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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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.
M. H. Anderson, P. Meekunnasombat, M. L. Corradini
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 39 | Number 2 | March 2001 | Pages 965-969
Safety and Environment | doi.org/10.13182/FST01-A11963366
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
SnxLiy and PbxLiy eutectic alloys are being considered as liquid breeding materials for nuclear fusion applications. Thus, it is important to understand the interactions that might occur if this alloy were inadvertently to contact water. In an effort to study this interaction, experiments have been conducted with the molten alloys when impacted with a vertical 2.4 m tall column of water at 30°C. The qualitative behavior of Sn75Li25 was compared with similar impacts of other candidate molten metals, specifically a lithium-lead alloy, Pb83Li171. Multiple pressure spikes were produced with Sn and Pb, while essentially only one initial pressurization followed by a few strongly damped minor peaks were observed with the different lithium alloys. Hydrogen production from the lithium water interaction was measured and used to determine the extent of the chemical reaction. Dynamic pressure traces from the physical and chemical reactions are discussed and used to compare the energetics associated with the two different eutectics. It was found that the water/eutectic interactions of Pb83Li17 and Sn75Li25 are quite similar and significantly reduced from that of pure lithium and other reactive metals.