Nuclear Engineering Commons^™

Dissolution Of Kansas Evaporites, The Radioactive Waste Disposal Problem, Barbara J. Smith

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The radioactive waste repository at Lyons, Kansas, focused attention on the problem of evaporite dissolution. More study is needed in the determination of the mechanisms responsible for deterioration. Also recent water use policies have been questioned with the need pointed out for increased effectiveness in planning. Good water planning has to take into account the role of evaporite dissolution in water quality.

The Energy Needs Of The Developing Countries, Vaman Rao

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The energy needs of the developing countries are enormous. They will grow with the passage of time as the pace of economic development accelerates and those countries enter the industrial epoch. The sheer physical non-availability of coal and petroleum to most of them makes it obligatory to choose an unconventional resource as an energy-base. The nuclear fission is the only option now available which is feasible, less-expensive and plentiful. Solar and fusion may be the ultimate sources in the steady state, when appropriate technologies are developed.

The Energy Crisis: The Challenge For Nuclear Regulation, Richard T. Kennedy

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is indeed a pleasure for me to be with you again this year for your annual conference and to see so many familiar faces. Your theme -- "The Energy Crisis: Where Do We Go From Here?" -- is particularly pertinent. And, I am especially honored to be lead-off speaker on a subject of such importance to all Americans.

When I spoke to you last year, I discussed the joint efforts by the NRC and the States to reduce the overlap and duplication in reactor regulation. Today, I want to bring all of you up …

A Strategy For Utilizing Nuclear Power, Edward J. Martens

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

One of our national goals is to achieve independence in the area of energy supplies in the next few years. We believe that attaining this goal will require extensive utilization of nuclear power in conventional fission reactors. We propose that the best way to develop our nuclear resource is through government ownership of the reactors. We argue that this will minimize the risks associated with the nuclear power option and clear the way for its exploitation.

Comparison Of Nuclear And Coal Power Plants Using Net Energy Analysis, Nicholas Tsoulfanidis, Gazendra Suwal

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Net Energy Analysis has been used to compare coal and nuclear power plants. Net Energy Analysis is a method by which a system is studied in terms of the energy needed to construct and operate every unit or item associated with that system, its effects to the environment and the energy produced by the system. The results of the comparison are expressed as the ratio of the total energy output divided by the total energy input.

Attitudes Towards Quality In The Design And Construction Of Nuclear Power Plants, Daniel L. Babcock, Larry G. Harmon

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Adequate regulation of construction (and operation) of nuclear power plants has become a matter of growing national concern. Published statements by individuals speaking from two viewpoints, those of the regulatory agencies and the nuclear power industry, suggest divergent attitudes. Nineteen statements from these two points of view were evaluated for agreement or disagreement by 38 knowledgeable persons from both industry and government (of 50 solicited in a mail survey). Survey results showed a general appreciation of the need for some level of regulation and also for the possibility of over-regulation. Differences existed within as well as between the two groups, …

Plutonium Assessment Modeling -- Government Policy, Non-Proliferation, And The Government Fence, Harold A. Kurstedt Jr., Joel A. Nachlas

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Assessment modeling for the evaluation of plutonium as an energy resource is stressed, and generic mathematical model forms are outlined. Representative necessary objective functions are developed. Constraints and assumptions are listed. An example involving present-day light water reactor technology is demonstrated. Technical, environmental, and political implications are drawn. Specific new directions for analysis are suggested. The position of the boundary of government control and responsibility -- the government exclusion fence -- is shown to be a critical, but overlooked, constraint. Existing governmental uranium stockpiles may be an unmentioned, though important, constraint.