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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.
W. Breitung, R. Redlinger
Nuclear Technology | Volume 111 | Number 3 | September 1995 | Pages 420-425
Technical Paper | A New Light Water Reactor Safety Concept Special / Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT95-A15870
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The response of structures to different pressure histories from hydrogen combustion is analyzed using the model of a linear undamped oscillator. The effective static pressures from a slow deflagration, a fast turbulent flame, a deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) and a stable detonation are calculated as functions of oscillator frequency. The response of components with a low natural frequency, such as the outermost shell in a large dry containment, is governed by the long-term pressure after combustion. Detonation peak pressure and impulse are not important. For structures with low frequencies, fast flames have a damage potential very similar to detonations. For the investigated pressure loads, the normally reflected detonation provides the bounding effective static pressure for oscillators up to 500 Hz. Fully confined DDT events can exceed the detonation load near the transition location for structural frequencies above ∼40 Hz.