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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
The RAIN scale: A good intention that falls short
Radiation protection specialists agree that clear communication of radiation risks remains a vexing challenge that cannot be solved solely by finding new ways to convey technical information.
Earlier this year, an article in Nuclear News described a new radiation risk communication tool, known as the Radiation Index, or, RAIN (“Let it RAIN: A new approach to radiation communication,” NN, Jan. 2025, p. 36). The authors of the article created the RAIN scale to improve radiation risk communication to the general public who are not well-versed in important aspects of radiation exposures, including radiation dose quantities, units, and values; associated health consequences; and the benefits derived from radiation exposures.
Dakshinamoorthy Sathiyamoorthy, T. Mohanty, K. Srinivas, D. Selvaraj, D. D. Thorat
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 61 | Number 2 | February 2012 | Pages 159-166
Technical Paper | First Joint ITER-IAEA Technical Meeting on Analysis of ITER Materials and Technologies | doi.org/10.13182/FST12-A13383
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
High-purity beryllium in the form of spherical pebbles of size ranging from 0.2 to 2 mm are required for neutron multiplication in the test blanket module of the helium-cooled solid breeder in ITER. The pebbles should be dense and have stringent chemical composition to withstand a high-temperature and irradiation environment. Hence, the conventional method of preparing beryllium pebbles has to be modified to a novel technique such as the rotating electrode process (REP). In the present paper REP modeling, design, and selection of process parameters to control the particle size have been carried out. Based on the results on the preparation of surrogate stainless steel spherical pebbles, beryllium pebbles have been prepared by REP, and the results obtained are presented. The important parameters that affect the pebble size and production rate are found to be anode diameter, material constants, revolutions per minute, arc gap, and the cooling cover gas in the REP chamber. The pebbles once formed are kept in levitated condition in the chamber for achieving near-perfect spherical shape. This paper also focuses on beryllium pebble handling with respect to safety and industrial hygiene control as per the prescribed international standard.