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.
Gilles Champion, Josette Forestier, Thérèse Vergnaud
Nuclear Technology | Volume 74 | Number 1 | July 1986 | Pages 14-26
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT86-A33815
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The efforts made by Electricité de France to reduce exposure from the two-component neutrongamma radiation fields inside the pressurized water reactor (PWR) building are described. Most of the attention has been focused on the problem of neutron exposure relative to the problem of achieving a highly efficient confinement within the reactor cavity and the state of the art of personnel neutron dosimetry. A description of the general neutron calculation scheme that links the characteristics of the neutron fields escaping from the reactor vessel to the dose equivalent rate cartographies inside the reactor building is provided. Numerous measurements have been carried out to check the reference radiation sources involved in the calculation scheme and its predictions, increasing confidence in the calculational results. During the design of neutron shielding, it is necessary to take into account many requirements, particularly those of accessibility, safety, and normal operation. Some shielding materials commonly used on French PWRs are presented. The emphasis placed on the evolution of shieldings designed to prevent irradiation through the three main weaknesses of the primary concrete shield (access pit, primary bunkers, and refueling pool bottom) shows that they should become increasingly sophisticated. A comparison between the former shielding designs for three-loop PWRs and the latter for four-loop PWRs is made for this purpose.