A list of active words and expressions

safety	– безопасность
to be of great importance	– иметь важное значение
to deal with	– иметь дело с (отношение к)
to improve	– улучшать, усовершенствовать
to provide	– обеспечивать
to be associated with	– быть связанным с
to result in	– приводить к
to melt	– плавить(-ся)
to face difficulties	– сталкиваться с трудностями
as long as	– до тех пор, пока
dispersal	– выброс (распространение)
essence	– суть
malfunction	– неполадка, поломка

Ex. 1. Fill in the blanks

1. The … of nuclear plants has become the focus of ... . 2. Modern ... of nuclear safety ensure ... operation of all systems at nuclear plants. 3. The most … discussed type of reactor malfunction is … 4. A typical LOCA means ... which results in sudden ... of the reactor vessel. 5. The ... core can … a catastrophic amount of ... products. 6. The ... of reactor safety is to protect the ... from radioactive materials. 7. The ... to safer nuclear power is a more ... ECCS and a more ... containment building. 8. There are some other problems … with the reactor safety. They are … errors in critical situations and the … of nuclear waste.

Ex. 2. Translate from Russian into English

1. международное ядерное сообщество

2. надежная работа

3. поврежденная активная зона

4. общественное сознание

5. внезапное падение давления (разгерметизация)

6. защитная оболочка

7. аварийная система охлаждения активной зоны

8. потеря теплоносителя

9. катастрофическое количество

10. суть безопасности

Ex. 3. Learn the dialogue.

– What is the LOCA?

– It is the most widely discussed type of a reactor accident.

– Well, how does it proceed?

– First, a rupture in the primary cooling system causes depressurization of the pressure vessel.

– So what?

– Well, the water boils and the core begins to heat up as the water does not provide adequate cooling.

– And how can we prevent the heating up of the core?

– The emergency core cooling system floods the core with new cooling water and thus prevents it from melting.

Ex. 4. Answer the following questions

1. What is the importance of nuclear safety?

2. What do nuclear safety standards ensure?

3. What is the most widely discussed type of reactor malfunctions?

4. What does the LOCA mean and how does it proceed?

5. What is the essence of reactor safety?

6. What is the key to safer nuclear power?

7. What problems are associated with reactor safety?

Ex. 5. Speak about the safety of nuclear reactors.

UNIT IX

Text disposal of nuclear waste

The disposal of waste is one of the most serious problems of nuclear power engineering. Though the total quantity of nuclear waste is millions of times smaller than that from a coal-burning power plant, it is difficult to dispose of it. The potential hazard associated with nuclear waste arises from the radiation it emits.

Spent fuel rods constitute the main bulk of radioactive waste. They contain byproducts of fission with very long half-lives (plutonium, cesium and strontium).

The spent rods are for some time stored under water at the reactor site, so that short-lived isotopes decay and the radioactivity of waste decreases. Then they are brought to a reprocessing plant, where the rods are chopped into pieces and unburned fuel is extracted from them.

The recovered fuel is then reprocessed and the radioactive remnants of the rods are disposed of in several ways:

a) by means of glassing (vitrification), when the waste is blended into glass;

b) by means of permanent burial of the rods placed into stainless steel containers.

The burial site must meet the following requirements:

a) it should be geologically stable;

b) it should not contain water to prevent moisture corrosion.