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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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.
Gary E. Rochau, the Z-Pinch Power Plant Team
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 47 | Number 3 | April 2005 | Pages 641-644
Technical Paper | Fusion Energy - Inertial Fusion Technology | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-A758
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Z-Pinch Power Plant uses the results from Sandia National Laboratories' Z accelerator in a power plant application to generate energy pulses using inertial confinement fusion. A collaborative project has been initiated by Sandia to investigate the scientific principles of a power generation system using this technology. Research is under way to develop an integrated concept that describes the operational issues of a 1000 MW electrical power plant. Issues under consideration include: 1-20 gigajoule fusion pulse containment, repetitive mechanical connection of heavy hardware, generation of terawatt pulses every 10 seconds, recycling of ten thousand tons of steel, and manufacturing of millions of hohlraums and capsules per year.Additionally, waste generation and disposal issues are being examined. This paper describes the current concept for the plant and also the objectives for future research.