Non-power applications - new missions for nuclear energy to be delivered safely and securely

This book looks to the future of nuclear technology deployed for civil and commercial purposes. The preceding chapter has introduced the technical fundamentals that have shaped today’s nuclear industry including matters of energy conversion efficiency and materials engineering. In this chapter, we explore the future of nuclear technology away from its historical orientation on the base load generation of low-carbon electricity. We introduce some potentially attractive commercial opportunities outside electricity and point to the possibility that “buyers” may be found with a greater willingness to pay and a more open approach to matters of sociotechnical and economic risk. Within this approach, we pay particular reference to safeguards and security. Key questions are proposed with the recognition that subsequent chapters will focus on specific issues relating to nuclear research and nuclear medicine, so those important aspects are not explored in detail in this chapter