Пособие к учебнику технического английского языка «Nuclear English. Language Skills for a Globalizing Industry»

Министерство науки и высшего образования Российской Федерации

Национальный исследовательский ядерный университет «МИФИ»

И.П. Кудрявцева, Л.В. Рассказова

Пособие к учебнику технического английского языка

“Nuclear English.

Language Skills for a Globalizing Industry”

Изд. 2-е, без изменений

Москва 2021

CONTENTS.

TEXTS AND VOCABULARY.

Unit 1. Climate Change. Text. Musk’s Suborbital Flights Likely Lower Carbon, If Not Actually Cheap Or Pleasant………………………………………………..……...4

Unit 3. Fuel Manufacturing. Advanced Nuclear Fuels for More Capable and Sustainable Exploration…………………….………………………………….…..….10 Unit 4. Reactor Management. Sizewell B Power Station………………………..…..14 Unit 5. Transport. Radioactive Waste - Myths and Realities(1).………………..….16 Unit 6. Reprocessing. Radioactive Waste - Myths and Realities(2)………………...22 Unit 7. Decommissioning. Extracts from Rosatom.ru…….………………………...26 Unit 8. Deep Geological Disposal. Extracts from Worldnuclear.org…………………………………………………………………….…….…30 Unit 9. Other Nuclear Applications. Magnetic Resonance Imaging at National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering………………………………..36 Unit 10. Safeguards and Security. The 'Arch 'New Safe Confinement for Reactor 4 at Chernobyl …………………………………………………………………………..41 Unit 11. Safety. Radiation Environment Monitor…...………………………………45 Unit 12. Research and Development. Extracts from Rosatom.ru ……………...…..48

LANGUAGE WORK. GRAMMAR.

1.The Present: Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present

Perfect……………………………………………………………………………….....53

2.The Past: Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect…………………………...58

3.The Future: Future Simple, “to be going to” construction, Future Continuous, Future Perfect………………………………………………………………………….64

4.Passive Voice ……………………...……………………………………………..….68

5.Countable and uncountable nouns …………..……………………………………74

6.Prefixes mis-, over-, under- ……………………………………………………..…76

7.Transitive and intransitive verbs ………..………………………………….……..78

8.Making comparison ……….………………………………………………….……79

9.Preposition + -ing, verb + preposition + -ing, too / enough …………….………..81

10.Linking words ………………….………………………………………………….85

11.Relative pronouns, adverbs and clauses ……..…………………………………..88 Table of terms………………….……………………………………………………....91 References…….……………………………………………….……………………….95

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Suborbital travel between cities has been a staple of science fiction for decades, but science fact has been in short supply. Musk‟s latest insertion into the travel industry is in line with The Boring Company and Hyperloop in that it‟s wildly different than the status quo and also deeply unlikely to turn into anything real.

Others have already dealt with the rather absurd elements of the solution, including crushing G forces, radiation exposure, launching and landing very large rockets next to major urban centres, and the not so farfetched problem of explosive failure.

But what about carbon footprint? Would it be worse than passenger jet travel today? Someone on the “March for Science” Facebook site asked this, so I decided it was time for some napkin math. As always, the fine strangers over at Quora did a good job of keeping my math honest on things like this, allowing me to present numbers with some degree of confidence.

The SpaceX BFR was originally envisioned as a liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) rocket but shifted in 2012 to methane

(CH4) and LOX. It‟s straightforward to create LH2 and LOX in an environmentally friendly way using wind and solar electricity and water, an idea I explored for Space Shuttle flights in one of the reference links, but most hydrogen is created from natural gas. Similarly, methane is almost entirely derived from natural gas, as it represents 88–92% of the naturally occurring gas. Biomethane is created in much larger volumes than carbon neutral hydrogen today and has seen decreasing carbon footprints as well. Methane is 25 to 86 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2, so leaks (which will occur) are a concern, but when burned, it creates a lot of CO2. The primary point of this is that there are lower-carbon forms of rocket fuel available, but the assessment will use normal carbon fuels to compare rockets to jet fuel trips.

There are a few assumptions and range boundaries to set:

16,000 kilometer travel distance.

Suborbital vs full orbital values to provide a lower and upper range.

Straight CO2 emissions vs well-to-rocket emissions.

Comparison is to a Boeing 747 with 876m3 of

pressurized volume and 660 passengers in one-class

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configuration. Two-class or three-class configurations have lower passengers, but Musk‟s statement was about economy class airplane travel.

The BFR is projected to have 825m3 of pressurized volume, and the ratio suggests around 620 passengers as possible for economy cost travel.

Assuming full fuelling, the BFR will produce about 4,400 tons of CO2 per launch and landing based on combining the 240 tons of CH4 and 860 tons O2 of fuel in Stage 2 plus the fuel in the booster. That gives about 7.2 tons per passenger per trip for the BFR for just the base fuel use. The well-to-rocket emissions are 40% higher assuming equivalent for CNG cars, so it‟s actually closer to 10 tons per passenger trip. Note that the majority of the extra 40% is compression and cooling, which is also amenable to low-carbon electricity and so could be reduced.

However, it likely won‟t be fully fuelled because suborbital is much easier than orbital. The maximum payload to orbit for BFR is intended to be 151,000 kg. Assuming 620 people with seats, luggage, their body mass, oxygen, and water, it‟s probably in the range of 230 kg per passenger all in for a total mass of about 143,000 kg, within the total limit. It‟s a bit of a rounding error actually with this level of napkin math, so I won‟t adjust for that.

It appears as if the BFR will likely have lower CO2 emissions per passenger than a 747 flying the same distance, somewhere from 40% of the carbon footprint up to the unlikely upper bound of 240% of the total. Different planes have different emission profiles of course, and planes have biofuel choices today. Emerging hybrid electric planes and other emerging lower carbon choices will also lower air travel emissions. And note that another answer to the same Quora question suggested higher carbon emissions using different assumptions, including 200 passengers.

While biomethane is a very accessible alternative fuel today, it‟s also about 19% more expensive according to one data point that seems reasonable. Given the already lower carbon footprint and the intended economy class model, it‟s questionable whether biomethane would be sourced. Given that SpaceX isn‟t using carbon-neutral fuels today, it‟s unlikely to do so tomorrow.

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Musk might have something that would make the world even smaller and be more carbon neutral. The price and logistics might kill it, but not the speed and probably not the carbon footprint. Of course, if it took off and more people hopped to the other side of the world than do today, the net result would still be more greenhouse gases. Having traveled across the equator and international dateline several times, I can assert that the duration of travel is as much an inhibitor as the cost.

Exercises.

Match the halves of the sentences from the text.

1)The concept is of one of SpaceX‟s Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) systems launching from a harbour and …

2)Suborbital travel between cities has been a staple of science fiction for decades, but …

3)Biomethane is created in much larger volumes than carbon neutral hydrogen today and…

4)However, it likely won‟t be fully fuelled because …

5)Different planes have different emission profiles of course, and …

6)Musk might have something that would make the world even smaller and …

a)suborbital is much easier than orbital.

b)landing on the other side of the world.

c)be more carbon neutral.

d)planes have biofuel choices today.

e)science fact has been in short supply.

f)has seen decreasing carbon footprints as well.

Comment on the following figures. In what contexts were they used in the text? a) 660 passengers; b) 825 m3; c) 4,400 tons; d) 151,000 kg.

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Write the conclusion for the text (100 words). Comment on the controversial nature of Musk‟s new project of fast travelling.

UNIT 2

URANIUM MINING

Vocabulary activator.

Match the term and its definition. Uranium, deposit, extract, mineral, milling, ore.

Place where quantities of a mineral are located. To take out, to separate.

Process by which uranium is extracted from its ore. Form of an element found in nature.

Material with economic quantities of a mineral within it.

A mildly radioactive element with two isotopes which are fissile (U- 235 and U-233).

Read the text about uranium mining in Saskatchewan and answer the following questions: 1) What are the functions of the NSEQC? 2) Does it have regulatory responsibilities? 3) What kind of a committee is the NMMS? 4) What is its staff’s mission?

Uranium Mining in Saskatchewan

(available at www.saskatchewan.ca, accessed 10.2017)

Uranium mining in Northern Saskatchewan is monitored by the Northern Saskatchewan Environmental Quality Committee (NSEQC), to confirm environmental protection measures and ensure operations are conducted to increase the socio-economic benefits of the surrounding communities.

The NSEQC, which was established in 1995, enables northerners to learn more about uranium mining activities and to see first-hand the environmental protection measures being employed, and the socioeconomic benefits being gained. The NSEQC is currently made up of representatives from some 34 northern municipal and First Nation communities that are impacted by northern mining operations. The

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member impact communities of the NSEQC are, in turn, identified in each uranium mine's Human Resource Development Agreement. Increasingly over the years, the NSEQC has become a more informed and regular voice, providing input into the decisions of both provincial and federal regulators concerning uranium mining issues in the North.

NSEQC's Vision Statement

The Environmental Quality Committee, composed of trusted and knowledgeable people each nominated by his/her community, is a bridge between northerners, government and the uranium mining industry - a bridge built upon a solid foundation of mutual trust and respect.

The Environmental Quality Committee is not vested with regulatory responsibilities, but rather is structured to provide a forum which will ensure consideration of the concerns and recommendations of northerners on the way in which uranium development occurs in northern Saskatchewan. Through informed dialogue and communication, government, the uranium mining industry, and the people of the north, together, will strive to ensure that all uranium mining activity takes place in a manner which considers the needs and aspirations of those people most directly affected, the people of northern Saskatchewan.

The Northern Mines Monitoring Secretariat

The NSEQC receives technical and organizational support from the Northern Mines Monitoring Secretariat (NMMS), an inter-ministerial committee chaired by the Ministry of Government Relations, the government ministry responsible for informing northerners about Saskatchewan's uranium mining industry.

The NMMS includes several provincial ministries that regulate and/or support the uranium industry, and also the federal Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The NMMS has a small staff complement based in La Ronge. The staff's mission is to help NSEQC members understand uranium mining and to assist the NSEQC in making informed comments about the industry.

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UNIT 3

FUEL MANUFACTURING Vocabulary activator.

Match the term and its definition. Assembly, pellet, fuel, criticality, ceramic, enriched.

Collection of parts designed to fit together.

Very hard material made from a non-metallic mineral formed by firing in an oven/kiln.

Condition of being able to sustain a nuclear chain reaction. With an increased concentration of a particular isotope. Material consumed to provide heat and power.

Small, hard, cylindrical object.

Read the text about advanced nuclear fuels and fill in the gaps with the appropriate word combinations from the list below: W- UO2 cermet (ceramic + metal); increased performance; state of art; energy densities; fission system

Explain the following acronyms (abbreviations pronounced as a word) and abbreviations.

NASA, NJOY, MSFC, NCPS, MCNP

Advanced Nuclear Fuels for More Capable and Sustainable Exploration by Michael Eades, The Ohio State University

(available www.nasa.gov, accessed 10.2017)

The exploration of space necessitates power dense energy sources. The need for power density is driven by the high cost per kilogram of putting an object into orbit combined with the much higher cost of putting an object beyond low earth orbit. Nuclear fission systems stand out as a promising space technology because of their ability to utilize fuel with unparalleled ____________.The goal of this research is to further the application and the development of advanced nuclear fuels for space applications. These advanced nuclear fuels have the potential to be more capable from a performance stand point and more sustainable from a development cost stand point. This combination of

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