Happiness Is a Cool Reactor

A Journey in Nuclear Power Influenced by the Three Mile Island Accident

Nuclear power has been and continues to be a mystery to many people. This book tells the story of the journey of an average individual who, for over forty years, because of unintentional turns of events, became an active member of the industry and learned to understand and support this challenging but rewarding technology. With global warming and growing demands for energy worldwide, nuclear power plants in conjunction with renewable energy sources is the most promising way to support our future generations.

This book describes the fundamental concepts associated with nuclear power in a manner that can be easily understood by the average individual. It puts into perspective the risks from nuclear plant operation while using the 1979 Three Mile Island accident as a backdrop. It also explains the effects from uncontrolled reactor accidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi in a balanced perspective and explains how the industry has learned from these tragic events to become a much safer one.

You will learn about the fission process and how it is controlled, as well as how unstable atoms produce radiation and heat in the reactor core. The book describes how this heat continues to be generated even after a reactor is shut down and thus systems are designed to try to keep the core cool at all times, even during accidents. When a reactor cannot be kept cool, then emergency plans must be activated that provide measures to provide public protection. This book describes how these plans work and are regularly tested.

You will also learn about radiation exposure controls that have improved over time and how you can calculate how much exposure to radiation that you personally receive on an annual basis.