Harms produced by nuclear energy include the accident risks of population displacement, deaths, cancers, genetic, teratogenetic (affecting embryo and foetus) and psycho-social effects; increased radiation exposure to workers, locals and future generations from nuclear plants, uranium mines and waste storage facilities; thermal and toxic tailings pollution from nuclear plants and uranium mines; and other unknown long-term effects of increasing levels of background radiation. Historically, most greens have opposed nuclear energy alongside nuclear weapons. Recently, however, significant green spokespeople have combined with industry and governments in emphasising the need for nuclear energy in response to climate change. Based upon my experiences in the struggle against the Hinkley C nuclear power plant in Somerset, UK, this thesis contests the dominant framings of the debate. I suggest that arguments for nuclear energy are made possible by reductive understandings of the issue making it difficult to apprehend the significance of harms reinforced by nuclear energy. Taking an ecological approach I show how dominant discourses presuppose a hierarchical separation of science/politics, reinforced by and reinforcing the separation of nature/culture. These hierarchical separations depoliticise and naturalise harms produced by both nuclear energy and dominant forms of social organisation. As a result, these harms are difficult to communicate and contest as relevant to the discussion of our common futures. In this thesis I argue that we might more effectively convey the significance of these harms if we articulate them as injustices. Building upon the theory and practice of justice and liberation struggles I develop a heuristic framework for articulating injustices based around three intersecting images of politics as distribution, recognition and representation. I suggest articulating injustices of nuclear energy as i) the deprivation of basic necessities due to unequal distributions of burdens as well as goods; ii) the disrespect for ecological integrity due to desire for control of inevitable unpredictability in interaction; and iii) the denial of multiple authorities through monopolisation of rational speech and action and disengaged forms of knowledge production. Expressing harms of nuclear energy by way of this three-fold articulation of injustices politicises nuclear energy, climate change, and the dominant forms of social organisation, opening these up to political contestation to more effectively take ‘all affected’ into account before we reconsider how we might live together.

The Liquid Salt Cooled Reactor (LSCR) provides several potential benefits compared to pressurized water-cooled reactor systems. These include low operating pressure of the liquid salt coolant, the high burnup tolerance of the fuel, and the high operating temperatures which leads to increases in efficiency. However, due to inherently low heavy metal loading, the fuel cycle design presents specific challenges. In order to study options for optimizing the fuel design and fuel cycle, SCALE6.1 was used to create simplified models of the reactor and look at various parameters. The primary parameters of interest included packing factor and fuel enrichment. An economic analysis was performed on these results by developing a simple fuel cycle cost (FCC) model that could be used to compare the different options from an economic standpoint. The lithium enrichment of the FLiBe coolant was also investigated. The main focus was to understand the practical limitations associated with the Li-7 enrichment and whether it could be used for beneficial purposes. The main idea was to determine whether a lower-than-equilibrium enrichment could be used at reactor start up so that the Li-6 isotope acts as a burnable absorber. The results for the lithium enrichment study showed that the enrichment converges over time, but the amount of time required to reach steady state is much too long and the FLiBe coolant could not be utilized for reactivity control as a burnable absorber. The results found through this research provide reasonable guidelines for expected costs and narrow down the types of configurations that should be considered as fuel design options for the LSCR. Additionally, knowledge was gained on methods for modeling the system not only accurately but also efficiently to reduce the required computing power and time.

M. Tech. Business Administration / The study of perceptions on nuclear energy programmes in South Africa was aimed at a small population of students with special focus on first-year students studying in UJ, in any field of study. Quantitative data was collected using a questionnaire. Descriptive analysis was done. The perceptions were directed towards nuclear energy programmes thus determining the causes or reasons behind their perceptions and recommend r aspects to be considered as corrective measures, to combat the perceptions. These include educating the public about nuclear energy, involving the public and allowing their participation at an early stage and using better communication platforms for nuclear related public communication.

The objective of this thesis was to design a canister for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and other high-level waste in deep borehole repositories using currently available and proven oil, gas, and geothermal drilling technology. The canister is suitable for disposal of various waste forms, such as fuel assemblies and vitrified waste. The design addresses real and perceived hazards of transporting and placing high-level waste, in the form of spent reactor fuel, into a deep igneous rock environment with particular emphasis on thermal performance. The proposed boreholes are 3 to 5 km deep, in igneous rock such as granite. The rock must be in a geologically stable area from a volcanic and tectonic standpoint, and it should have low permeability, as shown in recent data taken from a Russian deep borehole. Although deep granite should remain dry, water in flooded boreholes is expected to be reducing, but potentially corrosive to steel. However, the granite and plug are the containment barrier, not the canister itself. The canisters use standard oil drilling casings. The inner diameter is 315.32mm in order to accommodate a PWR assembly with a width of 214mm. At five meters tall, each canister holds one PWR assembly. The canister thickness is 12.19mm, with an outer diameter of 339.7mm. A liner can extend to the bottom of the emplacement zone to aid in retrievability. The liner has an outer diameter of 406.4mm and a thickness of 9.52mm. The standard drill bit used with a liner of this size has an outer diameter of 444.5mm. / Contract number: N62271-97-6-0026. / US Navy (USN) author.

Recently, attention has been drawn to the viability of using S-CO(2) as a working fluid in modern reactor designs. Near the critical point, CO2 has a rapid rise in density allowing a significant reduction in the compressor work of a closed Brayton Cycle. Therefore, 45% efficiency can be achieved at much more moderate temperatures than is optimal for the helium Brayton cycles. An additional benefit of the S-CO2 system is its universal applicability as an indirect secondary Power Conversion System (PCS) coupled to most GEN-IV concept reactors, as well as fusion reactors. The United States DOE's GNEP is now focusing on the liquid Na cooled primary as an alternative to conventional Rankine steam cycles. This primary would also benefit from being coupled to an S-CO2 PCS. Despite current progress on designing the S-CO2 PCS, little work has focused on the principal supporting systems required. Many of the required auxiliary systems are similar to those used in other nuclear or fossil-fired units; others have specialized requirements when CO2 is used as the working fluid, and are therefore given attention in this thesis. Auxiliary systems analyzed within this thesis are restricted to those specific to using CO2 as the working fluid. Particular systems discussed include Coolant Make-up and Storage, Coolant Purification, and Coolant Leak Detection. / Contract number: N62271-97-G-0026. / US Navy (USN) author

The purpose of this paper is the examination of previous STS-based frameworks for rational risk evaluation and the role of Fukushima residents as co-creators of new technical codes in safety and risk. To accomplish this task, the causes of nuclear refugees’ uncertainty and distrust towards the industry and the applicability of frameworks for scientific proceduralism and democratic rationalization by Kristin Shrader-Frechette and Andrew Feenberg to this issue will be discussed.

Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo comparar os resultados obtidos com a aplicação dos métodos de Custeio Baseado em Atividades e do método de Custeio Variável em uma unidade administrativa do Governo Federal, a saber: a Instalação de Radiofarmácia do IPEN (Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares), sendo esta uma unidade de produção de radiofármacos e de pesquisas. Diante da necessidade de se adotar uma visão mais econômica e gerencial da administração pública, a investigação proporcionou informações que permitem avaliar qual dos dois métodos de custeio se mostra mais adequado para a gestão de custos naquela unidade. A pesquisa realizada é de natureza exploratória, bibliográfica e estudo de caso único. Foram rastreados cerca de 80% dos custos relevantes por observação in loco de todo o processo de fabricação do gerador de tecnécio, o qual representa o principal produto em termos de quantidade produzida e faturamento. Os resultados obtidos revelam que a Margem de Contribuição do Custeio Variável de 29,12% é bastante próxima do resultado operacional de 28,86%, antes das atividades de apoio, obtido pelo ABC. Observa-se, também, que o resultado operacional do produto não se altera frente à utilização de um ou outro método de custeio. Nos dois métodos de custeio o resultado final é de 24,20%. Isto ocorre pelo fato de que a produção é sob demanda. Não há estoque de produto acabado por este ser radioativo. A pesquisa revelou, contudo, que ambos os métodos propiciam informações úteis para a gestão e otimização dos custos e dos resultados dos processos/atividades, bem como que os dois métodos no caso em questão, podem ser utilizados de forma integrada e complementar, permitindo que se utilize o melhor conteúdo informativo de ambos. / This research aims to compare the results with the application of Activity Based Costing and Variable Costing methods in an administrative unit of the Brazilian Federal Government: the Radiopharmacy Facility of IPEN (Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research), which produces radiopharmaceuticals products and develops R&D activities. Faced with the need to adopt a more economical and managerial public administration, this research has provided information to assess which of the two costing methods proves more suitable for cost management in that unit. The research is exploratory and a single-case study. We traced about 80% of material costs by observation \"in loco\" of the entire manufacturing process of technetium generator, which represents the main product in terms of production volume and revenues. The results show that the Contribution Margin Variable Costing of 29.12% is very close to the operating income of 28.86%, ahead of support activities, obtained by ABC. It is also noted that the operational result of the product does not change by using either one or another costing method. In the two costing methods the end result is 24.20%. This occurs because the production is on demand. There is no inventory of finished product because it is radioactive. The research has revealed that both methods provide useful information for the management and optimization of costs and results of processes/activities, and that the two methods, in this case, may be used in an integrated and complementary approach, enabling to use the best information content of both.

Thesis. 1978. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Political Science. / MIROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND DEWEY. / Bibliography: leaves 159-160. / M.S.

The amount of greenhouse gas emissions mitigation required to prevent the most dramatic climate change scenarios postulated in the 2014 IPCC Synthesis Report is substantial. Prior analyses have examined the potential for nuclear energy to play a role in decarbonizing the energy sector, one of the largest contributors to emissions worldwide. However, advanced, non-light water reactors, while often touted as a viable alternative for development, have languished. Large light water development projects have a repeated history of extended construction timelines, re-work delays, and significant capital risk. With few exceptions, large-scale nuclear projects have demonstrated neither affordability nor economic competitiveness, and are not well suited to nations with smaller energy grids, or to replace fossil generation in the industrial process heat sector. If nuclear power is to play a role in decarbonization, new policy and technical solutions will be needed. In this manuscript, we examine key aspects of past performance across the nuclear enterprise and explore the future potential of nuclear energy worldwide, focusing on policy and technical solutions that may be needed to move nuclear power forward as a part of a low-carbon energy future. We do so first at a high level, examining the history of nuclear power research and development in the United States, the nation that historically has led the way in the development of this generating technology. A significant portion of our analysis is focused on new developments in this technology – advanced non-light water reactors and small modular reactors. We find that while there are promising technical solutions available, improved funding and focus in research and new models of deployment may be needed if nuclear is to play a continuing or future role. We also find that in examining potential new markets for the technology, a continuing focus on institutional readiness is critical.

Affordable energy in sufficient quantities is essential for the melioration of the world and especially developing countries. Nuclear energy has the potential to provide long-term solution for growing energy consumption in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner. Problematic factors include the financial magnitude of the initial investment, the extensive requirements for technological and institutional establishment, issues related to safety and security, and the disposal of radioactive material. This thesis analyzes the position of nuclear power in the world. Based on an analysis of advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy, it then identifies the potential for utilizing nuclear energy in emerging countries. Five developing countries, with very different starting positions, have been selected to investigate how they can secure and develop their energy requirements. The selected countries include China, Chile, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh.