Author: Tom Zoellner Publisher: Penguin ISBN: 9780670020645 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 360
Book Description
A history of the powerful mineral element explores its role as a virtually limitless energy source, its controversial applications as a healing tool and weapon, and the ways in which its reputation has been used to promote war agendas in the middle east.
Author: Gabrielle Hecht Publisher: MIT Press ISBN: 0262300672 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 475
Book Description
The hidden history of African uranium and what it means—for a state, an object, an industry, a workplace—to be “nuclear.” Uranium from Africa has long been a major source of fuel for nuclear power and atomic weapons, including the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. In 2003, after the infamous “yellow cake from Niger,” Africa suddenly became notorious as a source of uranium, a component of nuclear weapons. But did that admit Niger, or any of Africa's other uranium-producing countries, to the select society of nuclear states? Does uranium itself count as a nuclear thing? In this book, Gabrielle Hecht lucidly probes the question of what it means for something—a state, an object, an industry, a workplace—to be “nuclear.” Hecht shows that questions about being nuclear—a state that she calls “nuclearity”—lie at the heart of today's global nuclear order and the relationships between “developing nations” (often former colonies) and “nuclear powers” (often former colonizers). Hecht enters African nuclear worlds, focusing on miners and the occupational hazard of radiation exposure. Could a mine be a nuclear workplace if (as in some South African mines) its radiation levels went undetected and unmeasured? With this book, Hecht is the first to put Africa in the nuclear world, and the nuclear world in Africa. By doing so, she remakes our understanding of the nuclear age.
Author: Raye Ringholz Publisher: University Press of Colorado ISBN: 0874214734 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 520
Book Description
A history of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission’s need for uranium ore in the 1950s, the frenzied search, and the aftermath. Now expanded to include the story of nuclear testing and its consequences, UraniumFrenzy has become the classic account of the uranium rush that gripped the Colorado Plateau region in the 1950s. Instigated by the U.S. government’s need for uranium to fuel its growing atomic weapons program, stimulated by Charlie Steen’s lucrative Mi Vida strike in 1952, manned by rookie prospectors from all walks of life, and driven to a fever pitch by penny stock promotions, the boom created a colorful era in the Four Corners region and Salt Lake City (where the stock frenzy was centered) but ultimately went bust. The thrill of those exciting times and the good fortune of some of the miners were countered by the darker aspects of uranium and its uses. Miners were not well informed regarding the dangers of radioactive decay products. Neither the government nor anyone else expended much effort educating them or protecting their health and safety. The effects of exposure to radiation in poorly ventilated mines appeared over time. The uranium boom is only part of the larger story of atomic weapons testing and its impact in the western United States. Nuclear explosions at the Nevada Test Site not only spurred uranium mining, they also had a disastrous impact on many Americans: downwinders in the eastward path of radiation clouds, military observers and guinea pigs in exposed positions, and Navajo and other uranium mill workers all became victims, as deaths from cancer and other radiation-caused diseases reached much higher than normal rates among them. Tons of radioactive waste left by mines, mills, and the nuclear industry and how to dispose of them are other nagging legacies of the nuclear era. Recent decades have brought multiple attempts by victims to obtain compensation from the federal government and other legal battles over disposal of nuclear waste. When courts refused to grant relief to downwinders and others, Congress eventually interceded and legislated compensation for a limited number of victims able to meet strict criteria, but did not adequately fund the program. Recently, Congress attempted to fix this shortfall, but in the meantime many downwinders and others holding compensation IOUs had died. Congressional and other efforts to dispose of waste have lately focused on Nevada and Utah, two states all too familiar with nuclear issues and reluctant to take on further radioactive burdens. “In a perceptive and touching narrative, Ringholz (The Wilderness Handbook) recalls that the Federal government in the early 1950s subsidized uranium mining for the coming atomic age. . . . Ringholz intrigues the reader with an expert blending of science, adventure, industry mania, finance, human triumph and despair and shameful official neglect.” —Publishers Weekly “The frenzied search for a reliable domestic source of uranium ore needed by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in the 1950s is the subject of Ringholz's breezy narrative, which is populated with colorful characters. . . . This is good popular reading for general collections in public libraries.” —Library Journal
Author: OECD Nuclear Energy Agency Publisher: OECD Publishing ISBN: Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 292
Book Description
The "Red Book", jointly prepared by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency, is a recognised world reference source on the uranium industry. This publication collates and analyses key information drawn from the twenty editions of the Red Book published between 1965 and 2004, in order to set out a comprehensive review of developments in the world uranium industry from the birth of civilian nuclear energy through to the beginning of the 21st century. It summarises developments in the major uranium-producing countries and topics covered include: installed nuclear capacity, reactor-related uranium requirements, market price, exploration, resources, production, natural and enriched uranium inventories, thorium, mine start-up and closure histories, environmental aspects of uranium mining and processing.
Author: Dharmendra K. Gupta Publisher: Springer ISBN: 3030149617 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 246
Book Description
In recent years, radioactive contamination in the environment by uranium (U) and its daughters has caused increasing concerns globally. This book provides recent developments and comprehensive knowledge to the researchers and academicians who are working on uranium contaminated areas worldwide. This book covers topics ranging from the beginning of the nuclear age until today, including historical views and epidemiological studies. Modelling practices and evaluation of radiological and chemical impact of uranium on man and the environment are included. Also covered are analytical methods used for the determination of uranium in geo/bio environments. Some chapters explore factors which influence uranium speciation and in consequence plant uptake/translocation. Last but not least, several chapters provide approaches and practices for remediation of uranium contaminated areas.
Author: Ian Hore-Lacy Publisher: Woodhead Publishing ISBN: 0081003331 Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 490
Book Description
Uranium for Nuclear Power: Resources, Mining and Transformation to Fuel discusses the nuclear industry and its dependence on a steady supply of competitively priced uranium as a key factor in its long-term sustainability. A better understanding of uranium ore geology and advances in exploration and mining methods will facilitate the discovery and exploitation of new uranium deposits. The practice of efficient, safe, environmentally-benign exploration, mining and milling technologies, and effective site decommissioning and remediation are also fundamental to the public image of nuclear power. This book provides a comprehensive review of developments in these areas. Provides researchers in academia and industry with an authoritative overview of the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle Presents a comprehensive and systematic coverage of geology, mining, and conversion to fuel, alternative fuel sources, and the environmental and social aspects Written by leading experts in the field of nuclear power, uranium mining, milling, and geological exploration who highlight the best practices needed to ensure environmental safety
Author: Leila Sales Publisher: University of Chicago Press ISBN: 022657198X Category : History Languages : en Pages : 243
Book Description
Item #176: A fire drill. No, not an exercise in which occupants of a building practice leaving the building safely. A drill which safely emits a bit of fire, the approximate shape and size of a drill bit. Item #74: Enter a lecture class in street clothes. Receive loud phone call. Shout “I NEED TO GO, THE CITY NEEDS ME!” Remove street clothes to reveal superhero apparel. Run out for the good of the land. Item #293: Hypnotizing a chicken seems easy, but if the Wikipedia article on the practice is to be believed, debate on the optimal method is heated. Do some trials on a real chicken and submit a report . . . for science of course. Item #234: A walking, working, people-powered but preferably wind-powered Strandbeest. Item #188: Fattest cat. Points per pound. The University of Chicago’s annual Scavenger Hunt (or “Scav”) is one of the most storied college traditions in America. Every year, teams of hundreds of competitors scramble over four days to complete roughly 350 challenges. The tasks range from moments of silliness to 1,000-mile road trips, and they call on participants to fully embrace the absurd. For students it is a rite of passage, and for the surrounding community it is a chance to glimpse the lighter side of a notoriously serious university. We Made Uranium! shares the stories behind Scav, told by participants and judges from the hunt’s more than thirty-year history. The twenty-three essays range from the shockingly successful (a genuine, if minuscule, nuclear reaction created in a dorm room) to the endearing failures (it’s hard to build a carwash for a train), and all the chicken hypnotisms and permanent tattoos in between. Taken together, they show how a scavenger hunt once meant for blowing off steam before finals has grown into one of the most outrageous annual traditions at any university. The tales told here are absurd, uplifting, hilarious, and thought-provoking—and they are all one hundred percent true.
Author: Jonathan S. Morrell Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media ISBN: 1461475910 Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 320
Book Description
Uranium Processing and Properties describes developments in uranium science, engineering and processing and covers a broad spectrum of topics and applications in which these technologies are harnessed. This book offers the most up-to-date knowledge on emerging nuclear technologies and applications while also covering new and established practices for working with uranium supplies. The book also aims to provide insights into current research and processing technology developments in order to stimulate and motivate innovation among readers. Topics covered include casting technology, plate and sheet rolling, machining of uranium and uranium alloys, forming and fabrication techniques, corrosion kinetics, nondestructive evaluation and thermal modeling.
Author: TKS Murthy Publisher: Notion Press ISBN: 1684665086 Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 174
Book Description
The principal theme of this work is the centrality of Uranium, the main raw material, in the nuclear cycle. The contemporary relevance of the subject for the wider Indian readership cannot be overstated against the backdrop of the enormous public debate around the expansion of the country’s nuclear programme. One immediate concern when the government negotiated bilateral agreements with other nuclear powers was with their political and strategic dimensions. Inevitably, a broad appreciation of the basic scientific and technological aspects of nuclear energy eluded these discussions. This book fills this knowledge gap in an important manner. The authors provide a refreshingly dispassionate assessment of the Indian nuclear reality. They underscore the extremely limited availability of Uranium resources and the far from optimal quality of the material, relative to international standards. This important aspect was hardly addressed in the main debate, which was driven by the need to project India’s case for economic growth and energy self-sufficiency. This scenario also exerts a strong bearing upon the future of the Indian nuclear programme, in particular, the country’s continued dependence on Uranium imports from the world’s nuclear powers. Further, the authors offer a scientific and threadbare analysis of the implications of radiation – an area that has pitted the nuclear establishment against environmental groups.
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Author: Tom Zoellner
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Author: Gabrielle Hecht
Author: Raye Ringholz
Author: OECD Nuclear Energy Agency
Author: Dharmendra K. Gupta
Author: Ian Hore-Lacy
Author: Leila Sales
Author: Jonathan S. Morrell
Author: TKS Murthy