ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
August 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
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.
Leonard W. Gray
Nuclear Technology | Volume 40 | Number 2 | September 1978 | Pages 185-193
Technical Paper | Tutorial Materials/Design Interaction in Nuclear System / Chemical Processing | doi.org/10.13182/NT78-A26714
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Hydrazine and ferrous sulfamate are used as reductants in a variety of nuclear fuel processing solutions. An oxidant, normally sodium nitrite, must frequently be added to these nitric acid solutions before additional processing can proceed. The interactions of these four chemicals have been studied under a wide variety of conditions using a 2P factorial experimental design. It was determined that the desired oxidations of Fe2+, , and NH2SO3H to Fe3+ and N2 occur at ambient temperatures with nitric acid concentrations ≤3M without complicating side reactions. The rate of oxidation of Fe2+ by nitrous acid proceeds at about the same rate as the scavenging of nitrous acid by sulfamic acid. At nitric acid concentrations >3M and at elevated temperatures, hydrolysis of sulfamic acid to NH4HSO4 and decomposition of both hydrazine and nitrous acid become important side reactions.
