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Going Nuclear: Notes from the officially unofficial book tour
I work in the analytical labs at one of Europe’s oldest and largest nuclear sites: Sellafield, in northwestern England. I spend my days at the fume hood front, pipette in one hand and radiation probe in the other (and dosimeter pinned to my chest, of course). Outside the lab, I have a second job: I moonlight as a writer and public speaker. My new popular science book—Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the World—came out last summer, and it feels like my life has been running at full power ever since.
E. S. Bettis, W. B. Cottrell, E. R. Mann, J. L. Meem, G. D. Whitman
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 2 | Number 6 | November 1957 | Pages 841-853
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE57-A35497
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The ARE was operated successfully in November, 1954, at various power levels up to 2.5 Mw. The maximum steady-state fuel temperature was 1580°F, and there was a differential temperature between the inlet and outlet in the NaF-ZrF4-UF4 fuel of 355°F. The fuel system was in operation for 241 hr before the reactor first became critical and the nuclear operation extended over a period of 221 hr. The final 74 hr of operation were in the megawatt range and resulted in the production of 96-Mwhr of nuclear energy. Effects of various transient conditions on reactor operation were determined.