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Conference Spotlight
2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Latest News
Blades-in turbine inspections at Quad Cities set new benchmark for Constellation
When Constellation decided to install replacement Alstom low-pressure turbines at three of its boiling water reactor plants more than 15 years ago, one benefit was knowing the new turbines should operate reliably—and without major inspections—for several years.
Mingfu He, Youho Lee
Nuclear Technology | Volume 206 | Number 2 | February 2020 | Pages 358-374
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2019.1626177
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Considering the highly nonlinear behavior and phenomenological complexity of critical heat flux (CHF), this study proposes a novel method to predict CHF on microstructure surface using machine learning technologies. An extensive literature survey was conducted to collect experimental data on microstructure surfaces. Data on horizontal silicon specimens of cylindrical pillars with square arrangements were selected for both training and testing various machine learning methods, including ν-support vector machine, back-propagation neural network, radial basis function neural network, general regression neural network, and deep belief network (DBN). Among the tested machine learning methods, DBN is shown to provide the best accuracy for CHF prediction. The obtained parametric CHF behavior of DBN with respect to pillar diameter, spacing, and height agrees with the physical understanding of CHF on microstructure surfaces. The presented approach is expected to support the design optimization of microstructure for CHF maximization.