In his foreword the author describes his career in the Soviet Union beginning in the 1960s, and his involvement in plasma technology, a field that blossomed in the USSR and had substantial impact on lowering the cost of nuclear fuel there, in particular, the technology of producing oxide nuclear fuel from low-enriched uranium hexafluorides. (He notes the negative effects on research of the demise of the USSR in 1991.) The first chapter gives an overview of worldwide trends in the use of nuclear power and a general analysis of plasma techniques for applications in chemical technology and metallurgy. Detailed coverage then extends to such areas such as plasma technology for opening up of ores, high frequency induction processes, plasma carbothermic processes, plasma and laser processes in uranium enrichment, and the use of microwave and plasma technologies for treating radioactive waste, among other topics. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR