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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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.
Kuan-Jan Lin, Chaung Lin
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 130 | Number 1 | September 1998 | Pages 128-140
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE98-A1995
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A knowledge-based expert system was developed for generating a pressurized water reactor fuel reload design. First, an initial loading pattern was generated according to the fuel assembly's infinite multiplication factor, by using heuristic rules. Then, the fuel assembly was swapped or rotated, using heuristic rules, to satisfy an assumed search target. The search target was the defined nuclear enthalpy rise hot-channel factor FH at each fuel assembly location. When FH's of a trial loading pattern satisfied the search target, the pattern met the design limit at each exposure checkpoint for all control rods out and D-bank control rods half-inserted conditions, which is the design requirement. The developed program successfully generated several reload cycles for the Maanshan nuclear power plant in Taiwan.