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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.
Keisuke Sasaki, Tooru Shibutani, Takahiro Itou, Takahiro Tadokoro, Shuichi Hatakeyama (Hitachi)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 573-580
After the serious accident happened in March, 2011 at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant, various countermeasures are required and have been carried out. Regarding the radiation monitoring, the reinforced environmental resistance, additional monitoring equipment for the additional facilities and the diversity of monitoring principle with the existing monitoring devices are the scope of improvement. Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi-GE have been developing a fiber optic radiation monitor using a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) crystal and Eu3+ doped gadolinium tantalate (GdTaO4:Eu) crystal. Prototype monitors have been developed and their performance evaluation was carried out. As a result of the evaluation, fiber optic radiation monitors show very good characteristics for a nuclear power plant use. Therefore, we advanced a study about system constitution applying these detectors. In particular, system constitution plan and characteristics are listed in this paper in the case of CAMS, ARMS and monitoring post. Finally, the future prospects of the optic fiber radiation monitor are mentioned.
