ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
August 2025
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.
Yeon Soo Kim
Nuclear Technology | Volume 130 | Number 1 | April 2000 | Pages 9-17
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT00-A3073
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The literature dealing with fission gas release from UO2+x is reviewed. A simplified semiempirical model predicting fission gas release from UO2+x fuel to the fuel rod plenum as a function of stoichiometry excess x is developed to apply to the fuel of a defective light water reactor fuel rod in operation. An effective diffusion coefficient including a parabolic dependence of x is obtained based on existing data in the literature. The new diffusion coefficient is a composite expression of intrinsic, fission-enhanced, and nonstoichiometry-induced diffusion. The effective diffusion coefficient is incorporated into the Booth model to assess the time-dependent fractional fission gas release. The new model predictions are compared with existing data.
