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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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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.
G. L. Kulcinski, R. G. Brown, R. G. Lott, P. A. Sanger
Nuclear Technology | Volume 22 | Number 1 | April 1974 | Pages 20-35
Technical Paper | Fusion Reactor Materials / Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT74-A16271
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A detailed analysis of the radiation damage problems to be expected in a specific D-T fueled fusion reactor has been conducted. The system examined is the 5000-MW(th) University of Wisconsin Tokamak reactor (UWMAK), which is constructed of 20% cold-worked Type-316 stainless steel and operated at a maximum temperature of 500°C and a neutron wall loading of 1.25 MW/m2. The major radiation damage problem appears to be the loss in ductility; that is, the uniform elongation of the Type-316 stainless steel in the UWMAK-I first wall may fall to <0.5% after one to two years of operation. Another serious problem will be the void-induced swelling in the steel. Based on current design equations, the swelling in the steel of the first wall will exceed the design limit of 10% in approximately five years of operation. The wall erosion rate due to neutron and charged-particle sputtering, coupled with exfoliation due to blistering, is calculated to be 0.22 mm/yr. Finally, calculations reveal that the radiation damage problems in the superconducting magnets can be incorporated into the design without difficulty. The integral wall-loading limits for embrittlement, swelling, wall erosion, and magnet damage in UWMAK are calculated to be 2, 6, 25, and 100 MW yr/m2, respectively.