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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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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.
Peter H. Titus, L. Dudek, M. Smith, A. Brooks
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 68 | Number 2 | September 2015 | Pages 416-422
Technical Paper | Proceedings of TOFE-2014 | doi.org/10.13182/FST14-993
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) is currently under construction at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) It is scheduled to start operations early in 2015. Upgrade designs were analyzed and qualified prior to the beginning of construction, but many issues arose during manufacture and assembly that required adjustments in design and analysis of components. Some designs relied on testing that occurred after final design when the actual material and processes were selected by vendors or in-house shops. Design of some components, like the bus bars, was deferred until field run interferences could be identified. Some components used materials that did not meet original specifications. New materials or processes had to be found and components sometimes needed requalification. PPPL responsible or “Cognizant Engineers” (COG’s) and analysts worked closely to work out resolution of issues and perform redesign and reanalysis. Revisions to calculations were prepared and filed. Some significant items addressed during the construction period (or Title III in DOE parlance) are selected for more detailed discussion.