SHINE Joins GE Vernova AI Nuclear Fuel Tracking Project

SHINE has joined a GE Vernova Advanced Research Center project to use AI for tracking spent nuclear fuel during recycling, the company said in a press release.

The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy program, known as ARPA-E. SHINE is working as a subcontractor to develop sensor deployment methods and AI powered material tracking systems for recycling facilities.

The project is developing technology called Monochromatic Assays Yielding Enhanced Reliability, or MAYER. The system is intended to track and measure nuclear material in real time as it moves through a recycling facility and send the data to a virtual digital twin.

Current material accounting can involve redundant instruments, physical security measures, manual sampling, and periodic shutdowns for inventory checks. SHINE said the work supports its plan for a commercial nuclear fuel recycling facility and its REDUCE process for recovering materials from spent nuclear fuel.