UW-Led Project Selected to Advance AI-Driven Nuclear Fuel Research

Researchers at the University of Wyoming and Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have been selected to receive $906,382 in federal research funding to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled models aimed at improving heat transport predictions in nuclear fuel.

The research project, titled “AI-Enabled Multiscale Modeling of Phonon-Mediated Thermal Transport at Nuclear Fuel-Fission Product Interfaces During Structural Evolution,” is led by Laura de Sousa Oliveira, an associate professor in the UW Department of Chemistry, serving as principal investigator. Jackson Harter, a staff scientist in reactor physics and shielding at INL, serves as co-principal investigator.

The funding selection was awarded jointly by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy and the DOE Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.

The project aims to make heat-flow predictions in nuclear fuel more reliable. As nuclear fuel operates, structural defects and chemical buildup can disrupt how heat travels through the material. To better understand this process, researchers are combining atomic-scale computer simulations with AI, Monte Carlo methods and the Griffin particle transport code developed by INL and Argonne National Laboratory.

By connecting microscopic physics to real-world performance, the project will reduce uncertainties and the amount of costly experimental testing, while helping to safely accelerate the licensing of next-generation nuclear reactors.

“Our goal is to employ a multiscale, multiphysics modeling approach, supported by data-driven surrogate models and automated workflow tools, to improve our predictive capabilities and understanding of thermal transport in nuclear fuels under reactor-relevant irradiation environments,” de Sousa Oliveira says. “This grant represents an opportunity to advance nuclear energy research at the University of Wyoming in close partnership with Idaho National Laboratory, and to help strengthen Wyoming’s position in advanced energy innovation.”

The partnership builds upon seed research for Wyoming’s full fuel cycle originally selected through a competitive request for proposals funded by the School of Energy Resources’ Nuclear Energy Research Center (NERC) at UW.

“NERC seed grants are designed to give faculty the creative freedom and resources needed to expand their nuclear research agendas and develop early-stage concepts into fully funded projects,” says Tara Righetti, director of NERC. “Professor de Sousa Oliveira’s selection for this grant is both a well-deserved recognition and a prestigious accomplishment.”