How to Drive a Nuclear Reactor

Have you ever wondered how a nuclear power station works? This lively book will answer that question. It’ll take you on a journey from the science behind nuclear reactors, through their start-up, operation and shutdown. Along the way it covers a bit of the engineering, reactor history, different kinds of reactors and what can go wrong with them. Much of this is seen from the viewpoint of a trainee operator on a Pressurised Water Reactor - the most common type of nuclear reactor in the world. Colin Tucker has spent the last thirty years keeping reactors safe. Join him on a tour that is the next best thing to driving a nuclear reactor yourself!

ISBN-13: 9783030338756

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Publication Date: 01-26-2020

Pages: 264

Product Dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)

Colin Tucker has worked in the UK nuclear industry for 30 years, most of that time at Sizewell B power station. He specialises in ‘Nuclear Safety’: the safe running of the reactor, ensuring that the station is always ready to cope with anything that might happen. Over much of his career he has spent time visiting Schools, Clubs and other venues to talk about nuclear power stations – how they work, how they can be kept safe etc. In his spare time he is a bat enthusiast and a guard and signalman on the Ffestiniog Railway.

Table of Contents

One Man and His Dog.- Physics is Phun.- Being Friendly to Neutrons.- Criticality is Not as Bad as it Sounds.- What Makes Nuclear Special?.- The Thing you put your Reactor in.....- Pull the Rods Out and Stand Back.- Watt Power?.- Your Reactor is Stable (Part One).- You've got to do Something with all that Steam....- The Big Red Button.- Your Reactor is Stable (Part Two).- Putting a Spin on it.- Going Up!.- Power, and How to Change it.- Steady Power with Nothin to do?.- It's All About Safety.- What Can Go Wrong (and what you can do about it...).- Smaller isn't Always Easier.- What Else Can Go Wrong?.- When you run out of Oomph.- Other Reactor Designs are Available.- How to Build your own Reactor.- And there's more....- Conclusion.