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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.
Juan J. Casal, Jan Krouthén, Manuel Albendea
Nuclear Technology | Volume 151 | Number 1 | July 2005 | Pages 51-59
Technical Paper | Advances in Nuclear Fuel Management - Core Physics and Fuel Management Methods, Analytical Tools, and Benchmarks | doi.org/10.13182/NT05-A3630
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The introduction of the SVEA-96 Optima generation of advanced boiling water reactor fuel designs implies a further increment in complexity and heterogeneity that needs to be supported by accurate calculation tools. In order to take advantage of the improved economics offered by these modern fuel designs while simultaneously assuring safe and reliable reactor operation, both the reload design process and the online core monitoring procedures must be based on appropriate calculation methods. The modeling of transition cores involving the gradual introduction of these new fuel designs poses a severe challenge for the current core physics methods. Recognizing this, Westinghouse has engaged in a continuing process of improving its core physics calculation packages. This development program is supported by a comprehensive validation effort to demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of the improved methods as well as to identify areas requiring further development. The purpose of this paper is to summarize some of the results of this program.