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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!
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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.
Educational Session|Panel|Plant Reliability
Monday, August 8, 2022|10:30AM–12:00PM EDT|Banyan 2
Session Chair:
Bill Eckes (INPO)
Track Organizer:
Emmett Wilmes (MPR)
Knowledge Manager:
Ashley Bridgmon (Southern Co.)
The Plant Reliability State of the Union session will be an overview highlighting current events, plant reliability improvement initiatives, trends, and factors impacting utilities and vendors. INPO, in development of IER 21-04, identified more than 600 events that contributed to “Noteworthy - Consequential” events related to equipment related failures that, between 2018 and 2020, led to a loss of generation equivalent to shutting down the entire nuclear industry for 16 days. This session will provide an overview of the various factors and trends that result in equipment related consequential events. Many of these events will be explored in greater detail in other sessions in this Track. In addition, this session will discuss the current actions taken in the industry to address shortfalls in plant reliability and implement IER 21-04, Improving Plant Reliability. Input from discussions during this session will be factored into subsequent sessions in the Plant Reliability track for this Conference.
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