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Conference Spotlight
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.
F. Tovesson, T. S. Hill
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 165 | Number 2 | June 2010 | Pages 224-231
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE09-41
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The 239Pu and 241Pu neutron-induced fission cross sections have been measured from subthermal energies to 200 MeV. These measurements are part of a campaign to measure fission cross sections with high precision in support of advanced fast reactor technology. Plutonium-241 is the most active target measured in this program to date, with a half-life of 14.4 yr. The results for 239Pu are in good agreement with previous experiments and add new information to the limited knowledge on the fission cross section above 30 MeV. Discrepancies of up to 30% between the evaluations and the experimental data for 241Pu are found in the fast region, which is of particular importance for fast spectrum reactor technology, and a reevaluation of the fission cross section for this isotope is recommended.
