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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.
Ahmet Bozkurt, Nicholas Tsoulfanidis
Nuclear Technology | Volume 119 | Number 1 | July 1997 | Pages 38-47
Technical Paper | Radiation Protection | doi.org/10.13182/NT77-A35393
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Gamma-ray dose rate distribution around a pressurized water reactor spent-fuel assembly is studied using the Monte Carlo N-particle transport code (MCNP) version 4a. A detailed rod-by-rod modeling of the assembly is utilized, showing explicitly the fuel, cladding, control rod channels, and the instrumentation tube. A cylindrically distributed source of gamma rays, within every fuel rod, is considered with a seven-group energy spectrum. Dose rates are obtained by tallying the gamma rays at several axial and radial positions outside the assembly. The results indicate that the radial distribution of the dose rate can be represented by a power relationship of the form r−n, where r is the radial distance from the assembly center. Another important conclusion from this study is that the dose rate close to the assembly surface is overestimated if a homogeneous assembly model is used.