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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.
John O. Barner, Richard J. Guenther, Maxwell D. Freshley, Carl E. Crouthamel
Nuclear Technology | Volume 63 | Number 1 | October 1983 | Pages 63-81
Technical Paper | Nuclear Fuel | doi.org/10.13182/NT83-A33303
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The fuel cladding mechanical interaction behavior of developmental fuel rods irradiated in the Halden Boiling Water Reactor was evaluated based primarily on rod elongation measurements made during steady-state and power-ramping irradiation. The developmental fuel rod designs were selected based on attributes that were expected to reduce pellet-cladding interaction (PCI) failures during irradiation. Testing results were compared to a nonpressurized reference design with dished-pellet fuel. For the reference rods, there was a relationship between thermal feedback and fuel-cladding mechanical interaction during steady-state irradiation. Significant cladding stresses developed in both the axial and hoop directions in the reference rods during power ramping. During power ramping the general cladding stress distribution in fuel rods with annular fuel pellets was primarily axial while cladding stresses in rods with sphere-pac fuel were mostly in the hoop direction. These results are indicative of superior PCI resistance in the annular pellet fuel rod designs when compared to the reference and sphere-pac rods.