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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.
Willem J. Quadakkers, Hans Schuster
Nuclear Technology | Volume 66 | Number 2 | August 1984 | Pages 383-391
D.Gas/Metal Reaction | Status of Metallic Materials Development for Application in Advanced High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor / Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT84-A33441
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In corrosion tests with iron- and nickel-based alloys in simulated cooling gases of the primary circuit of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR helium), different effects have been found. The materials may be carburized or decarburized, depending on gas composition, gas supply rate, and test temperature. The surface scales may be composed of oxides and spinels, of mixed oxide/carbide layers, or of carbides, and internal oxidation may become significant. The basic corrosion mechanism could not be explained by the simple use of thermodynamics, but a significant step forward is possible if the kinetics of the different oxidation and carburization reactions are taken into account. The classical stability diagram for chromium, the most important alloying element in these alloys, can then be used for the prediction of the corrosion effects and the corrosion products. Besides the usual description of reaction rates, the kinetics must include the changes in the oxidizing and carburizing potentials at the metallic surface caused by surface scale formation. The influence of some additional alloying elements present in commercial high-temperature alloys can be estimated by comparing their stability with the stability of chromium.