. The author draws attention to the fact that nuclear power is a rather young branch of national economy. However, over recent decades, it has already seen rises and falls, and a number of states have had tragic experiences of nuclear emergencies. Nevertheless, many countries — including the three Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — express a strong interest in development, generation, and application of nuclear power. In the Baltic States, nuclear power dates back to the Soviet times, but its development was suspended pursuant to the EU regulations (the Ignalina NPP. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have been striving for energy independence from Russia — the principal supplier of energy carriers to these countries. For a long time, the three Baltic States have been proclaiming their unanimity on the general European path of development. However, the reality proved to be different. The touchstone for achieving common goals was the idea of constructing a new NPP at the site of the closed Ignalina NPP. The author concludes that the joint construction of a new NPP is quite questionable. When it comes to politics, each of the three Baltic States is ready to build its own NPP. Thus, the development of nuclear power in the Baltic Sea region requires joint coordinated actions independent of any bloc-inspired interests of the states involved. Moreover, this success may prove sustainable if the actions are based on innovative decisions and modern technologies.

Environmental assessment for the purchase of Russian low enriched uranium derived from the dismantlement of nuclear weapons in the countries of the former Soviet Union

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The United States is proposing to purchase from the Russian Federation low enriched uranium (LEU) derived from highly enriched uranium (HEU) resulting from the dismantlement of nuclear weapons in the countries of the former Soviet Union. The purchase would be accomplished through a proposed contract requiring the United States to purchase 15,250 metric tons (tonnes) of LEU (or 22,550 tonnes of UF 6 ) derived from blending 500 metric tones uranium (MTU) of HEU from nuclear warheads. The LEU would be in the form of uranium hexafluoride (UF 6 ) and would be converted from HEU in Russia. The United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) is the entity proposing to undertake the contract for purchase, sale, and delivery of the LEU from the Russian Federation. The US Department of Energy (DOE) is negotiating the procedure for gaining confidence that the LEU is derived from HEU that is derived from dismantled nuclear weapons (referred to as ''transparency),'' and would administer the transparency measures for the contract. There are six environments that could potentially be affected by the proposed action; marine (ocean); US ports of entry; truck or rail transportation corridors; the Portsmouth GDP; the electric power industry; and the nuclear fuel cycle industry. These environmental impacts are discussed

Environmental assessment for the purchase of Russian low enriched uranium derived from the dismantlement of nuclear weapons in the countries of the former Soviet Union

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-01-01

The United States is proposing to purchase from the Russian Federation low enriched uranium (LEU) derived from highly enriched uranium (HEU) resulting from the dismantlement of nuclear weapons in the countries of the former Soviet Union. The purchase would be accomplished through a proposed contract requiring the United States to purchase 15,250 metric tons (tonnes) of LEU (or 22,550 tonnes of UF{sub 6}) derived from blending 500 metric tones uranium (MTU) of HEU from nuclear warheads. The LEU would be in the form of uranium hexafluoride (UF{sub 6}) and would be converted from HEU in Russia. The United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) is the entity proposing to undertake the contract for purchase, sale, and delivery of the LEU from the Russian Federation. The US Department of Energy (DOE) is negotiating the procedure for gaining confidence that the LEU is derived from HEU that is derived from dismantled nuclear weapons (referred to as ``transparency),`` and would administer the transparency measures for the contract. There are six environments that could potentially be affected by the proposed action; marine (ocean); US ports of entry; truck or rail transportation corridors; the Portsmouth GDP; the electric power industry; and the nuclear fuel cycle industry. These environmental impacts are discussed.

Agitation and Propagandistic Work in Soviet POW Camps

OpenAIRE

Gulzhaukhar K. Kokebayeva

2014-01-01

The paper studies the problem of agitation work done among POWs in Soviet camps, the creation of military units and political organizations from POWs. Not only armed force was used during the Second World War, but also the power of words. The battles were accompanied by the information warfare. Opponents tried to use all possible means to manipulate people’s minds. Main directions of agitation and propaganda were defined by the «Soviet bureau of military and political propaganda», as well as ...

Banning nuclear power at sea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Handler, J.

1993-01-01

This article argues that now that the East-West conflict is over, nuclear-powered vessels should be retired. Nuclear-powered ships and submarines lack military missions, are expensive to build and operate, generate large amounts of long-lived deadly nuclear waste from their normal operations and when they are decommissioned, and are subject to accidents or deliberate attack which can result in the sinking of nuclear reactors and the release of radiation. With the costs of nuclear-powered vessels mounting, the time has come to ban nuclear power at sea. (author)

The need for nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-12-01

This leaflet examines our energy future and concludes that nuclear power is an essential part of it. The leaflet also discusses relative costs, but it does not deal with social and environmental implications of nuclear power in any detail, since these are covered by other British Nuclear Forum publications. Headings are: present consumption; how will this change in future; primary energy resources (fossil fuels; renewable resources; nuclear); energy savings; availability of fossil fuels; availability of renewable energy resources; the contribution of thermal nuclear power; electricity; costs for nuclear power. (U.K.)

Nuclear power statistics 1985

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oelgaard, P.L.

1986-06-01

In this report an attempt is made to collect literature data on nuclear power production and to present it on graphical form. Data is given not only for 1985, but for a number of years so that the trends in the development of nuclear power can be seen. The global capacity of nuclear power plants in operation and those in operation, under construction, or on order is considered. Further the average capacity factor for nuclear plants of a specific type and for various geographical areas is given. The contribution of nuclear power to the total electricity production is considered for a number of countries and areas. Finally, the accumulated years of commercial operation for the various reactor types up to the end of 1985 is presented. (author)

Nuclear power economics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moynet, G.

1987-01-01

The economical comparison of nuclear power plants with coal-fired plants in some countries or areas are analyzed. It is not difficult to show that nuclear power will have a significant and expanding role to play in providing economic electricity in the coming decades. (Liu)

Energy policy and nuclear power. Expectations of the power industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harig, H.D.

1995-01-01

In the opinion of the power industry, using nuclear power in Germany is a responsible attitude, while opting out of nuclear power is not. Electricity utilities will build new nuclear power plants only if the structural economic and ecological advantages of nuclear power are preserved and can be exploited in Germany. The power industry will assume responsibility for new complex, capital-intensive nuclear plants only if a broad societal consensus about this policy can be reached in this country. The power industry expects that the present squandering of nuclear power resources in Germany will be stopped. The power industry is prepared to contribute to finding a speedy consensus in energy policy, which would leave open all decisions which must not be taken today, and which would not constrain the freedom of decision of coming generations. The electricity utilities remain committed proponents of nuclear power. However, what they sell to their customers is electricity, not nuclear power. (orig.) [de

The ethical justification of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Wyk, J.H.

1985-01-01

This study pamphlet deals with the questions of ethics, nuclear power and the ethical justification of nuclear power. Nuclear power is not only used for warfare but also in a peaceful way. Ethical questions deal with the use of nuclear weapons. Firstly, a broad discussion of the different types of ethics is given. Secondly, the peaceful uses of nuclear power, such as nuclear power plants, are discussed. In the last place the application of nuclear power in warfare and its disadvantages are discussed. The author came to the conclusion that the use of nuclear power in warfare is in contrary with all Christian ethics

Dictionary of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koelzer, W.

2012-06-01

The actualized version (June 2012) of the dictionary on nuclear power includes all actualizations and new inputs since the last version of 2001. The original publication dates from 1980. The dictionary includes definitions, terms, measuring units and helpful information on the actual knowledge concerning nuclear power, nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear facilities, radioactive waste management, nuclear physics, reactor physics, isotope production, biological radiation effects, and radiation protection.

Could a 'Chernobyl' nuclear disaster happen here?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Heerden, A.

1986-01-01

At 1.23 a.m. (Soviet European Time) on Saturday 26 April 1986 an accident occurred in reactor number four of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power-Station in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The hydrogen in the core of the reactor exploded while the reactor was being shut down for routine maintenance, and a cloud of radioactivity was blasted high into the atmosphere. The radioactive plume drifted north-westwards to Sweden where, on 28 April, a radiation detector at the Forsmark nuclear complex gave the first public warning of the Chernobyl disaster. South Africa possesses one nuclear power-station, at Koeberg some 30 kilometres north of Cape Town. Is Koeberg safe? Could a Chernobyl-style disaster occur here? The difference in design between the Chernobylsk-4 reactor and Koeberg reactor is discussed. Differences in the design of the two power-stations preclude the same type of accident from happening at Koeberg. The chances of an accident affecting the environment seriously remain remote, given a design philosophy which includes minimising the possibility of an accident, containing it should it happen, and pre-planning the emergency response in case it cannot be contained. That, in a nutshell, is why we believe Koeberg will never become a 'Chernobyl'

Italian nuclear power industry after nuclear power moratorium: Current state and future prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adinolfi, R.; Previti, G.

1992-01-01

Following Italy's nuclear power referendum results and their interpretation, all construction and operation activities in the field of nuclear power were suspended by a political decision with consequent heavy impacts on Italian industry. Nevertheless, a 'nuclear presidium' has been maintained, thanks to the fundamental contribution of activities abroad, succeeding in retaining national know-how and developing the new technologies called for the new generation of nuclear power plants equipped with intrinsic and/or passive reactor safety systems

Nuclear power in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddiqui, Z.H.; Qureshi, I.H.

2005-01-01

Pakistan started its nuclear power program by installing a 137 M We Canadian Deuterium Reactor (Candu) at Karachi in 1971 which became operational in 1972. The post-contract technical support for the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) was withdrawn by Canada in 196 as a consequence of Indian nuclear device test in 1974. In spite of various difficulties PAEC resolved to continue to operate KANUPP and started a process for the indigenous fabrication of spare parts and nuclear fuel. The first fuel bundle fabricated in Pakistan was loaded in the core in 1980. Since then KANUPP has been operating on the indigenously fabricated fuel. The plant computer systems and the most critical instrumentation and Control system were also replaced with up-to date technology. In 2002 KANUPP completed its original design life of 30 year. A program for the life extension of the plant had already been started. The second nuclear power plant of 300 M We pressurized water reactor purchased from China was installed in Chashma in 1997, which started commercial operations in 2001. Another unit of 300 M We will be installed at Chashma in near future. These nuclear power plants have been operating under IAEA safeguards agreements. PAEC through the long-term performance of the two power plants has demonstrated its competence to safely and successfully operate and maintain nuclear power plants. Pakistan foresees an increasingly important and significant share of nuclear power in the energy sector. The Government has recently allocated a share of 8000 MWe for nuclear energy in the total energy scenario of Pakistan by the year 2025. (author)

Nuclear power and the nuclear fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-06-01

The percentage of electricity generated by nuclear energy in each of the 26 countries that operated nuclear power plants in 1987 is given. The current policy and programs of some of these countries is described. News concerning uranium mining, enrichment, reprocessing and waste management is also included. Data in the form of a generalized status summary for all power reactors (> 30 MWEN) prepared from the nuclear power reactor data files of ANSTO is shown

Without nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

The arguments put forward by the SPD point to the following: Backing out of nuclear power is a must, because of the awful quality of the hazards involved; because there can be no real separation guaranteed between civil and military utilisation of nuclear energy; for reasons of international responsibility; because we must not pass the buck on to the next generation; because social compatibility must be achieved; because the story of the 'cheap' nuclear generation of electricity is a fairy tale; because nuclear power pushes back coal as an energy source; because current ecological conditions call for abandonment of nuclear power, and economic arguments do not really contradict them. A reform of our energy system has to fulfill four requirements: Conserve energy; reduce and avoid environmental pollution; use renewable energy sources as the main sources; leave to the next generation the chance of choosing their own way of life. (HSCH) [de

Mobile nuclear power systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, B.

1988-11-01

This report is meant to present a general survey of the mobile nuclear power systems and not a detailed review of their technical accomplishments. It is based in published material mainly up to 1987. Mobile nuclear power systems are of two fundamentally different kinds: nuclear reactors and isotopic generators. In the reactors the energy comes from nuclear fission and in the isotopic generators from the radioactive decay of suitable isotopes. The reactors are primarily used as power sourves on board nuclear submarines and other warships but have also been used in the space and in remote places. Their thermal power has ranged from 30 kWth (in a satellite) to 175 MWth (on board an aircraft carrier). Isotopic generators are suitable only for small power demands and have been used on board satellites and spaceprobes, automatic weatherstations, lighthouses and marine installations for navigation and observation. (author)

Nuclear power in Asia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

The Australian Uranium Association reports that Asia is the only region in the world where electricity generating capacity and specifically nuclear power is growing significantly. In East and South Asia, there are over 109 nuclear power reactors in operation, 18 under construction and plans to build about a further 100. The greatest growth in nuclear generation is expected in China, Japan, South Korea and India. As a member of the SE Asian community, Australia cannot afford to ignore the existence and growth of nuclear power generation on its door step, even if it has not, up to now, needed to utilise this power source

Nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

''Nuclear Power'' describes how a reactor works and examines the different designs including Magnox, AGR, RBMK and PWR. It charts the growth of nuclear generation in the world and its contributions to world energy resources. (author)

Ranking of safety issues for WWER-440 model 230 nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-02-01

In response to requests from Member States operating Soviet designed WWER-440/230 nuclear power plants (NPPs) for assistance through the IAEA's nuclear safety services, a major international project was established to evaluate these first generation reactors as a complement to relevant ongoing national, bilateral and multilateral activities. The objective is to assist countries operating WWER-440/230 NPPs in performing comprehensive safety reviews aimed at identifying design and operational weaknesses. The scope of the project includes a review of the conceptual design of WWER-440/230 NPPs, safety review missions to each one of the operating reactors to review design and operational aspects and studies to resolve issues of generic safety concern. This report was prepared by a group of international experts and the IAEA staff and discussed by the Project Steering Committee, December 9-13, 1991 in Vienna. An overview of the safety issues identified is presented indicating their effect on the performance of the basic safety functions. Conceptual recommendations related to design issues are given as a technical basis for the safety modifications required

Competitiveness of nuclear power generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sumi, Yoshihiko

1998-01-01

In view of the various merits of nuclear power generation, Japanese electric utilities will continue to promote nuclear power generation. At the same time, however, it is essential to further enhance cost performance. Japanese electric utilities plan to reduce the cost of nuclear power generation, such as increasing the capacity factor, reducing operation and maintenance costs, and reducing construction costs. In Asia, nuclear power will also play an important role as a stable source of energy in the future. For those countries planning to newly introduce nuclear power, safety is the highest priority, and cost competitiveness is important. Moreover, financing will be an essential issue to be resolved. Japan is willing to support the establishment of nuclear power generation in Asia, through its experience and achievements. In doing this, support should not only be bilateral, but should include all nuclear nations around the Pacific rim in a multilateral support network. (author)

Future nuclear power generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosbah, D.S.; Nasreddine, M.

2006-01-01

The book includes an introduction then it speaks about the options to secure sources of energy, nuclear power option, nuclear plants to generate energy including light-water reactors (LWR), heavy-water reactors (HWR), advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGR), fast breeder reactors (FBR), development in the manufacture of reactors, fuel, uranium in the world, current status of nuclear power generation, economics of nuclear power, nuclear power and the environment and nuclear power in the Arab world. A conclusion at the end of the book suggests the increasing demand for energy in the industrialized countries and in a number of countries that enjoy special and economic growth such as China and India pushes the world to search for different energy sources to insure the urgent need for current and anticipated demand in the near and long-term future in light of pessimistic and optimistic outlook for energy in the future. This means that states do a scientific and objective analysis of the currently available data for the springboard to future plans to secure the energy required to support economy and welfare insurance.

Nuclear power 2005: European report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2006-01-01

In 2005, nuclear power plants were operated and/or built in eighteen European countries. Thirteen of these countries are members of EU-25. Five of the ten countries joining the European Union on May 1, 2004 operate nuclear power stations. A total of 204 power reactors with a gross power of 181,030 MWe and a net power of 171,8479 MWe were in operation at the end of the year. In 2005, no nuclear power plant was commissioned. Two nuclear power plants were decommissioned in Europe in the course of 2005. In Germany the Obrigheim NPP and in Sweden the Barsebaeck 2 NPP have been permanently shut down due to political decisions. As a result of ongoing technical optimization in some plants, involving increases in reactor power or generator power as well as commissioning of plants of higher capacity, nuclear generating capacity increased by approx. 1.6 GW. In late 2005, five nuclear generating units were under construction in Finland (1), Romania (1), and Russia (3). 148 nuclear power plants were operated in thirteen states of the European Union (EU-25). They had an aggregate gross power of 137,023 MWe and a net power of 130,415 MWe, generating approx. 970 billion gross kWh of electricity in 2005, thus again contributing some 31% to the public electricity supply in the EU-25. In largest share of nuclear power in electricity generation is found in France (80%), followed by 72% in Lithuania, 55% in the Slovak Republic, 55% in Belgium, and 51% in Ukraine. In several countries not operating nuclear power plants of their own, such as Italy, Portugal, and Austria, nuclear power makes considerable contributions to public electricity supply as a result of electricity imports. (All statistical data in the country report apply to 2004 unless indicated otherwise. This is the year for which sound preliminary data are currently available for the states listed.) (orig.)

Nuclear power development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Povolny, M.

1980-01-01

The development and uses of nuclear power in Czechoslovakia and other countries are briefly outlined. In the first stage, the Czechoslovak nuclear programme was oriented to the WWER 440 type reactor while the second stage of the nuclear power plant construction is oriented to the WWER 10O0 type reactor. It is envisaged that 12 WWER 440 type reactors and four to five WWER 1000 type reactors will be commissioned till 1990. (J.P.)

Nuclear power experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daglish, J.

1982-01-01

A report is given of a recent international conference convened by the IAEA to consider the technical and economic experience acquired by the nuclear industry during the past 30 years. Quotations are given from a number of contributors. Most authors shared the opinion that nuclear power should play a major role in meeting future energy needs and it was considered that the conference had contributed to make nuclear power more viable. (U.K.)

Nuclear power and nuclear safety 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauritzen, B.; Oelgaard, P.L.; Aage, H.K.; Kampmann, D.; Nystrup, P.E.; Thomsen, J.

2012-07-01

The report is the ninth report in a series of annual reports on the international development of nuclear power production, with special emphasis on safety issues and nuclear emergency preparedness. The report is written in collaboration between Risoe DTU and the Danish Emergency Management Agency. The report for 2011 covers the following topics: status of nuclear power production, regional trends, reactor development, safety related events, international relations and conflicts, and the Fukushima accident. (LN)

Nuclear power and nuclear safety 2009

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauritzen, B.; Oelgaard, P.L.; Kampmann, D.; Nystrup, P.E.; Thorlaksen, B.

2010-05-01

The report is the seventh report in a series of annual reports on the international development of nuclear power production, with special emphasis on safety issues and nuclear emergency preparedness. The report is written in collaboration between Risoe DTU and the Danish Emergency Management Agency. The report for 2009 covers the following topics: status of nuclear power production, regional trends, reactor development, safety related events, international relations, conflicts and the European safety directive. (LN)

The problem of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heimbrecht, J.; Kade, G.; Krusewitz, K.; Moldenhauer, B.; Steinhaus, K.; Weish, P.

1977-01-01

The battle over the problems of nuclear power has gone on in the Federal Republic for several years. The Buergerinitiativen, which used to be small and largely unpolitical, have become a major social force during this time. Subjects: 1) Dangers of nuclear power - can the risk be justified; 2)The necessity of nuclear power; 3) The enforcement of nuclear power - political and economic background; 4) Limits of power generation - limits of growth or limits of the system. (orig./HP) [de

Nuclear power renaissance or demise?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dossani, Umair

2010-09-15

Nuclear power is going through a renaissance or demise is widely debated around the world keeping in mind the facts that there are risks related to nuclear technology and at the same time that is it environmentally friendly. My part of the argument is that there is no better alternative than Nuclear power. Firstly Nuclear Power in comparison to all other alternative fuels is environmentally sustainable. Second Nuclear power at present is at the dawn of a new era with new designs and technologies. Third part of the debate is renovation in the nuclear fuel production, reprocessing and disposal.

Liberation of electric power and nuclear power generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yajima, Masayuki

2000-01-01

In Japan, as the Rule on Electric Business was revised after an interval of 35 years in 1995, and a competitive bid on new electric source was adopted after 1996 fiscal year, investigation on further competition introduction to electric power market was begun by establishment of the Basic Group of the Electric Business Council in 1997. By a report proposed on January, 1999 by the Group, the Rule was revised again on March, 1999 to start a partial liberation or retail of the electric power from March, 2000. From a viewpoint of energy security and for solution of global environmental problem in Japan it has been decided to positively promote nuclear power in future. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate how the competition introduction affects to development of nuclear power generation and what is a market liberation model capable of harmonizing with the development on liberation of electric power market. Here was elucidated on effect of the introduction on previous and future nuclear power generation, after introducing new aspects of nuclear power problems and investigating characteristic points and investment risks specific to the nuclear power generation. And, by investigating some possibilities to development of nuclear power generation under liberation models of each market, an implication was shown on how to be future liberation on electric power market in Japan. (G.K.)

Nuclear power. Volume 2: nuclear power project management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1980-01-01

The following topics are discussed: review of nuclear power plants; licensing procedures; safety analysis; project professional services; quality assurance and project organization; construction, scheduling and operation; construction, scheduling and operation; nuclear fuel handling and fuel management; and plant cost management. 116 references, 115 figures, 33 tables

Development of Czechoslovak nuclear power complex

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajci, T.

1986-01-01

The research project ''Development of the Czechoslovak nuclear power complex'' was undertaken by several Czechoslovak institutions and was coordinated by the Research Institute of the Fuel and Power Complex in Bratislava. Involved in the project was a staff of 170 people. 274 reports were pulished and the cost approached 70 mill. Czechoslovak crowns. The results are characterized of all six partial tasks. Basic information was prepared for the forecast of the solution of fuel and power problems in Czechoslovakia up to the year 2000 and their prospects up to the year 2020. Program MORNAP was written for the development of nuclear power, which models the operation of a power generation and transmission system with a selectable number of nuclear power plants. Another partial task related to the fuel cycle of nuclear power plants with respect to long-term provision and management of nuclear fuel. Nuclear safety was split into three problem groups, viz.: system safety of nuclear power plant operation; radiation problems of nuclear power plant safety; quality assurance of nuclear power plant components. The two remaining tasks were devoted to nuclear power engineering and to civil engineering. (Z.M.). 3 tabs., 1 refs

The abuse of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, J.

1977-01-01

Different aspects of possible abuse of nuclear power by countries or individuals are discussed. Special attention is paid to the advantage of nuclear power, despite the risk of weapon proliferation or terrorism. The concepts of some nuclear power critics, concerning health risks in the nuclear sector are rejected as untrue and abusive

The nuclear power decisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, R.

1980-01-01

Nuclear power has now become highly controversial and there is violent disagreement about how far this technology can and should contribute to the Western energy economy. More so than any other energy resource, nuclear power has the capacity to provide much of our energy needs but the risk is now seen to be very large indeed. This book discusses the major British decisions in the civil nuclear field, and the way they were made, between 1953 and 1978. That is, it spans the period between the decision to construct Calder Hall - claimed as the world's first nuclear power station - and the Windscale Inquiry - claimed as the world's most thorough study of a nuclear project. For the period up to 1974 this involves a study of the internal processes of British central government - what the author terms 'private' politics to distinguish them from the very 'public' or open politics which have characterised the period since 1974. The private issues include the technical selection of nuclear reactors, the economic arguments about nuclear power and the political clashes between institutions and individuals. The public issues concern nuclear safety and the environment and the rights and opportunities for individuals and groups to protest about nuclear development. The book demonstrates that British civil nuclear power decision making has had many shortcomings and concludes that it was hampered by outdated political and administrative attitudes and machinery and that some of the central issues in the nuclear debate were misunderstood by the decision makers themselves. (author)

Governance of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allison, G.; Carnesale, A.; Zigman, P.; DeRosa, F.

1981-01-01

Utility decisions on whether to invest in nuclear power plants are complicated by uncertainties over future power demand, regulatory changes, public perceptions of nuclear power, and capital costs. A review of the issues and obstacles confronting nuclear power also covers the factors affecting national policies, focusing on three institutional questions: regulating the industry, regulating the regulators, and regulatory procedures. The specific recommendations made to improve safety, cost, and public acceptance will still not eliminate uncertainties unless the suggested fundamental changes are made. 29 references

China and nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fouquoire-Brillet, E.

1999-01-01

This book presents the history of nuclear power development in China from the first research works started in the 1950's for the manufacturing of nuclear weapons to the recent development of nuclear power plants. This study tries to answer the main questions raised by the attitude of China with respect to the civil and military nuclear programs. (J.S.)

Nuclear Power Plant Module, NPP-1: Nuclear Power Cost Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitelaw, Robert L.

The purpose of the Nuclear Power Plant Modules, NPP-1, is to determine the total cost of electricity from a nuclear power plant in terms of all the components contributing to cost. The plan of analysis is in five parts: (1) general formulation of the cost equation; (2) capital cost and fixed charges thereon; (3) operational cost for labor,…

Nuclear power falling to pieces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moberg, Aa.

1985-01-01

The international development during the 80s is reviewed. It is stated that the construction of plants has come to a standstill. The forecasting of nuclear power as a simple and cheap source of energy has been erroneous because of cracks and leakage, unsolved waste problems and incidents. Nuclear power companies go into liquidation and reactors are for sale. Sweden has become the country with most nuclear power per capita mainly due to its controlled decommissioning. The civilian nuclear power makes the proliferation of nuclear weapons possible. With 324 reactors all over the world, a conventional war may cause disasters like Hiroshima. It is stated that the nuclear power is a dangerous and expensive source of energy and impossible to manage. (G.B.)

Torness: proposed nuclear power station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1979-01-01

The need for and desirability of nuclear power, and in particular the proposed nuclear power station at Torness in Scotland, are questioned. Questions are asked, and answered, on the following topics: position, appearance and cost of the proposed Torness plant, and whether necessary; present availability of electricity, and forecast of future needs, in Scotland; energy conservation and alternative energy sources; radiation hazards from nuclear power stations (outside, inside, and in case of an accident); transport of spent fuel from Torness to Windscale; radioactive waste management; possibility of terrorists making a bomb with radioactive fuel from a nuclear power station; cost of electricity from nuclear power; how to stop Torness. (U.K.)

Perspectives of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vajda, Gy.

2001-01-01

In several countries the construction of nuclear power plants has been stopped, and in some counties several plants have been decommissioned or are planned to. Therefore, the question arises: have nuclear power plants any future? According to the author, the question should be reformulated: can mankind survive without nuclear power? To examine this challenge, the global power demand and its trends are analyzed. According to the results, traditional energy sources cannot be adequate to supply power. Therefore, a reconsideration of nuclear power should be imminent. The economic, environmental attractions are discussed as opposite to the lack of social support. (R.P.)

Ecological problems of nuclear power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Babaev, N S; Demin, V F; Kuz' min, I I; Stepanchikov, V I [Gosudarstvennyj Komitet po Ispol' zovaniyu Atomnoj Ehnergii SSSR, Moscow. Inst. Atomnoj Ehnergii

1978-10-01

Modern power sources including nuclear one are characterized. Basic information on radiation protection of man and biosphere is presented. Problems of radiation effect of nuclear fuel cycle enterprises on population and environment are discussed. Comparative evaluation of nuclear and thermal power effect on biosphere is made. It is shown that nuclear power is the safest power source at the present development state. The conclusion is drawn that the use of nuclear energy controlled and limited by scientifically founded norms does not present radiation hazard for population and environment.

Nuclear power and the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, St.

2009-01-01

This series of slides describes the policy of the UK government concerning nuclear power. In January 2008 the UK Government published the White Paper on the Future of Nuclear Power. The White Paper concluded that new nuclear power stations should have a role to play in this country's future energy mix. The role of the Government is neither to build nuclear power plants nor to finance them. The White Paper set out the facilitative actions the Government planned to take to reduce regulatory and planning risks associated with investing in new nuclear power stations. The White Paper followed a lengthy period of consultation where the UK Government sought a wide variety of views from stakeholders and the public across the country on the future of nuclear power. In total energy companies will need to invest in around 30-35 GW of new electricity generating capacity over the next two decades. This is equivalent to about one-third of our existing capacity. The first plants are expected to enter into service by 2018 or sooner. The Office for Nuclear Development (OND) has been created to facilitate new nuclear investment in the UK while the Nuclear Development Forum (NDF) has been established to lock in momentum to secure the long-term future of nuclear power generation in the UK. (A.C.)

Nuclear power development: History and outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Char, N.L.; Csik, B.J.

1987-01-01

The history of nuclear power development is briefly described (including the boosts from oil price shocks to the promotion of nuclear energy). The role of public opinion in relation to nuclear power is mentioned too, in particular in connection with accidents in nuclear plants. The recent trends in nuclear power development are described and the role of nuclear power is foreseen. Estimates of total and nuclear electrical generating capacity are made

Nuclear power and nuclear safety 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauritzen, B.; Nonboel, E.; Israelson, C.; Kampmann, D.; Nystrup, P.E.; Thomsen, J.

2013-11-01

The report is the tenth report in a series of annual reports on the international development of nuclear power production, with special emphasis on safety issues and nuclear emergency preparedness. The report is prepared in collaboration between DTU Nutech and the Danish Emergency Management Agency. The report for 2012 covers the following topics: status of nuclear power production, regional trends, reactor development, safety related events, international relations and conflicts, and the results of the EU stress test. (LN)

The Soviet Union and Soviet citizens in Finnish magazines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tuija Saarinen

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The focus of this article’s is to study Finnish popular journalism in 1970s and 1980s. A magazine studied in this article is Hymy (Smile, and it has been estimated that in the beginning of 1970s approximately the whole literary population of Finland read it. The purpose of this study is to analyze the different images Hymy created and published of the Soviet Union and the Soviet citizens. The central research question analyzes what kinds of issues Hymy published about the Soviet Union and its citizens before 1991. This study gives special attention to the reasons why the articles were written in the first place, and secondly, what was the nature of their content.        Hymy published 224 articles on the Soviet Union. The articles were mostly written in the spirit of criticism – not in the spirit of “friendship of the peoples” that was the official political stance of Finland toward the Soviet Union. Magazines had to be aware of the official Finnish political rhetoric concerning the relationship with the Soviet Union. Hymy as a popular magazine found a way to evade the official mandate. In Hymy, people were able to read anti-Soviet sentiments without any censoring. Therefore, Hymy not only provided its readers views and beliefs that expressed the popular beliefs and values, but also sympathized with them. The Cold War era in the 1970s and 1980s was still a post-traumatic period for Finns. The magazine Hymy was an important channel to publish stories on painful, embarrassing, and tragic subjects.

Nuclear Proliferation: A Historical Overview

Science.gov (United States)

2008-03-01

Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhstan inherited approximately 1,410 nuclear warheads and the Semipalatinsk nuclear weapons test site . This placed Kazakhstan...Soviet Union, Kazakhstan inherited approximately 1,410 nuclear warheads and the Semipalatinsk nuclear weapons test site . See Mark D. Skootsky, “An...construction of a nuclear test site . This development moved Brazil into the Modest Weapons Potential category. In 1979 the Pilot Uranium Enrichment Plant

Nuclear power perspective in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Xinrong; Xu Changhua

2003-01-01

China started developing nuclear technology for power generation in the 1970s. A substantial step toward building nuclear power plants was taken as the beginning of 1980 s. The successful constructions and operations of Qinshan - 1 NPP, which was an indigenous PWR design with the capacity of 300 MWe, and Daya Bay NPP, which was an imported twin-unit PWR plant from France with the capacity of 900 MWe each, give impetus to further Chinese nuclear power development. Now there are 8 units with the total capacity of 6100 MWe in operation and 3 units with the total capacity of 2600 MWe under construction. For the sake of meeting the increasing demand for electricity for the sustainable economic development, changing the energy mix and mitigating the environment pollution impact caused by fossil fuel power plant, a near and middle term electrical power development program will be established soon. It is preliminarily predicted that the total power installation capacity will be 750-800GWe by the year 2020. The nuclear share will account for at least 4.0-4.5 percent of the total. This situation leaves the Chinese nuclear power industry with a good opportunity but also a great challenge. A practical nuclear power program and a consistent policy and strategy for future nuclear power development will be carefully prepared and implemented so as to maintain the nuclear power industry to be healthfully developed. (author)

Nuclear power reactors of new generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponomarev-Stepnoi, N.N.; Slesarev, I.S.

1988-01-01

The paper presents discussions on the following topics: fuel supply for nuclear power; expansion of the sphere of nuclear power applications, such as district heating; comparative estimates of power reactor efficiencies; safety philosophy of advanced nuclear plants, including passive protection and inherent safety concepts; nuclear power unit of enhanced safety for the new generation of nuclear power plants. The emphasis is that designers of new generation reactors face a complicated but technically solvable task of developing highly safe, efficient, and economical nuclear power sources having a wide sphere of application

Development of nuclear powered ship in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Hiroshi

1976-01-01

The development of nuclear merchant ship in Japan was started in 1955 by the establishment of Nuclear Ship Study Group, and since then, the investigation, test and research on nuclear ships have been continued. As a result, a nuclear ocean observation and supply ship was designed for trial. Researches were carried out also in JAERI and Institute for Technical Research of Ships. Meanwhile, the nuclear icebreaker Lenin was completed in Soviet Union in 1959, the nuclear ship Savannah set out for maiden voyage in U.S. in 1962, and the construction of the nuclear ore carrier Otto Hahn was prepared in FRG. Japan Nuclear Ship Development Corp. was established in 1963, and started the design and construction of the first nuclear ship in Japan, Mutsu. The basic policy in the construction is the improvement of nuclear ship technology, the securing of safety, and the use of domestic technologies as far as possible. The progress of the design, construction and test of the Mutsu is described. Owing to the problem of radiation leak, the development of nuclear ships stagnated for a while, but the nuclear plant of the Mutsu demonstrated the expected performance in the functional test, land criticality test and zero output test, and it is expected that the bud of the independent development brought up so far can bear valuable fruit. The independent development of marine nuclear reactors should be continued by selecting the way most suitable to Japan. (Kako, I.)

On PA of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1990-01-01

Present state of things relating to the nuclear power generation are described first, focusing on the Chernobyl accident, power control test, old-wave and new-wave antinuclear movements, move toward elimination of nuclear power plants, and trend in government-level argument concerning nuclear power generation. Then the importance of public relations activities for nuclear power generation is emphasized. It is stressed that information should be supplied positively to the public to obtain public understanding and confidence. Various activities currently made to promote public relations for nuclear power generation are also outlined, focusing on the improvement in the nuclear power public relations system and practical plans for these activities. Activities for improvement in the public relations system include the organization of public relations groups, establishment and effective implementation of an overall public relations plan, training of core workers for public relations, and management of the public relations system. Other practical activities include the encouragement of the public to come and see the power generation facilities and distribution of pamphlets, and use of the media. (N.K.)

The future of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corak, Z.

2004-01-01

Energy production and use will contribute to global warming through greenhouse gas emissions in the next 50 years. Although nuclear power is faced with a lot of problems to be accepted by the public, it is still a significant option for the world to meet future needs without emitting carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and other atmospheric pollutants. In 2002, nuclear power provided approximately 17% of world energy consumption. There is belief that worldwide electricity consumption will increase in the next few years, especially in the developing countries followed by economic growth and social progress. Official forecasts shows that there will be a mere increase of 5% in nuclear electricity worldwide by 2020. There are also predictions that electricity use may increase at 75%. These predictions require a necessity for construction of new nuclear power plants. There are only a few realistic options for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation: Increase efficiency in electricity generation and use; Expand use of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, biomass and geothermal; Capture carbon dioxide emissions at fossil-fuelled electric generating plants and permanently sequester the carbon; Increase use of nuclear power. In spite of the advantages that nuclear power has, it is faced with stagnation and decline today. Nuclear power is faced with four critical problems that must be successfully defeat for the large expansion of nuclear power to succeed. Those problems are cost, safety, waste and proliferation. Disapproval of nuclear power is strengthened by accidents that occurred at Three Mile Island in 1979, at Chernobyl in 1986 and by accidents at fuel cycle facilities in Japan, Russia and in the United States of America. There is also great concern about the safety and security of transportation of nuclear materials and the security of nuclear facilities from terrorist attack. The paper will provide summarized review regarding cost, safety, waste and

Images of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashiguchi, Katsuhisa; Misumi, Jyuji; Yamada, Akira; Sakurai, Yukihiro; Seki, Fumiyasu; Shinohara, Hirofumi; Misumi, Emiko; Kinjou, Akira; Kubo, Tomonori.

1995-01-01

This study was conducted to check and see, using Hayashi's quantification method III, whether or not the respondents differed in their images of a nuclear power plant, depending on their demographic variables particularly occupations. In our simple tabulation, we compared subject groups of nuclear power plant employees with general citizens, nurses and students in terms of their images of a nuclear power plant. The results were that while the nuclear power plant employees were high in their evaluations of facts about a nuclear power plant and in their positive images of a nuclear power plant, general citizens, nurses and students were overwhelmingly high in their negative images of a nuclear power plant. In our analysis on category score by means of the quantification method III, the first correlation axis was the dimension of 'safety'-'danger' and the second correlation axis was the dimension of 'subjectivity'-'objectivity', and that the first quadrant was the area of 'safety-subjectivity', the second quadrant was the area of 'danger-subjectivity', the third quadrant as the area of 'danger-objectivity', and the forth quadrant was the area of 'safety-objectivity'. In our analysis of sample score, 16 occupation groups was compared. As a result, it was found that the 16 occupation groups' images of a nuclear power plant were, in the order of favorableness, (1) section chiefs in charge, maintenance subsection chiefs, maintenance foremen, (2) field leaders from subcontractors, (3) maintenance section members, operation section members, (4) employees of those subcontractors, (5) general citizens, nurses and students. On the 'safety-danger' dimension, nuclear power plant workers on the one hand and general citizens, nurses and students on the other were clearly divided in terms of their images of a nuclear power plant. Nuclear power plant workers were concentrated in the area of 'safety' and general citizens, nurses and students in the area of 'danger'. (J.P.N.)

Conflict nuclear power. Theses for current supply with and without nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwarz, E.

2007-01-01

In the context of a lecture at the 2nd Internationally Renewable Energy Storage Conference at 19th to 21st November, 2007, in Bonn (Federal Republic of Germany), the author of the contribution under consideration reports on theses for current supply with and without nuclear power. (1) Theses for current supply with nuclear energy: Due to a relative amount of 17 % of nuclear energy in the world-wide energy production and due to the present reactor technology, the supplies of uranium amount nearly 50 to 70 years. The security of the nuclear power stations is controversially judged in the public and policy. In a catastrophic accident in a nuclear power station, an amount of nearly 2.5 billion Euro is available for adjustment of damages (cover note). The disposal of radioactive wastes is not solved anywhere in the world. The politically demanded separation between military and civilian use of the nuclear energy technology is not possible. The exit from the nuclear energy is fixed in the atomic law. By any means, the Federal Republic of Germany is not insulated in the European Union according to its politics of nuclear exit. After legal adjustment of the exit from the nuclear energy the Federal Republic of Germany should unfold appropriate activities for the re-orientation of Euratom, Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The consideration of the use of nuclear energy in relation to the risks has to result that its current kind of use is not acceptable and to be terminated as fast as possible. (2) Theses for current supply without nuclear energy: The scenario technology enables a transparency of energy future being deliverable for political decisions. In accordance with this scenario, the initial extra costs of the development of the renewable energies and the combined heat and power generation amount approximately 4 billion Euro per year. The conversion of the power generation to renewable energies and combined heat and power generation

Economic benefits of the nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sutherland, R.J.

1985-01-01

The historical and projected benefits of nuclear power are estimated as the cost differential between nuclear power and an alternative baseload generating source times the quantity of electricity generated. From 1976 through 1981 coal and nuclear power were close competitors in most regions, with nuclear power holding a small cost advantage overall in 1976 and 1977 that subsequently eroded. When nuclear power costs are contrasted to coal power costs, national benefits from nuclear power are estimated to be $336 million from 1976 to 1981, with an additional $1.8 billion for the present value of existing plants. Fuel oil has been the dominant source of baseload generation in California, Florida, and New England. When nuclear power costs are contrasted to those of fuel oil, the benefits of nuclear power in these three regions are estimated to be $8.3 billion and $28.1 billion in terms of present value. The present value of benefits of future nuclear plants is estimated to be $8.2 billion under a midcase scenario and $43 billion under an optimistic scenario. 18 references, 10 tables

The nuclear power alternative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blix, H.

1989-04-01

The Director General of the IAEA stressed the need for energy policies and other measures which would help to slow and eventually halt the present build-up of carbon dioxide, methane and other so-called greenhouse gases, which are held to cause global warming. He urged that nuclear power and various other sources of energy, none of which contribute to global warming, should not be seen as alternatives, but should all be used to counteract the greenhouse effect. He pointed out that the commercially used renewable energies, apart from hydropower, currently represent only 0.3% of the world's energy consumption and, by contrast, the 5% of the world's energy consumption coming from nuclear power is not insignificant. Dr. Blix noted that opposition for nuclear power stems from fear of accidents and concern about the nuclear wastes. But no generation of electricity, whether by coal, hydro, gas or nuclear power, is without some risk. He emphasized that safety can never be a static concept, and that many new measures are being taken by governments and by the IAEA to further strengthen the safety of nuclear power

Reasons for the nuclear power option

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rotaru, I.; Glodeanu, F.; Mauna, T.

1994-01-01

Technical, economical and social reasons, strongly supporting the nuclear power option are reviewed. The history of Romanian nuclear power program is outlined with a particular focus on the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant project. Finally the prospective of nuclear power in Romania are assessed

Nuclear power and the nuclear fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scurr, I.F.; Silver, J.M.

1990-01-01

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization maintains an ongoing assessment of the world's nuclear technology developments, as a core activity of its Strategic Plan. This publication reviews the current status of the nuclear power and the nuclear fuel cycle in Australia and around the world. Main issues discussed include: performances and economics of various types of nuclear reactors, uranium resources and requirements, fuel fabrication and technology, radioactive waste management. A brief account of the large international effort to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion power is also given. 11 tabs., ills

Nuclear power publications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-01-01

This booklet lists 69 publications on nuclear energy available free from some of the main organisations concerned with its development and operation in the UK. Headings are: general information; the need for nuclear energy; the nuclear industry; nuclear power stations; fuel cycle; safety; waste management. (U.K.)

Dictionary of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koelzer, W.

2012-04-01

The actualized version (April 2012) of the dictionary on nuclear power includes all actualizations and new inputs since the last version of 2001. The original publication dates from 1980. The dictionary includes definitions, terms, measuring units and helpful information on the actual knowledge concerning nuclear power, nuclear facilities, and radiation protection.

Nuclear power in Eastern Europe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomas, S. (Sussex Univ., Brighton (UK). Science Policy Research Unit)

1991-01-01

The main aim of this article is that of illustrating the experience of the use of nuclear power in Eastern Europe in order to estimate the degree of adequacy or inadequacy of COMECON's nuclear technology. The author examines four areas of interest concerning: the feasibility of new orders for nuclear plants in Eastern Europe; the pros and cons of completing half-built nuclear power plants; current policy towards existing nuclear power plants; and a review of the available evidence on the operating performance of plants in Eastern Europe. The common belief that the nuclear power experience had by old COMECON countries is uniformly bad does not seem to be fully supported by the limited evidence available. In the author's opinion, the prospects for a successful nuclear power industry in these countries depends on a series on interdependent factors among which, human skills hold a prominent position.

Local society and nuclear power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-02-01

This report was made by the expert committee on region investigation, Japan Atomic Industrial Forum Inc., in fiscal years 1981 and 1982 in order to grasp the social economic influence exerted on regions by the location of nuclear power stations and the actual state of the change due to it, and to search for the way the promotion of local community should be. The influence and the effect were measured in the regions around the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Station of Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc., the Mihama Power Station of Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., and the Genkai Nuclear Power Station of Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. The fundamental recognition in this discussion, the policy of locating nuclear power stations and the management of regions, the viewpoint and way of thinking in the investigation of the regions where nuclear power stations are located, the actual state of social economic impact due to the location of nuclear power stations, the connected mechanism accompanying the location of nuclear power stations, and the location of nuclear power stations and the acceleration of planning for regional promotion are reported. In order to economically generate electric power, the rationalization in the location of nuclear power stations is necessary, and the concrete concept of building up local community must be decided. (Kako, I.)

Consideration of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smart, I.

1982-01-01

Mr. Smart notes that the optimistic promise of nuclear energy for developing countries has not been met, but feels that nuclear power can still provide a growing share of energy during the transition from oil dependence. He observes that cost-benefit analyses vary for each country, but good planning and management can give nuclear power a positive future for those developing countries which can establish a need for it; have access to the economic, technological, and human resources necessary to develop and operate it; and can make nuclear power compatible with the social, economic, and cultural structure. 11 references

Nuclear power in human medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuczera, Bernhard

2012-01-01

The public widely associate nuclear power with the megawatt dimensions of nuclear power plants in which nuclear power is released and used for electricity production. While this use of nuclear power for electricity generation is rejected by part of the population adopting the polemic attitude of ''opting out of nuclear,'' the application of nuclear power in medicine is generally accepted. The appreciative, positive term used in this case is nuclear medicine. Both areas, nuclear medicine and environmentally friendly nuclear electricity production, can be traced back to one common origin, i.e. the ''Atoms for Peace'' speech by U.S. President Eisenhower to the U.N. Plenary Assembly on December 8, 1953. The methods of examination and treatment in nuclear medicine are illustrated in a few examples from the perspective of a nuclear engineer. Nuclear medicine is a medical discipline dealing with the use of radionuclides in humans for medical purposes. This is based on 2 principles, namely that the human organism is unable to distinguish among different isotopes in metabolic processes, and the radioactive substances are employed in amounts so small that metabolic processes will not be influenced. As in classical medicine, the application of these principles serves two complementary purposes: diagnosis and therapy. (orig.)

Review of the Soviet gas industry in 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sagers, M.J.

1991-01-01

Soviet production of natural gas increased by only 18.6 billion cubic meters (2.3%) in 1990, from 796.1 billion cubic meters (BCM) to 814.7 BCM. This was the smallest annual increment and the lowest rate of growth in more than two decades. During the 1980s, annual growth typically had been in the 6-8% range, with yearly increments of 40-50 BCM. Of the national total in 1990, enterprises of the Gazprom Concern (formerly the Ministry of the Gas Industry) produced 748.0 BCM, while the Ministry of Oil and Gas produced 66.7 BCM; the latter would be mostly associated gas. Given the USSR's ample resource base, it appears that the Soviet economy is experiencing increasing problems absorbing natural gas, particularly as Soviet aggregate economic output falls along with total energy consumption. During the 1980s, when the gas industry was growing so rapidly, the Soviets absorbed the massive increments in gas supply by directing most of it to a few very large consumers - electric power stations, iron and steel plants, and nitrogenous fertilizer centers. Currently, 54.3% of gas is used for electric power generation; 32.6% in industry; and only 13.1% by the housing and municipal sector. Although the share of housing units using either natural gas or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas-butane and propane) is fairly high in the Soviet Union - 84.8% - this is mostly for cooking rather than heating, so gas use per unit is relatively small. Another problem is that the availability of gas among households is very uneven across the republics and between rural and urban areas. A table gives statistics on gas production in various regions from 1970-1990

Towards sustainable nuclear power development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrianov, Andrei A.; Murogov, Victor M.; Kuptsov, Ilya S.

2014-01-01

The review of the current situation in the nuclear energy sector carried out in this article brings to light key problems and contradictions, development trends and prospects, which finally determine the role and significance of nuclear power as a factor ensuring a sustainable energy development. Authors perspectives on the most appropriate developments of nuclear power, which should be based on a balanced use of proven innovative nuclear technologies and comprehensive multilateral approaches to the nuclear fuel cycle are expressed. The problems of wording appropriate and essential requirements for new countries with respect to their preparedness to develop nuclear programs, taking into account their development level of industry and infrastructure as well as national heritages and peculiarities, are explained. It is also indicated that one of the major components of sustainability in the development of nuclear power, which legitimates its public image as a power technology, is the necessity of developing and promoting the concepts of nuclear culture, nuclear education, and professional nuclear ethics. (orig.)