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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.
Charles T. Rombough, Billy V. Koen
Nuclear Technology | Volume 26 | Number 1 | May 1975 | Pages 5-11
Technical Paper | Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT75-A24399
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Studies have shown that the total energy required to construct a 1000-MW(e) nuclear power plant is about 4.1 × 109 kWh for light-water reactors. This is equivalent to ∼ 1.9% of the total energy produced by the plant (in the form of electricity) over a 30-yr life at an 80% load factor. An additional 3.4 × 108 kWh(e) of energy per year is used in maintaining the fuel cycle for a boiling-water reactor (BWR) and 3.6 × 108 kWh(e)/yr for a pressurized water reactor (PWR). This corresponds to 4.9% of the output electricity for a BWR and 5.2% for a PWR. The total investment in energy is, then, 6.8% for a BWR and 7.1% for a PWR. On a total system energy cost, nuclear plants are comparable to coal plants in that 7.8% of the plant energy is required for deep-mined coal and 6.7% for surface-mined coal.
