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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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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.
C. J. Kiger, C. D. Sexton, H. M. Hashemian, R. D. O’Hagan, L. Dormann, W. Wasfy
Nuclear Technology | Volume 200 | Number 2 | November 2017 | Pages 93-105
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2017.1360716
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper reports the results of in situ cable testing performed at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in September 2016 to assess the aging condition of a number of cables as installed in the plant. Despite having been in service for over 40 years, our results found that these cables still met their qualification criteria, were in good working condition, and could continue to serve the plant for the foreseeable future. Some degradation in the cable insulation was noted but not as much as one would expect after more than 40 years of service in a nuclear power plant. Specifically, test results revealed that 10% of cables exhibited a noticeable degree of degradation, 30% were only slightly degraded, and the remaining 60% were essentially unaffected by aging. In the case of jacketed cables, which were assessed using walkdowns performed by the plant’s personnel, almost all aging and degradation were limited to the jacket material while the underlying cable insulation was largely unaffected. This is consistent with laboratory test results, which have shown that jacket material, especially Neoprene and Hypalon, degrade much faster than cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) and other materials that are used for primary cable insulation.