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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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.
Pran K. Paul, Michael V. Gregory, Tunc Aldemir
Nuclear Technology | Volume 137 | Number 2 | February 2002 | Pages 147-162
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management and Disposal | doi.org/10.13182/NT02-A3264
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A dynamic optimization scheme has been developed to generate high-level-waste (HLW) blending sequences that optimize waste-processing parameters such as raw waste volume processed in a batch, waste-processing time, or waste-processing cost. The optimization algorithm takes advantage of the linear algebraic equation formulation and the continuous-discrete event mapping algorithms used in the Production Planning Model (ProdMod) simulator development. The FORTRAN-based optimizer is interfaced with the SPEEDUP-based dynamic process simulator ProdMod. The optimization scheme has been successfully implemented to maximize the amount of raw waste volume processed in a batch for one of the salt-processing options at the Savannah River Site HLW complex. Parametric studies demonstrate that this optimization scheme provides a realistic approach for guiding the operation of HLW complexes. The optimization scheme is applicable to other sites in the nuclear waste complex (e.g., Hanford) and also for process industries where the dynamics are simulated using Aspen Technology's SPEEDUP software development package.
