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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 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.
S. G. Carpenter
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 21 | Number 4 | April 1965 | Pages 429-440
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE65-A18787
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Reactivity effects of various materials of interest to epithermal and fast reactors have been measured in a series of neutron spectra with median energies of neutrons causing fission ranging from 422 keV to 8.5 eV. An oscillator technique capable of sensitivities of 10−8 Δk was used. In addition, a power-history or ‘reactivity-vs-time’ method has been developed for fast but less sensitive reactivity measurements. It has been used to obtain radial reactivity traverses and rod calibrations and for other routine reactivity measurements.