No description available.

Thesis (Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / Worldwide a movement is underway to replace the burning of limited fossil fuel reserves for power generation with a cleaner, more efficient, yet still reliable and cost-effective method. Even though renewable technologies are often among the most common proposed, they are still limited by factors such as cost when considering large scale generation. Further requirements for replacing fossil fuel generation methods include the need to provide a continuous and reliable output for base load requirements, which is difficult to guarantee when making use of renewables alone. The proposed alternative is nuclear energy, as it is a reliable and cleaner method of power generation as compared to fossil fuels, capable of providing cost effective energy in the long run. The downside to nuclear energy, however, is the negative perception and general dislike of this method of generation, especially among the public who have been around this technology since its early days of implementation. The aim of this study is, therefore, to inform and prove that nuclear technology has evolved and come a long way since its early days, by making use of advanced technological solutions to address the fears associated with this technology from many years ago. The study further aims to prove that technologies such as advanced safety systems, new generations of reactors, advanced containment structures for both reactors and waste containment, as well as new waste disposal methods, have evolved nuclear energy into a safer and cleaner alternative method of power generation. This is achieved by first considering the origin of the negative perceptions surrounding the technology, and the nuclear accidents of the past, which have greatly influenced opinions about nuclear technology even up until today. After identifying the concerns and fears surrounding nuclear energy, research was conducted concerning how the latest technologies and innovations in safety systems are used to address these concerns, and ultimately eliminate the threats where possible. With the biggest concern identified, namely a core meltdown event leading to the release of radioactive material into the environment, two simulations were conducted to illustrate the unlikelihood of such an event occurring. The purpose of these simulations was, moreover, to illustrate the complexity and reliability of the various safety systems incorporated into the design of a nuclear power plant, preventing such a feared release of radioactivity from occurring. The research also importantly revealed that the dangers and possible threats posed by nuclear technology are often grossly overestimated, as under normal operating conditions a coal power plant, in fact, releases more radiation into the environment than a nuclear power plant. Further research reveals that the feared nuclear waste, produced by the nuclear industry yet regulated and disposed of properly, is only a small fraction of the highly hazardous waste produced on an annual basis worldwide. It is also revealed that in terms of fatalities, fossil fuel generation, on average, is responsible for more deaths annually than the biggest nuclear disasters that have ever occurred. Addressing the fears and concerns surrounding nuclear technology is therefore important, as this valuable resource may otherwise remain under-appreciated and under-utilised because of the misperceptions which currently exist amongst the public. This furthermore results in the unnecessary exhaustion of fossil fuel reserves, and concomitant pollution of the environment – all due to antiquated fears surrounding nuclear power plants.

The main objective of this research is: (1) to develop a model and perform numerical simulations to evaluate the radiation field and the resulting dose to personnel and activation of materials and structures throughout the IRIS nuclear power plant, and (2) to confirm that the doses are below the regulatory limit, and assess the possibility to reduce the activation of the concrete walls around the reactor vessel to below the free release limit. IRIS is a new integral pressurized water reactor (PWR) developed by an international team led by Westinghouse with an electrical generation capacity of 335 MWe and passive safety systems. Its design differs from larger loop PWRs in that a single building houses the containment as well as all the associated equipment including the control room that must be staffed continuously. The resulting small footprint has positive safety and economic implications, and the integral layout provides additional shielding and thus the opportunity to significantly reduce the activation, but it also leads to significantly more challenging simulations. The difficulty in modeling the entire building is the fact that the source is attenuated over 10 orders of magnitude before ever reaching the accessible areas. For an analog Monte Carlo simulation with no acceleration (variance reduction), it would take many processor-years of computation to generate results that are statistically meaningful. Instead, to generate results for this thesis, the Standardized Computer Analyses for Licensing Evaluation (SCALE) with the package Monaco with Automated Variance Reduction using Importance Calculations (MAVRIC) will be used. This package is a hybrid methodology code where the forward and adjoint deterministic calculations provide variance reduction parameters for the Monte Carlo portion to significantly reduce the computational time. Thus, the first task will be to develop an efficient SCALE/MAVRIC model of the IRIS building. The second task will be to evaluate the dose rate and activation of materials, specifically focusing on activation of concrete walls around the reactor vessel. Finally, results and recommendations will be presented.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Thesis (doctoral)--Helsinki University of Technology, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

This study is an application of production-cost duality theory. Duality theory is reviewed for the competitive and rate-of-return regulated firm. The cost function is developed for the nuclear electric power generating industry of the United States using capital, fuel and labor factor inputs. A comparison is made between the Generalized Box-Cox (GBC) and Fourier Flexible (FF) functional forms. The GBC functional form nests the Generalized Leontief, Generalized Square Root Quadratic and Translog functional forms, and is based upon a second-order Taylor-series expansion. The FF form follows from a Fourier-series expansion in sine and cosine terms using the Sobolev norm as the goodness of fit measure. The Sobolev norm takes into account first and second derivatives. The cost function and two factor shares are estimated as a system of equations using maximum likehood techniques, with Additive Standard Normal and Logistic Normal error distributions. In summary, none of the special cases of the GBC function form are accepted. Homotheticity of the underlying production technology can be rejected for both the GBC and FF forms, leaving only the unrestricted versions supported by the data. Residual analysis indicates a slight improvement in skewness and kurtosis for univariate and multivariate cases when the Logistic Normal distribution is used.

No description available.

This work investigates the factors which might influence public opinion regarding the nuclear power industry, and the accuracy of existing theories about that opinion. West Cumbrian opinion is of particular interest, because the area has the highest concentration of the nuclear power industry in the UK, and might thereby represent a potentially 'nuclear-friendly' area which would contrast with the increasing scepticism reported in the rest of the country, and indeed across much of the industrialised world. The factors which may influence public opinion are analyzed in three ways. Firstly, historical factors are presented in an account of the development of the nuclear power industry. Next, the socio-economic situation and traditions of West Cumbria are examined, in order to assess particular local influences on public opinion. Thirdly, the public relations methods of important local and national groups are examined in the light of public relations theories, in order to assess the ability of such groups to influence public opinion (a new avenue of research related to nuclear power). In order to discover the state of West Cumbrian opinion in 1994, and to assess the impact of the above factors upon that opinion, a survey was conducted using a representative sample of the population of Cockermouth, chosen as a typical Cumbrian town. The scope of questions employed in previous studies was broadened to analyze attitudes towards antinuclear groups as well as towards the industry. Great attention was paid to the methodology of the new survey, the findings of which were analyzed in the light of a comparative analysis of existing research and theories related to West Cumbrian opinion. Local opinion was contrasted with that of a national 'public' consisting of political, environmental and energy orientated organizations. This study confirmed some previously held ideas about public opinion, but also found several differences which suggest flaws in the methodology of previous research. One very important finding was that it is important not to overstate the existence of controversy surrounding the nuclear industry in West Cumbria. Overall, the West Cumbrian population appeared to be relatively nuclear friendly, but not as strongly pro-nuclear as might have been thought. A surprisingly large number of people displayed a lack of knowledge about the subject, and many showed feelings of apathy and alienation. Nuclear power and coal were found to be controversial choices of fuel supply. Wind power received more support and less opposition. Environmental groups were seen to perform a watchdog role, for which they were welcomed in West Cumbria by more people than supported the presence of either BNFL or NIREX. Levels of pOlitical activity amongst local people were low. The particular socio-economic situation in West Cumbria appeared to have had an impact upon local opinion. Support extended to the local industry, and to BNFL in particular, far more than it did to the nuclear industry in general. The insular aspect of West Cumbrian culture has affected attitudes towards those groups perceived as 'outsiders', including the national media and environmental groups. It has also affected attitudes to the industry where public relations campaigns have been targeted at a national rather than a specifically West Cumbrian audience.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Alfred P. Sloan School of Management, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND DEWEY. / Bibliography: leaves 58-59. / by Thomas J. Laslavic. / M.S.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries