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How to Drive a Nuclear Reactor

  • Book
  • © 2019

Overview

Authors:
  1. Colin Tucker

    1. Wickham Market, UK

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  • Shows you that Reactor Physics isn’t Rocket Science
  • Explains why Reactors are much Safer than you might think
  • Enables anyone to understand how a Nuclear Reactor works
  • The next best thing to driving one for real

Part of the book series: Springer Praxis Books (PRAXIS)

Part of the book sub series: Popular Science (POPS)

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Table of contents (25 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
    Download chapter PDF

  2. One Man and His Dog

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 1-5

  3. Physics Is Phun!

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 7-13

  4. Being Friendly to Neutrons

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 15-23

  5. Criticality Is Not as Bad as It Sounds

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 25-34

  6. What Makes Nuclear Special?

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 35-41

  7. The Thing You Put Your Reactor in…

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 43-55

  8. Pull the Rods Out and Stand Back

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 57-67

  9. Watt Power?

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 69-80

  10. Your Reactor Is Stable (Part One)

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 81-90

  11. You’ve Got to Do Something with All that Steam

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 91-103

  12. The Big Red Button…

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 105-113

  13. Your Reactor Is Stable (Part Two)

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 115-125

  14. Putting a Spin on It

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 127-134

  15. Going Up!

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 135-143

  16. Power, and How to Change It

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 145-153

  17. Steady Power with Nothing to Do?

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 155-165

  18. It’s All About Safety

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 167-179

  19. What Can Go Wrong (and What You Can Do About It)

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 181-192

  20. Smaller Isn’t Always Easier

    • Colin Tucker
    Pages 193-203
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Keywords

About this book

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!

Reviews

“The book is great with the perfect mid-point of useful technical detail and easily understandable explanations. An excellent read for anyone interested in something a bit more in-depth than most popular science books, just so long as you go in with your brain switched on.” (Popular Science, popsciencebooks.blogspot.com, September 7, 2020)

“It should be of interest to both general readers wanting to know how a nuclear reactor works, those new to the industry, and specialists wanting a broader overview. … The book is well produced, well written and the author’s enthusiasm and sense of humour come over.” (Nigel Buttery, Nuclear Future, May-June, 2020)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Wickham Market, UK

    Colin Tucker

About the author

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.

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