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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.
Naoki Yoshida, Takuya Ohno, Yuki Amano, Ryoichiro Yoshida, Hitoshi Abe, Yuichi Yamane
Nuclear Technology | Volume 210 | Number 10 | October 2024 | Pages 1999-2007
Note | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2306688
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A malfunction of the cooling system of high-level liquid waste (HLLW) and the failure of countermeasures may lead to the evaporation to dryness due to the loss of cooling functions (EDLCF) of the HLLW. In the EDLCF, ruthenium (Ru) can be released at a greater fraction to the initial amount than the other elements in HLLW by forming gaseous Ru. It is important to identify the chemical form of the released gaseous Ru to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the events impacting the source term assessment of Ru in this accident, such as particle formation, gas absorption, and deposition on migration pathways.
In this study, we observed the ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy of the off-gas generated during the heating of a HLLW simulant. Employing a program that allows for the separation and quantification of known components within the spectrum [ruthenium tetroxide (RuO4), nitrogen dioxide, and nitric acid], we attempted to analyze the composition of gaseous Ru within the generated off-gas. Our findings revealed RuO4 as the main component of the gaseous Ru in the off-gas after comparing the total amount of released Ru and the RuO4 released amount obtained via spectroscopic analysis.
