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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.
L. Caldarola, P. Ferranti, F. Mitzel
Nuclear Technology | Volume 31 | Number 3 | December 1976 | Pages 306-318
Technical Paper | Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT76-A31667
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A computer program for the calculation of reactor transfer functions has been written and tested. The model used for the temperature feedbacks differs from previous models because it accounts not only for heat propagation and heat transport effects but also for effects due to the nonlinearities of thermal parameters, such as the fuel thermal conductivity, the fuel specific heat capacity, and the heat transfer coefficient of the gap between fuel and cladding. Transfer functions are evaluated by making use of analytical methods. Numerical results are also included and show that physical changes in the gap during power oscillations will have an important effect on some particular transfer functions. This result is important if one wants to evaluate the gap heat transfer coefficient from power oscillation experiments.