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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 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.
Luke J. Kersting, Douglass Henderson, Alex Robinson, Eli Moll
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 193 | Number 4 | April 2019 | Pages 346-367
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2018.1525976
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Verification and validation tests have been performed for the single scattering Evaluated Electron Data Library (EEDL) implemented in the Framework for Research in Nuclear ScIence and Engineering (FRENSIE). Tests compared simulation results with experimental results for electron multiple scattering and low-energy backscattering coefficients as well as simulation results from MCNP6.2. Several bivariate grid policies (unit base, correlated, and unit base correlated) and elastic scattering implementations (coupled versus decoupled) were tested. FRENSIE showed good agreement with MCNP6.2 when using the same grid policy and elastic implementation. Logarithmic-logarithmic grid policies were found to best match experimental results. For multiple scattering, an increase in accuracy was seen when using coupled elastic scattering. When using correlated or unit-base-correlated grid policies, computational results matched the experimental measurements of Hanson et al. [Phys. Rev., Vol. 84, p. 634,(1951)] for the peak amplitude of the angular distribution to within 7% and for to within , but the unit-base grid policy showed error up to 38% and 24%, respectively. For backscattering coefficients, all results below 1 keV showed large error caused by insufficiencies in the data at that energy range. The correlated and unit-base-correlated grid policies overestimated the backscattering coefficient experimental results above 1 keV, but the unit-base grid policy was in the range of the measured experimental backscattering coefficients.
