How to Drive a Nuclear Reactor (Springer Praxis Books)

I thought this was a great book and I read it through cover to cover within a week. Although I had previously understood the general principles of a Pressurised Water Reactor I learnt a lot of new technical detail such as how the steam generators produce dry steam for the turbines and how the turbine expired steam is condensed at very low pressure. It all seemed logical and straight forward. In fact I was so taken in by the technology that I decided to go about building my own reactor in the spare room.

I had a sturdy cardboard box which my washing machine came in and lots of plastic pipe and lead flashing left over from re-roofing the house ready to start construction. I even began digging a hole in the garden to make way for a deep burial waste repository. Can you imagine how annoyed as a UK resident I was when I got to chapter 23 (page 245) where it says “It’s worth noting that in most countries, building your own reactor would be illegal? In the UK, for example, legislation requires a ‘Nuclear Site Licence’...” If only the author had said this at the beginning rather than the end of the book I would have been saved a lot of otherwise wasted effort.

My other minor issue with the book was the lack of a glossary to help with the huge number of abbreviations such as RCCAs (Rod Cluster Control Assemblies) and SGTL (Steam Generator Tube Leak), MTC (Moderator Temperature Coefficient) etc. Also I thought I spotter a few minor typos.

Apart from the issues above I enjoyed reading it and I think it also makes a good reference book. The style generally makes for easy reading and I have the impression that he presents a balanced point of view but on occasions he does explicitly express some personal opinions about the technology which is good to hear. I would recommend this book to any lay person who has a strong interest in this subject.

Colin Tucker’s book is a most concise and readable account of how a PWR works. The author is constantly with you as he explains the physics of what is actually happening and progresses to the behaviour of the power plant in day to day operation. The diagrams are uncluttered easy to refer to whilst reading the text and the graphs tell the story of how the plant is responding during transient and accident recovery. The author’s occasional use of the phrase “ here comes the trick” suggests a time for the reader to think about the unique combination of theory and practicalities encountered on a nuclear power station.

My job is to drive reactors and every time I speak with Colin he teaches me something new. This book excellent and is relatively easy to read. I say relatively because it is packed with information so don't expect to finish it in a day or two! However it is accessible to anyone with an interest into how nuclear power works. Very highly recommended written by someone who knows and loves pretty much everything to do with nuclear reactors!

OK - I’m a scientist and that might make a difference. However it explains exceptionally well how our PWR nuclear reactors work. It has loads of diagrams and photos and is quite clear on how many aspects of running Britain’s PWR reactors work. It’s quite specific to these. It explains, for example, Niles a unit of measurement whose name comes from the fact 1 Nile is a large delta (change of reactivity), and this use is specific to the UK. Other countries might use Dollars and cents! The meaning of red and green lamps, to say if a valve is open or closed is also country/reactor specific, so you need to know what they mean on your reactor! Of course, you’re never going to actually drive a nuclear reactor, but nor does anyone else till they’ve had hours of practice in a simulator. However I now understand how out PWR works, how they are inherently stable. I didn’t know that altering the boron concentration in the primary coolant was the main means of moderating the reaction, I order to maintain control rods out almost full out, resulting in a more stable and symmetrical reactor configuration and best fuel burn. I could go on, but I feel I’ve learnt an incredible amount, not just about the generality of nuclear reactors, but the specifics of running, say, the Sizewell B reactor.
Well written and a joy to read. Once I started to read it, I read every word (I don’t skim, having to go over things, e.g. what’s the x axis in figure 14.2 - ah, must be the flux) and finished it a day and a half later.
A list of abbreviations and their meaning, eg RPV (reactor pressure vessel, SG (steam generator), RCP (reactor coolant pump) would be a really really useful appendix, although Colin Tucker does define each acronym before using it (generally), and they are in the index, but AFTER the expansion (so MOX comes with Mixed Oxide Fuel, ie at Mixed ..., rather than after Moving ...
Buy it! You’ll enjoy it. If you don’t then put it on the book shelf that’s behind you in your zoom sessions.

Really enjoyed this book, can’t recommend it enough. Incredibly well presented by an author who clearly knows his stuff.
I’ve read a bit on Nuclear power, ranging from books on the theory to industrial accidents and energy policy. Although all have been interesting enough, this took all those principles and ideas and presented them in an easy to read guide of what it takes to actually operate a reactor from the control room.
I work in the Power industry and feel it’s important to get information like this out to the masses! It helps balance out the bad press and scaremongering Nuclear power generation gets in the media. As this book describes the technology used in the new Nuclear reactor being built in the UK, it could be used as a tool to explain to the wider public and take some of this anxiety away.
Great read.