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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.
Valeria T. G. Riccardo, Philip L. Andrew, Alan Sandford Kaye, Peter Knoll
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 43 | Number 4 | June 2003 | Pages 493-502
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST03-A296
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In view of the modification to the Joint European Torus (JET) plasma facing components foreseen for the 2004 shutdown, the disruption design criteria for in-vessel components have been updated building on the operational experience with divertor plasmas gained since the early 1990s. In fast disruptions the largest contribution to the electromechanical loads comes from currents induced by the poloidal field change. This is proportional to the plasma current decay rate, the maximum of which is observed to be linear with the predisruption plasma current, as if the current quench in the fastest events has a fixed duration, around 10 ms. Usually vertical displacement events (VDEs) take place on a longer timescale. In these cases halo currents determine the worst loading condition. Analysis of recent VDE data confirmed the previously observed magnitude of asymmetries: toroidal peaking factor times ratio of average poloidal halo to initial plasma current up to 0.42.Experimental evidence to justify the new criteria and procedures for applying them to JET are included. The revised design criteria are discussed and compared with those used for the components already present in the JET vessel.