Second International Symposium on Global Environment and Nuclear Energy Systems

摘要

The Second International Symposium on Global Environment and Nuclear Energy Systems (GENES) was held at Plaza Bansho in Tsuruga city, Fukui prefecture in autumn, 1996, following the first symposium at Susono city in Shizuoka prefecture in October 1994. The symposium was organized by Research Laboratory for Nuclear Reactors, Tokyo Institute of Technology and sponsored by Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (Monbusho), Atomic Energy Society of Japan, Fukui prefecture, Tsuruga city, and the Energy Research Center, Wakasa Bay. The first symposium was aimed at exchanging new knowledge with the major theme the harmonization between the nuclear energy and the global environment. In the second symposium, we focused on obtaining the in-depth prospect of future nuclear energy based on the recent R&D results and discussions. On one hand, it has been emphasized that nuclear systems release much less CO_2 than other electricity generation systems so that they are less harmful to the environment. On the other hand, it is of more significance to require that nuclear systems do not release any amount of radioactive materials that exist inside the system into the environment as wastes. Also it is required that radioactive materials should be contained in the system under any accidental condition. These issues must be the essential points which are indispensable to the harmonization. In the first symposium, we came to a conclusion that such an idealized nuclear energy system concept with zero-release of radioactive materials can be feasible from a scientific point of view.