New York University
School of Continuing and Professional Studies
M.S. Program in Global Affairs
Nuclear Energy, the Environment and Proliferation, Y45.2460
Fall 2009,Wednesday, 3:30-6:10pm
September 8, 2009
INSTRUCTOR: Chris Gadomski
http://www.smidirect.net/nyu
OFFICE HOURS: Wednesdays by appointment
OFFICE PHONE:914.993.9060
Email:gadomski@nyu.edu
Course Calendar--Please check frequently as our schedule may change.
1. September 9th--Part One--Nuclear Energy: “The Beginning,” Introduction to the course and to nuclear energy, its problems, its image, its origins. Discussion of semester project, class objectives and procedural issues. Discuss the military roots of nuclear power. Nuclear Power test. Assignment: Read John Hershey's Hiroshima, Gadomski: Will nuclear rebound?
2. September 16th--Understanding the fission process. What are the differences between U234, U235, U238 and U239? What about the other actinides? Discussion of radiation. How do people respond? Reading: Nuclear Energy Today, Chapters 1-4. Be prepared to discuss your views in on Hiroshima and prospects for a nuclear renaissance in class. Nuclear Energy Now, Chapter 1.
3. September 23rd--Current Reactor Technologies. What are the differences between ABWR, PWR, BWR, HTGC, PBMR, Thorium Liquid Flouride, Micro Reactors. Understanding vested interests. Reading: Complete Nuclear Energy Today. Nuclear Energy Now, Chapter 2.
4. September 30th--A look at modern power generation economics...what is changing? Current Nuclear Vendors. Areva, AECL, Atomstroyexport, General Electric/Hitachi, Westinghouse/Toshiba. Who is who and why does it matter? Reading: The Economics of Nuclear Power, See: http://www.smidirect.net/nyu, Nuclear Energy: Rebirth or Resuscitation?, through page 47. Nuclear Energy Now, Chapter 3.
5. October 7th--Developing a nuclear culture. Who are the nuclear leaders? A close look at the French, the Japanese, the Koreans, the Russians, the Chinese, the US. Reading: Nuclear Power is not the Answer, pp 1-106. Nuclear Energy Now, Chapter 4.
6. October 14th --PART TWO: Nuclear Energy and The Environment—The nuclear fuel cycle. From where the uranium, how is it mined, what are the environmental consequences. What is thorium? Reading: Nuclear Power is not the Answer, pp 107-184.
7. October 21st--Operating nuclear power plants. How safe is safe? What went wrong at Three Mile Island? What happened at Chernobyl? Generation III+ reactors--can similar accidents happen again? Reading: Nuclear Energy Now, Chapter 5.
8. October 28th--Midterm (The mid-term will be a take home exam in-lieu of class on this day. I will post the exam on the blackboard on October 21st, and it is to be handed-in to me in class on November 4th as well as emailed to me no later than 6:30 on November 4th.)
9. November 4th--Carbon-free electricity? Is it true? How real is a nuclear strategy as a CO2 abatement strategy? A $6 billion price tag...what do I get? Can society afford the cost? Can society afford not to proceed? What alternatives exist? Reading TBD.
10. November 11th--What to do with nuclear waste? The back-end fuel cycle, do we dispose or do we reprocess? Reading: Nuclear Energy Now, Chapter 6.
11. November 18th--Part Three--Nuclear Energy and Proliferation—Future nuclear markets. What the world needs now--more nuclear nations? The migration of nuclear power into developing nations? Is this a positive or negative step? What are the alternatives? Nuclear energy in a distributed environment for high process heat, desalination, coal cracking, water cracking? Nuclear energy as a solution for the world's water needs? Reading: Nuclear Energy: Rebirth or Resuscitation?, page 48 to end. Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in the Middle East, pp 1-86.
12. November 25th--The origins of nuclear proliferation risk. Fuel enrichment...does Iran need 50,000 centrifuges? Reprocessing, what do I do with plutonium culled from spent fuel? Mixed oxide fuels (MOX). Fast breeder reactors. Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in the Middle East, pp 87-160.
13. December 2nd--Proliferation in the Middle East--If there is lots of oil and sun, why go nuclear? Selected in-class presentations, Term Papers Due. Reading, TBD.
14. December 9th--There will be no class on the 9th, but a final class, date tentative, will be an attempt to visit a nuclear facility. For security reasons I can not promise the site visit which will likely be limited to nine students and involve the better part of a day. A written graded assessment will be due. Students visited the Entergy Nuclear facility at Indian Point in May 2008. See: http://www.smidirect.net/published/entergy_nyu.htm