Overview

Concerns around climate change and the drive to net-zero carbon energy have led to a nuclear renaissance in many countries and, since the publication of the first edition of this book, we have seen an increase in the amount of the world’s energy produced by nuclear power and new plants under construction. The nuclear industry continues to warn of the increasing need for a highly trained workforce and men and women are needed to perform R&D activities in a range of areas from healthcare and radiation detection to space exploration and advanced materials as well as for the nuclear power industry. Here, Karl Whittle provides an overview of the intersection of nuclear engineering and materials science at a level approachable by students from materials, engineering and physics. Written as a textbook for nuclear materials or nuclear engineering courses, the text explains the unique aspects needed in the design and implementation of materials for use in demanding nuclear settings. In addition to material properties and their interaction with radiation, the book covers a range of topics including reactor design, fuels, fusion, future technologies and lessons learned from past incidents. Featuring animated figures, this extensively updated and extended edition also includes a new chapter on materials characterisation.

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9780750323741

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Reviews

Nuclear reactors, whether fission or fusion, are environments which provide enormous challenges to materials: the combination of high temperatures, intense radiation, and a variety of chemical interactions has led to many innovative solutions. This textbook gives an excellent overview of the problems and how they have been overcome whilst keeping in mind the maxim ‘neutrons are precious, don’t waste them.’ The feature that distinguishes these environments from other situations in which high-performance materials are required is nuclear radiation, so the book begins with two chapters on atomic physics and on the damage caused by radiation. The materials for fuel and cladding are discussed next, with clear arguments for favouring oxide over metal fuel and the compromises that have to be made when designing a cladding that has a suitable melting point, is chemically compatible with the fuel and coolant, is manufacturable, mechanically stable and has acceptable neutron absorption. This is a good overview of the problems encountered in designing materials for use in nuclear reactors. A.H. Harker, Contemporary Physics, June 2022 -- A. H. Harker * Contemporary Physics *

Author Information

Karl Whittle obtained his undergraduate degree at the University of Kent, a masters from the University of Aberdeen, and PhD from The Open University. After completing his PhD he undertook postdoctoral appointments at the universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Sheffield, researching amorphous materials, and nuclear waste options. He then moved to the Australia Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), where he led research into the effects on materials of radiation damage. In 2012 he moved back the UK as a Senior Lecturer in nuclear materials at the University of Sheffield, and in 2015 he moved to the University of Liverpool as the Chair in nuclear engineering. Over the years he has developed international research links, and has active collaborations across the world.

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