Book Reviews

摘要

Whilst this is hardly a handbook in the UK sense, it weighs in at nearly 800 pages, it is a compendium of all aspects of modern nuclear engineering. The book is a part of the CRC Press 'Mechanical Engineering Series' and the previous edition was published in 1958 when reactor engineering was carried out using slide-rules and drawing boards. Kenneth Kok has edited a book which describes nuclear engineering in the modern era using high speed digital computers and the designs that have evolved to deliver safe, secure and environmentally- acceptable power. Within its pages it addresses all the major issues associated with nuclear power through succinct and easily understandable descriptions supplemented by a large number of illustrations. It is ideal for any graduate scientist or engineer wishing to enter the nuclear or environmental engineering industries. If there is any shortcoming it is in the fact that it does lean towards the US nuclear industry in its examples of nuclear design and development but, considering the US nuclear safety record which is exemplary and the fact that the majority of the 30 contributing authors had eminent careers in that industry, it is understandable.