A. Yu. Gagarinskii

Emission of Radionuclides from the Destroyed Unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

Investigations of radionuclide emission resulting from the Chernobyl accident are briefly reviewed. Three ways to estimate emission are examined: direct investigations of radionuclides emitted from the destroyed unit; study of the quantity and composition of radionuclides emitted on the territory after the active stage of the accident was over; study of the quantity and composition of radionuclides remaining in the No. 4 unit. All three methods suffer from serious difficulties which are examined in the paper. New data are presented. These data concern estimates of the emission of fuel particles, 137Cs, and 131I. 6 tables, 17 references.

The Future of Nuclear Power: Energy, Ecology, and Safety

The results are presented of a bilateral meeting of Russian and US experts on “The future of nuclear power: energy, ecology, and safety” held on July 22–24, 2002 in Moscow. The subject of discussion was the question of how the US and Russia can provide for a future where nuclear energy will support economic growth, improve living conditions, protect the environment, and ensure nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. Several positive points concerning nuclear fuel cycle which emerged and which encourage a reexamination of the future of nuclear power are noted. It is suggested that a four- or fivefold increase by the middle of this century in the production of nuclear energy be considered and discussed as a problem which is important enough to have a global effect on electricity production, energy safety, and mitigation of the greenhouse effect. A prediction is made for the development of global nuclear power in the 21st century. Specific directions of Russian–American collaboration are proposed without setting priorities. The factors that could effectuate successful collaboration are determined.

Critical benchmark experiments at the Kurchatov Institute Russian Scientific Center

ConclusionThis brief review shows that the set of Russian data on the criticality of breeder systems, which has been well described and accepted by world society, is only a small part of the contribution of Russian scientific centers to the publication of scientific data on criticality, described and estimated at the level established by the ICSBEP. To all appearances, unpublished data contain a large number of results which could be useful for meeting the requirements of nuclear safety in the next ten years. At the same time, it is still possible to carry out new experiments on Russian assemblies, which is confirmed, in particular, by requests for several series of critical experiments at the “Kurchatov Institute” Russian Scientific Center.

Great expectations for the Russian-American collaboration in nuclear technology

The present report was commissioned by the IAEA and presented at the International Conference on Innovative Technologies for Nuclear Fuel Cycles and Nuclear Reactors (Vienna, Austria, June 23–26, 2003).

Requirements for 21st centry nuclear power plants

The development of energy production in the 21st century will be subject to more uniform per capita and regional consumption. Among the competing sources of energy, the positive qualities of nuclear power-unlimited fuel resources, high energy intensiveness, and ecological compatibility with the possibility of the wastes being highly concentrated—predetermine the development of large-scale nuclear power. The conditions for the development of such nuclear power are its ecological effectiveness and safety (of the reactors and the fuel cycle with the production of wastes), nuclear fuel breeding with adequate characteristics, and guarantees of nonproliferation of fissioning materials.Continuity in the development of nuclear power dictates the requirements for reactor systems in the near and distant future. The acceptable level of safety is closely related to the scales of nuclear power and the applications of nuclear energy sources. However, progress in decreasing the potential danger of reactors and decreasing the cost of protective systems is unavoidable. In choosing new directions, it is important to demonstrate the new qualities in the solution of the problems facing nuclear power in the future.An adequate diversity of reactor technologies could exist in the future. The requirements that will face nuclear power plants in the future stages of development and the expected stages of this development are discussed.