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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.
Heemoon Kim, Kwangheon Park, Bong Goo Kim, Yong Sun Choo, Keon Sik Kim, Kun Woo Song, Kwon Pyo Hong, Young Hwan Kang, Kwangil Ho
Nuclear Technology | Volume 147 | Number 1 | July 2004 | Pages 149-156
Technical Paper | Thoria-Urania NERI | doi.org/10.13182/NT04-A3521
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Postirradiation annealing tests were performed to obtain the 133Xe diffusion coefficients in uranium dioxide (UO2) and mixed thorium-uranium dioxide [(Th-U)O2] fuels. Specimens were a single-grained UO2, a polycrystalline UO2, and a polycrystalline (Th-U)O2. The (Th-U)O2 specimen was a mixture of 35% ThO2 and 65% UO2. Each 300-mg specimen was irradiated to a burnup of 0.1 MWd/t U. Postirradiation annealing tests were performed at 1400, 1500, and 1600°C, continuously. The xenon diffusion coefficients for the nearly stoichiometric single-grained UO2 agree well with the data of others. The xenon diffusion coefficients in the polycrystalline (Th-U)O2 are approximately one order lower than those in the polycrystalline UO2. The xenon diffusion coefficient in the (Th-U)O2 increases with the increasing oxygen potential of the ambient gas.