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NRC introduces microreactor regulatory framework
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has released a new licensing framework for microreactors and similar reactor designs that may provide a more suitable pathway for applicants with simpler technologies.
The proposed rule—known as Part 57—is the latest to come out of the NRC’s rules review and overhaul stemming from the ADVANCE Act and 2025 nuclear-related executive orders. It is also the latest framework developed for advanced reactor designs shifting away from light water reactor technology, such as the Part 53 rule finalized in March.
Ross Pivovar, Rebecca Owston
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 197 | Number 4 | April 2023 | Pages 676-685
Computer Code Abstract | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2022.2154114
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
As numerical methods and computational capacities improve, there is a greater ability to leverage more complicated physics for engineering design analyses. The primary objectives of this new modeling tool are to (1) implement medium-fidelity physics within a framework that allows for the combination of simplified modeling accuracy with detailed physics tools and (2) enable postprocessing analytics that reduce time to design. These types of tools are considered a requirement to ensure modern designs are not constrained by the tools themselves. One of the novel features of this software is flow searching, which simultaneously resolves the mesh and determines flow parameters that will allow for achieving either pressure equalization or isothermal exit conditions among user-defined groupings of channels. A space nuclear propulsion example using MixcoatlTM has been included to illustrate the use of this feature.