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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Fusion Science and Technology
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.
G.L. Kulcinski, G.A. Emmert, J.P. Blanchard, L.A. El-Guebaly, H.Y. Khater, C.W. Maynard, E.A. Mogahed, J.F. Santarius, M.E. Sawan, I.N. Sviatoslavsky, L.J. Wittenberg
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 19 | Number 3 | May 1991 | Pages 791-801
Advanced Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/FST91-A29441
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The design of a 1000 MWe D-He3 tokamak fusion power plant, Apollo-L3, is presented. The reactor operates in the first plasma stability regime and relies on both direct and thermal conversion of the thermonuclear energy to electricity. The synchrotron energy is converted directly to electricity via rectennas at 80% efficiency and the thermal energy is converted through an organic coolant at 44% efficiency. It is designed with a low neutron wall loading (0.1 MW/m2) which allow a permanent first wall to be used. The overall net efficiency is 47%. A low level of induced radioactivity and the low afterheat in the reactor allows the low activation ferritic steel waste to be treated as Class A and the system to be considered as a Level 1 (Inherently Safe) device. The cost of electricity (COE) is 69 mills/kWh making it competitive with recent advanced DT reactor designs.
