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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 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.
Jeffrey W. Lane, David L. Aumiller, Jr., Lawrence E. Hochreiter, Fan-Bill Cheung
Nuclear Technology | Volume 177 | Number 2 | February 2012 | Pages 176-187
Technical Paper | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT12-A13364
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A three-field countercurrent flow limitation (CCFL) model based on the classic flooding curve methodology has been developed and successfully demonstrated in a derivative of the COBRA-TF code. The various physical mechanisms (wave reversal, liquid bridging, and wave interfacial instability) supposed to govern the flooding and flow reversal phenomena are extremely complex and geometric dependent. As a result universally applicable numerical models for these phenomena are not currently available. The chosen approach provides flexibility and leverages the available experimental data to improve the predictive capability of the code. The model is an extension of the standard two-field (liquid-vapor) CCFL model to a three-field (liquid films, vapor, and liquid droplets) CCFL model. This extension includes providing the appropriate set of momentum equations, definitions of required superficial velocities, and new entrainment rate correlations based on CCFL conditions. Necessary criteria to enter and exit the model in a numerically stable manner are also described. The implementation of the model was verified and was shown to provide increased numerical stability in the code predictions. Improvement in the code-to-data agreement of the allowable downward liquid penetration rate for the Dukler and Smith experiments is also demonstrated.