How to Drive a Nuclear Reactor (Popular Science)

The author of this book does three really important things for those curious enough to read it. Primarily it answers the first question: So that's how it works... The second question: What do you do when something happens... is also addressed. Of course, anything out of the ordinary has ripple effects - and the author walks you through the 'what, why, & how' of the options available and the results you might expect. The third thing the reader discovers is that the nuclear power industry is very safety focused and learns & evolves, both procedure and design, by examining the mistakes that have already happened. The author explains the sequence of events for 3 notable accidents from the last fifty years. I bought the paper version of the book because pictures and diagrams on my Kindle display are an issue that annoys me. The level of detail with the diagrams and pictures in this book are sufficient to the authors purpose. You also learn some history of nuclear power, just enough in keeping with the title of the book. Acronyms are found throughout - I wish the book had a stand alone listing of them, but you can sort of manage by thumbing through the index at the back of the book. Final comments - being retired in the age of COVID, I have lots of time to read. This book is tied for 1st place on my reading list this year. The other book is titled "How the Immune System Works" by Lauren Sompayrac sixth edition. That book is what I call a "nuts and bolts" explanation of the system that protects human life, a truly marvelous gift of evolution. If you're curious, read that one as well.

On opening this book. The author makes it very clear that this is not a book that you will use to get your nuclear operator's license. However, this book is written quite well So the average person can understand the math, The operation and things about running nuclear reactors and different designs. You're walked through from the very beginning All the way through the book to operation, accidents, and different things, and you really get a better understanding of the operation of nuclear reactor system. It is a fun and interesting book and is well written for anybody interested in learning about nuclear power, operations and clearing up many misconceptions.

Great book to provide an overview to lay persons on how a nuclear reactor functions. Starts with theory and system components and how the plant works. As a ex-trained nuclear maintenance technician, I can truly attest that this book is very well written. This is an excellent book for students or people who may want to enter a career in "Nuclear Power".

Although my interest in nuclear power is mostly related to its application in naval warships, I've always been on the lookout for a decent introduction to just how a Pressurized Water Reactor works. Unfortunately, I've always been frustrated by how dense and opaque most of the material on the subject is. With "How to Drive a Nuclear Reactor," Colin Tucker has accomplished the near impossible: write a compelling, easy to follow technical narrative on the operation of a PWR which should be understandable to anyone with a slightly greater than casual interest in the subject. Rather than inundating the reader with bullet-pointed checklists and complex formulae, Tucker, who's spent nearly 35 years in the British nuclear industry, mostly at the Sizewell B plant, uses plain language explanations accompanied by numerous line graphs, flow charts, and diagrams of plant components. After some brief introductions on nuclear physics and the first reactors, the majority of the book is about, well, how to drive a nuclear reactor. You'll learn how to start the reactor from cold, raising and maintaining power, converting thermal power into electricity, dealing with a number of different types of minor to major emergencies, shutting down the reactor and replacing fuel pins, and the many, MANY things that can affect reactivity, including fuel temperature, Xenon production, and boronation of the primary circuit water. Despite being only 265 pages long, I'm amazed at how much fascinating material Tucker was able to cram in here, including discussions of how a reactor's "power shape" changes as fuel is burned up, the function of all of the major components, and some of the better-known nuclear accidents. For the price, this book delivered a lot more than I was expecting based on the whimsical title. Still, I'm reminded of another Praxis title, "How Apollo Flew to the Moon," which was a very good book elevated to excellent status by a revised and expanded second edition. I found myself wanting to know more about different reactor types and their pros and cons in comparison to PWRs, the electrical generation side of things, and a SLIGHTLY more complex discussion of the physics involved. I understand the author wanted to stick to his area of expertise, but I think an expanded edition would push this book into five-star territory for me.

An excellent book for those wishing to gain greater insight into how a nuclear power plant works. The author presents the material as if you, the reader, were being oriented to the job of a control room operator. This book is also especially valuable as a primer, or as a companion-read, to those books (and documentaries) concerning nuclear accidents, such as the Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima disasters. The text is generous with details, and is well supported with diagrams and pictures. There are a fair number of typos in the text, but I'm willing to forgive that, for the wealth of information succinctly delivered.

I’d recommend this book to anyone with an interest in nuclear energy generation, especially those willing to tackle a few physics concepts that are a step beyond high school physics.

Well sectioned, well written. This book wont give you the finer details but will give a great overview for how commercial reactors work.

My son is happy

Excellent book. Very well written and presents complex topics in a logical and clear way. Each chapter builds on the previous, so by the end it feels like the accumulation of knowledge really pays off. Nice balance between technical, engineering and science topics which make the concepts clear, but don't overwhelm. Recommended.

Livro muito bom para quem deseja conhecer o assunto sem muita física nem matemática.

Excellent book and very unique, really puts you at the command of a nuclear power plant. Explaining all the equipment and controls needed to run your plant. Usually books on nuclear energy are focussed only on incidents or waste with only very limited detail on what is really a nuclear facility.... This book fills the gap.

It's a fun book to read and have knowledge of PHWR reactor operations to general public.