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Instrumentation for heavy ion nuclear research
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A256 (1987) 193 North-Holland, Amsterdam
193
B O O K REVIEWS
Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors, Proceedings of an International Meeting, Petten, The Netherlands (October 14-16, 1985) (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1986) 419 pp., $74.50 The fact that many research and test reactors around the world were fuelled with highly enriched 235U of American origin worried president Carter and his administration. To avoid the remote possibility that the 235U was diverted to be used in nuclear weapons, it was declared that a transfer to 235U of low enrichment (less than 20%) should be made. However, several problems could be foreseen for the reactor owners and users. Therefore, the US Department of Energy in 1978 started a Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactor Program (RERTR). The aim was to develop the technical means needed to use the low enrichment 235U without significant penalties. Studies of this type have also been done in several other countries. The present book is a collection of the contributions to the latest international meeting on these problems. The first question is obviously: Will the transfer to low enrichment fuel lead to less useful reactors? The answer is: Not necessarily. The decrease in enrichment may be compensated by an increase of the concentration of
Instrumentation for Heavy Ion Nuclear Research, ed., Dan Shapira, Nuclear Science Research Conference Series (Harwood, Academic Publishers, New York) $49.00 One of the strongest driving forces behind the rapid growth of heavy ion nuclear physics is the extensive efforts going on to develop new instrumentation. A conference presenting recent development in this field took place in 1985 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Proceedings of this conference have now been published as
0168-9002/87/$03.50 © Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (North-Holland Physics Publishinz Division)
uranium in the fuel elements. But this means that new materials must be developed. It must be verified that the new fuel can stand the high irradiation levels in the reactor without too much damage. Its reactor physical properties must also be investigated. Will it be possible to operate a reactor as safely as before? Could one make a gradual change over to the new fuel, or must the fuel be changed all at once? Finally, there are, as always, the economical aspects to take into account. These questions and others are discussed in 36 papers from various countries. They describe materials development, irradiation tests, performance of new fuel in full reactor cores, verifying calculations of different types, radiological aspects, licensing problems and many other things. In reading the book one gets the impression that the work on low enrichment fuel has given a stimulus to think more generally on how to improve the usefulness of these research reactors, e.g. to provide better neutron beams for various research purposes. Therefore, the book is also of interest for obtaining information on the present status of research and test reactors around the world. N.G. SJt~STRAND
Volume 7 in the Nuclear Science Research Conference Series of Harwood Academic Publishers. The volume contains 18 papers distributed over about 400 pages. The main body of the papers describe the construction and status (1984) of big 411 arrangements of gas-, scintillation- and germanium detectors or magnetic recoil spectrometers for low and intermediate energies. Reviews are given on gas computer systems (Breskin) and high energy heavy ion detectors (Ludlam). Anders B.~CKLIN
193
B O O K REVIEWS
Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors, Proceedings of an International Meeting, Petten, The Netherlands (October 14-16, 1985) (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1986) 419 pp., $74.50 The fact that many research and test reactors around the world were fuelled with highly enriched 235U of American origin worried president Carter and his administration. To avoid the remote possibility that the 235U was diverted to be used in nuclear weapons, it was declared that a transfer to 235U of low enrichment (less than 20%) should be made. However, several problems could be foreseen for the reactor owners and users. Therefore, the US Department of Energy in 1978 started a Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactor Program (RERTR). The aim was to develop the technical means needed to use the low enrichment 235U without significant penalties. Studies of this type have also been done in several other countries. The present book is a collection of the contributions to the latest international meeting on these problems. The first question is obviously: Will the transfer to low enrichment fuel lead to less useful reactors? The answer is: Not necessarily. The decrease in enrichment may be compensated by an increase of the concentration of
Instrumentation for Heavy Ion Nuclear Research, ed., Dan Shapira, Nuclear Science Research Conference Series (Harwood, Academic Publishers, New York) $49.00 One of the strongest driving forces behind the rapid growth of heavy ion nuclear physics is the extensive efforts going on to develop new instrumentation. A conference presenting recent development in this field took place in 1985 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Proceedings of this conference have now been published as
0168-9002/87/$03.50 © Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (North-Holland Physics Publishinz Division)
uranium in the fuel elements. But this means that new materials must be developed. It must be verified that the new fuel can stand the high irradiation levels in the reactor without too much damage. Its reactor physical properties must also be investigated. Will it be possible to operate a reactor as safely as before? Could one make a gradual change over to the new fuel, or must the fuel be changed all at once? Finally, there are, as always, the economical aspects to take into account. These questions and others are discussed in 36 papers from various countries. They describe materials development, irradiation tests, performance of new fuel in full reactor cores, verifying calculations of different types, radiological aspects, licensing problems and many other things. In reading the book one gets the impression that the work on low enrichment fuel has given a stimulus to think more generally on how to improve the usefulness of these research reactors, e.g. to provide better neutron beams for various research purposes. Therefore, the book is also of interest for obtaining information on the present status of research and test reactors around the world. N.G. SJt~STRAND
Volume 7 in the Nuclear Science Research Conference Series of Harwood Academic Publishers. The volume contains 18 papers distributed over about 400 pages. The main body of the papers describe the construction and status (1984) of big 411 arrangements of gas-, scintillation- and germanium detectors or magnetic recoil spectrometers for low and intermediate energies. Reviews are given on gas computer systems (Breskin) and high energy heavy ion detectors (Ludlam). Anders B.~CKLIN