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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.
Laura Laghi, Enrico Schiassi, Mario De Florio, Roberto Furfaro, Domiziano Mostacci
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 197 | Number 9 | September 2023 | Pages 2373-2403
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2022.2160604
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This work aims to solve six problems with four different physics-informed machine learning frameworks and compare the results in terms of accuracy and computational cost. First, we considered the diffusion-advection-reaction equations, which are second-order linear differential equations with two boundary conditions. The first algorithm is the classic Physics-Informed Neural Networks. The second one is Physics-Informed Extreme Learning Machine. The third framework is Deep Theory of Functional Connections, a multilayer neural network based on the solution approximation via a constrained expression that always analytically satisfies the boundary conditions. The last algorithm is the Extreme Theory of Functional Connections (X-TFC), which combines Theory of Functional Connections and shallow neural network with random features [e.g., Extreme Learning Machine (ELM)]. The results show that for these kinds of problems, ELM-based frameworks, especially X-TFC, overcome those using deep neural networks both in terms of accuracy and computational time.