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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.
P. A. Rude, A. C. Nelson, Jr.
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 7 | Number 2 | February 1960 | Pages 156-161
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE60-A29085
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
It is conventional practice in the design of nuclear reactors to introduce hot channel factors to allow for spatial variations of power generation and flow distribution and for manufacturing tolerances. The factors are presently considered to be cumulative; the over-all hot channel factor at a point in the reactor is the product of all the factors applicable at the point. This paper demonstrates a more exact method of determining and interpreting the combined as well as individual hot channel factors through the use of statistical methods.