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Launching into tomorrow: NRIC guides new era of research and deployment
In June 2025, the Department of Energy announced the Reactor Pilot Program, an authorization pathway that allowed reactor developers to partner with the DOE to get first-of-a-kind (FOAK) reactors built and tested. Soon after, the DOE rolled out a complementary Fuel Line Pilot Program, which aimed to fast-track fuel projects. In all, 20 projects were accepted into the new programs.
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.