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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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August 2026
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Center for Used Fuel Research: Building confidence in storage and transport
Used nuclear fuel storage and transportation have reached a critical juncture.
Dozens of utilities need reliable data on how used nuclear fuel performs in dry storage casks and canisters to extend regulatory licenses at sites across the United States. Likewise, the Department of Energy expects to take ownership of the used nuclear fuel—termed “spent nuclear fuel” in the laws and regulations governing its stewardship—and transfer it to one or more federal staging facilities for management and disposition.
Meanwhile, dozens of reactor companies are testing prototypes of advanced reactors and advanced reactor fuels. Eventually, regulators and industry must also verify the safety and security of storage methods for these advanced fuel types.
To help address these challenges, the DOE established the Center for Used Fuel Research (CUFR) in January 2026 for work related to the long-term storage and transport of used nuclear fuel.
Nuclear Fuels and Materials
Technical Session|Nuclear Materials Performance, Prediction and Qualification
Tuesday, June 2, 2026|3:15–5:00PM MDT|Governor's Square 17
Session Chair:
Pierre-Clement Simon (INL)
Alternate Chair:
Jake Quincey (Kairos Power)
Session Organizer:
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Predicting Nuclear Fuel Lattice Parameters From Fuel Composition Using Machine Learning
3:15–3:35PM MDT
Cade A. Finney (Univ. Florida), Denise Adorno Lopes Adorno Lopes, Bekah Petrosky (ORNL), William F. Cureton
Paper
Understanding Nuclear Fuel Cladding Mechanical Behavior with FEA and Explainable Machine Learning
3:35–3:55PM MDT
Mahmut N. Cinbiz (ORNL), Gorti Sarma (ORNL), Benton Garrison, Kory Linton (ORNL)
A Physics-Guided Neural Network for Predicting Mass Change in Two Polyurethane Foams from Humidity-Induced Water Diffusion
3:55–4:15PM MDT
Michael May (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville), Vincent Lamberti (Consolidated Nuclear Security/Y-12 National Security Complex), Russell Hallman (Consolidated Nuclear Security/Y-12 National Security Complex), Derick Weis (Consolidated Nuclear Security/Y-12 National Security Complex), Jamie B. Coble (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville)
Time Large Language Models for Digital-Twin Monitoring of MiniFuel Irradiation Experiments
4:15–4:35PM MDT
Gustavo A. Giraldo Echeverri (Southern Methodis University), Adel Alaeddini (Southern Methodis University), Jacob P. Gorton (ORNL), Nathan Capps (ORNL), Elizabeth S. Sooby (University of Texas San Antonio)
Optical Absorption Modeling in Molten Salt Mixtures
4:35–4:55PM MDT
Jacob C. Numbers (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville), Anthony Birri (ORNL), Xingang Zhao (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville)
