Wharry, fellow experts articulate research thrusts for the future of nuclear energy

1/24/2025 Taylor Parks 4 min read

Prof. Janelle Wharry helped lead discussions with other nuclear energy experts that culminated in a report for the Department of Energy outlining five necessary research thrusts that will define the future of nuclear energy.

Written by Taylor Parks

Janelle WharryMechSE Professor Janelle Wharry’s passion for nuclear energy research is exemplified in a recent report released by the U.S. Department of Energy. “Foundational Science to Accelerate Nuclear Energy Innovation,” for which roundtables were held to synthesize content, discusses five necessary research thrusts that will define the future of nuclear energy.

“During the roundtable, [participants] contributed their expertise and reflected on how the field of nuclear energy has evolved over the last ten years as well as recent advancements in terms of fundamental scientific research that helps us move the nuclear energy enterprise forward,” Wharry recalled of leading discussions for the report. “Then we charted a course for the next decade, thinking how we can leverage everything done so far to resolve some fundamental scientific knowledge gaps that would help us to make significant advancements in nuclear materials research.”

As summarized in the DOE’s brochure, the five research thrusts include the mastery of complex electronic structures to tailor thermochemical reactivity, the interrogation and direction of physics and chemistry underpinning next-generation coolants and solvents, the elucidation and control of underlying physics and chemistry of interfaces in complex nuclear environments, the bridging of multi-fidelity, multi-resolution experiments with computational modeling and data science to control dynamic behavior, and the harnessing of artificial intelligence to design inherently resilient condensed phases.

With her background in nuclear materials manufacturing research, Wharry was selected to lead panelists and participants in discussions for the first thrust.

nuclear system diagram
As described in the DOE's brochure, nuclear energy systems "host complex, extreme environments resulting in significant changes in chemical and material components." Image courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, DOI: 10.2172/1899346

“Often in the nuclear materials research community, we treat the interaction of atoms as though they were billiard balls,” Wharry explained, noting that this may be an oversimplified explanation given the potential impact of electron interfacing that occurs when atoms collide. “Our group of panelists felt that one of the commonalities among unexplained behaviors in materials could be our lack of consideration for the electron cloud and electronic structure in atoms. That’s what led to the genesis of our thrust.”

While the first thrust focuses on solid materials, the second and third focus on improving the field’s scientific grasp of physics happening within the liquid and gas phases as well as at the liquid-solid interface.

“For example, coolant materials flow through the reactor to transfer heat from where the fissions are happening to the turbines,” Wharry said.

To round out the field’s scope of research, the fourth thrust focuses on leveraging advanced experimental techniques. “Now that computing is so powerful, we can generate huge data sets from experiments and work with them with relative ease,” Wharry explained. “The fourth thrust focuses on taking advantage of opportunities within big data science to understand some of the fundamental behaviors of solids and liquids and their interfaces in nuclear systems.”

Similarly, the fifth thrust focuses on leveraging AI capability to design materials for nuclear systems that will behave and perform better than current materials.

Within the campus community, Wharry has found several faculty with similar interests in nuclear research. She currently collaborates with MechSE Professor Huseyin Sehitoglu as well as MatSE Assistant Professors Jean-charles Stinville and Marie Charpagne and NPRE Donald Biggar Willett Professor James Stubbins.

“There’s a lot of people here on campus who work within or adjacent to this field,” Wharry said, noting the breadth of opportunities to collaborate within these thrusts. “And there’s a lot of people whose research I think could benefit from the fundamental science that will be prompted by this report.”

Indeed, participating in the report generation has already benefitted Wharry’s own work. “Working on the report really opened my eyes to a lot of phenomena that we’re investigating in my current research across a variety of different materials with different purposes within a nuclear reactor,” Wharry said. “I gained a different perspective to look at some of the unexplained behaviors in these materials and take away the billiard ball effect, which has really helped me to come up with new hypotheses.”


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This story was published January 24, 2025.