DOE launches supercomputing effort to recycle 95,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel

SHINE Technologies has been selected for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission to develop an AI-enabled system for designing more efficient nuclear fuel recycling processes, while also joining a national consortium focused on applying AI across the nuclear sector. The Janesville, Wisconsin-based fusion energy company will lead a Phase I project called “AI-Guided Fuel Cycle Facility Optimization,” with Argonne National Laboratory as its technical partner. The project will use AI to help engineers evaluate fuel recycling facility designs by considering performance, product quality, and waste at the same time. The effort targets a significant US nuclear waste challenge. According to the company, the country has accumulated roughly 95,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel, and SHINE is developing technology intended to recycle that material and recover usable components. Rather than assessing individual process decisions separately, the new system is intended to examine multiple design options and weigh competing factors together. This could help engineers identify more effective recycling configurations while keeping a record of how the system arrived at its recommendations. Smarter designs for fuel The project builds on two modeling tools developed by Argonne. AMUSE models the chemistry involved in separating used nuclear fuel, while ARTEMIS models how an entire recycling facility can be configured. SHINE and Argonne will add an AI layer to these tools, allowing engineers to explore a much larger range of possible designs. The company said the technology could help identify stronger options by assessing several engineering tradeoffs simultaneously. “Energy and AI are tied together. Advanced technology needs abundant, affordable power, and AI is helping us improve the systems that can provide it, starting with the chemistry behind nuclear fuel recycling,” said Greg Piefer, founder and CEO of SHINE. “Our Genesis Mission Project will attempt to bring AI technology into our fuel recycling technology. It’s our belief we can accelerate progress by combining our commercial radiochemistry operational data with the best of AI technology.” SHINE will also participate in Prometheus, a Phase II Genesis Mission project led by Idaho National Laboratory. The national consortium brings US national laboratories and industry together to develop and apply AI across nuclear energy. From chemistry to recycling Through Prometheus, SHINE will contribute data from its fuel recycling work and receive early access to tools developed by the consortium. This gives the company a role in both developing a specialized system for fuel recycling and contributing to a broader platform for nuclear applications. The work builds on SHINE’s existing recycling program. The company is developing a commercial pilot that uses process chemistry already demonstrated at its Chrysalis medical isotope facility. Chrysalis has completed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s full operating license review, providing SHINE with experience relevant to the regulatory pathway expected for a future recycling facility. The Genesis Mission project is planned to run over the coming months. If successful, SHINE says the approach could eventually be applied to additional stages of the fuel recycling process. The DOE’s Genesis Mission is a more-than-$5-billion initiative designed to combine AI, supercomputing, quantum systems and advanced scientific instruments to accelerate scientific discovery and energy innovation. Recommended ArticlesGet the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.With over a decade-long career in journalism, Neetika Walter has worked with The Economic Times, ANI, and Hindustan Times, covering politics, business, technology, and the clean energy sector. Passionate about contemporary culture, books, poetry, and storytelling, she brings depth and insight to her writing. When she isn’t chasing stories, she’s likely lost in a book or enjoying the company of her dogs.