Product Description

The text is designed for junior and senior level Nuclear Engineering students. The third edition of this highly respected text offers the most current and complete introduction to nuclear engineering available. Introduction to Nuclear Engineering has been thoroughly updated with new information on French, Russian, and Japanese nuclear reactors. All units have been revised to reflect current standards. In addition to the numerous end-of-chapter problems, computer exercises have been added.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #222092 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 783 pages

From the Back Cover
The third edition of this popular book is updated to include a completely revised discussion of reactor technology, an improved discussion of the reactor physics, and a more detailed discussion of basic nuclear physics and models.

• Introduces the basics of the shell model of the nucleus and a beginning discussion of quantum mechanics.
• Discusses both U.S. and non-U.S. reactor designs, as well as advanced reactors.
• Provides for a more detailed understanding of both reactor statics and kinetics.
• Includes updated information on reactor acidents and safety.

About the Author
Anthony Baratta is currently a Professor of Nuclear Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University and Director of the Nuclear Safety Center. He received the B.A/B.S. degrees in physics/applied physics from Columbia University in 1968 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in physics from Brown University in 1970 and 1978, respectively. His research interests and contributions include reactor safety, reactor kinetics and physics, and the effects of radiation on materials. He has authored many scientific publications and made numerous presentations. He is an active member of the American Nuclear Society and has appeared on many network television and radio broadcasts as an authority on reactor accidents, including the accident at Three Mile Island.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Preface to Third Edition

This revision is derived from personal experiences in teaching introductory and advanced level nuclear engineering courses at the undergraduate level. In keeping with the original intent of John Lamarsh, every attempt is made to retain his style and approach to nuclear engineering education. Since the last edition, however, considerable changes have occurred in the industry. The changes include the development of advanced plant designs, the significant scale-back in plant construction, the extensive use of high speed computers, and the opening of the former Eastern Block countries and of the Soviet Union. From a pedagogical view, the World Wide Web allows access to many resources formerly only available in libraries. Attempts are made to include some of these resources in this edition.

In an attempt to update the text to include these technologies and to make the text useful for the study of non-western design reactors, extensive changes are made to Chapter 4, Nuclear Reactors and Nuclear Power. The chapter is revised to include a discussion of Soviet-design reactors and technology. The use, projection, and cost of nuclear power worldwide is updated to the latest available information.

In Chapter 11, Reactor Licensing and Safety, the Chernobyl accident is discussed along with the latest reactor safety study, NURG 1150. A section is also included that describes non-power nuclear accidents such, as Tokai-Mura.

The basic material in Chapters 2-7 is updated to include newer references and to reflect the author's experience in teaching nuclear engineering.

Throughout the text, the references are updated were possible to include more recent publications. In many topic areas, references to books that are dated and often out of print had to be retained, since there are no newer ones available. Since these books are usually available in college libraries, they should be available to most readers.

Chapter 9 is retained in much its same form but is updated to include a more complete discussion of the SI system of units and of changes in philosophy that have occurred in radiation protection. Since many of these changes have yet to reach general usage, however, the older discussions are still included.

As in the second edition, several errors were corrected and undoubtedly new ones introduced. Gremlins never sleep!

Customer Reviews

Student Opinion of this Text
As a textbook for teaching the fundamentals of nuclear engineering, the Lamarsh-Baratta text is horrible. It is riven with errors in the text and examples (and we are using the 3rd edition), the questions are infuriatingly vague at times and in general it does a poor job of explaining an admittedly difficult subject.

Regarding the large numbers of typos, I and my classmates had to search the web for an errata sheet and even then we continue to find errors such as formulae written incorrectly and wrong values for constants.

As for being vague, this text makes you assume many things. A favorite example is a problem early in the text where we not only have to assume neutron energies, we also had to assume fuel type. Then we have to assume energy released per fission and somehow come up with an answer we can be confident in. Ridiculous.

The examples are hit and miss - occasionally they are helpful, an omission I am sure that will be corrected in the 4th edition.

We find ourselves relying on outside texts and materials much of the time to supplement this poorly written textbook.

EDIT ADDED TWO YEARS LATER - Now with perspective from the job world...

After graduating and entering the work force, I mostly stand by the above. I will admit that I do have my copy still with me. It does provide the occasional useful overview of a wide breadth of topics.

I must once again point out the many errata. I still regard it as inexcusable even though I know mistakes do happen - but this is the 3rd edition.

Another thing that would be enormously useful would be if the next edition included units. When teaching this subject, watching how units cancel out or are used can be very, very helpful to undergrad students.

Many students will be forced to use this. I would suggest keeping it on your bookshelf, but if you are supposed to use this in your class, I strongly recommend Nuclear Reactor Engineering by Glasstone and Sesonske as a supplement. The third edition of the Glasstone book can still be found for a reasonable price if you can't afford the most recent edition.

Not as bad as some claim, but not as good either
I have used this book effectively for the past three years of my Nuclear Engineering Graduate degree and have a fond place for it in my heart. Admittedly there are better texts out there and the book has many typos and errors, but the advantage it has is the text is written so straight forward and plainly that most, if not all of the errors, can be found readily by the reader.

Overall, I recommend this book to someone who is new to the nuclear engineering field and is uncertain where to start with his or her study of the subject. Once the foundation has been laid by the material presented in this text the reader is ready to pursue other books, which may be more accurate, but not nearly as clear in their presentation of concepts. (such as Duderstadt and Hamilton.)

Excelent book for the non-nuclear engineer
A great book to self-teach nuclear engineering. Oriented to the advanced student of physics, or the engineer. Starts with a review of particle physics and modern physic basics, ending in the design of nuclear reactors, safety procedures and effects of radiation on living organisms.