| The ever increasing demand for electricity and energy efficiency makes it too difficult to resist nuclear power as a source of energy. Nuclear power is a mature technology capable of generating large amounts of electricity in an affordable and reliable manner without adverse climate change effects. However, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima Daiichi and other nuclear accidents have increased the fear of harnessing nuclear energy. But no energy source is risk free and that includes nuclear power as well. Studies indicate a large number of deaths because of particulate emissions from coal based thermal power plants. The average mortality from coal is estimated at 170 deaths per billion kWh in comparison to 4 deaths per kWh from natural gas. The mortality rate for nuclear power is 0.09 deaths per kWh, after accounting for Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters, from uranium mining using the linear no-threshold dose hypothesis. Safe disposal of radioactive nuclear waste is also an issue. Volume 4 discusses these and several other issues pertaining to nuclear energy at length. This volume includes discussion on the following topics: o Low energy neutron physics o Nuclear energy from thorium o Quantum mechanics of nuclear decays o Quantum statistical nuclear multi fragmentation o Equilibrium nuclear states for fission energy utilization o Nuclear fusion energy from experiments to power plants o Thermonuclear burn-up of DT and DD fusion fuels o Single particle energy of nucleon and binding energies of nuclear matter o Monte Carlo code for proton therapy o Simulation procedure for continuous re fuelling in pebble bed reactors o Monte Carlo simulations for uncertainty analysis of problems in nuclear science o Fast reactor physics and computational methods o Statistical challenges in integrated nuclear safeguards o New micro-engineered materials for improved safety of nuclear power devices o Public safety management before, during and after radiological accidents o Radioactivity in the environment in the vicinity of power plants and dose assessment o Impact assessment of beyond design-basis accident o Numerical modeling for managing nuclear accidents: the Fukushima Daiichi case o Nuclear waste hazard and its solution o Inorganic phosphate cements for safe disposal of radioactive wastes o Validation of nuclear data libraries at the U-D2O benchmark systems o Neutron activation analysis of the Gd2O2S:Pr scintillation ceramics o Geo ceramics for immobilization of Sr-Cs-fractions of high level waste o Investigations on radiation induced dimensional changes in graphite o Review of research, application and development on glow discharge ion sources The volume 4 contains 28 chapters authored by 57 researchers and/or academicians from 17 nations, namely Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States of America presenting a glimpse of the various research activities being carried out in different parts of the world in the field of Nuclear Energy. |
