Supercomputing Targets 95,000-Ton Nuclear Fuel Recycling Challenge

Janesville nuclear company SHINE Technologies has joined the United States Department of Energy (DOE) Genesis Mission to direct an Artificial Intelligence (AI) guided initiative. The project aims to refine nuclear fuel recycling facility designs across the nation.

Working alongside Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), the team focuses on recovering valuable materials from 95,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel. This inventory currently sits in storage facilities across the country.

More than 95 percent of used nuclear fuel retains usable energy potential, but separating these components requires precise chemistry. The initiative addresses this bottleneck by creating an AI-enabled workflow for facility engineering.

Under the Phase I project, titled AI-Guided Fuel Cycle Facility Optimization, engineers will model chemical separation processes. The system evaluates performance, product quality, and waste simultaneously, which replaces slower sequential assessments.

The joint effort relies on computational modeling tools developed by ANL over several decades. These tools include the Argonne Model for Extraction Systems (AMUSE) for chemical separation, and the Analysis and Reporting Tool for Engineering and Material Integration Systems (ARTEMIS) for facility integration.

By adding a custom AI layer to these existing tools, researchers can explore broader design configurations, while maintaining a clear audit trail of engineering tradeoffs.

In addition to leading the Phase I project, SHINE Technologies is participating in Prometheus, which is a Phase II consortium led by Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The broader initiative applies AI technologies across the nuclear energy sector.

SHINE Technologies will supply operational data from its fuel recycling research, while gaining early access to emerging software tools. This data exchange supports broader national efforts to modernize nuclear fuel management.

Recycling spent fuel involves handling highly radioactive materials that generate intense heat. Facilities require robust radiation shielding, while maintaining strict material safeguards throughout processing steps.

To evaluate equipment safely, ANL researchers employ a Van de Graaff electron accelerator. This machinery simulates intense radiation conditions without requiring full-scale radioactive inventories.

Engineers test custom centrifugal contactors that spin rapidly to separate liquids of varying densities. These devices are manufactured using three-dimensional printing, which allows rapid physical testing under real chemical conditions.

The commercial recycling strategy builds upon technology previously implemented at the Chrysalis medical isotope facility. That site completed licensing reviews with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), establishing a regulatory foundation for future recycling plants.

Federal officials created the Genesis Mission through an executive order to accelerate scientific breakthroughs using federal data assets. The DOE recently secured 800 million dollars in partner funding to support the wider research effort.

Process optimization aims to extract valuable isotopes and metals, which can power advanced nuclear reactors. Recovering these materials reduces the volume of long-term radioactive waste requiring permanent disposal.