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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.
H. Y. Khater, M. E. Sawan
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 21 | Number 3 | May 1992 | Pages 2112-2116
Blanket Shield and Neutronic | doi.org/10.13182/FST92-A30032
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Activation analysis has been performed for the D-3He fueled reactor ARIES-III. The activity, decay heat and biological hazard potential (BHP) have been calculated for the low activation steel (modified HT-9) first wall and shield as a function of time following the reactor shutdown. The total activity produced in the reactor at shutdown is 1549 MCi. The total activity produced in the reactor organic coolant following 30 full power years of operation without reprocessing is 458 Ci. The modified HT-9 shield qualifies for shallow land burial as Class A low level waste. The biological dose rate after shutdown at the back of the outboard shield is too high to allow hands-on maintenance. Burning all the tritium in the plasma chamber results in increasing the radioactivity generated in ARIES-III by 65% to 85% at different times following the reactor shutdown.
