Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed an AI model that can help identify new alloys for shielding nuclear fusion facilities, a crucial step towards improving the performance and safety of these cutting-edge technologies.
Exceeding the limits of materials science
Although traditional materials in nuclear fusion facilities, such as tungsten-based alloys, have shown variability in maintaining a sufficiently protective barrier.
To solve this problem, researchers study a new hope to design novel alloy compositions with complete change. But the sheer number of possible metallic combinations leaves a huge field of viable candidates.
That is where AI steps in. An AI model database will allow researchers to skip such an everlasting trial and error process, selecting promising alloy candidates that can endure the severe conditions of nuclear fusion facilities with high efficiency.
A Story of Scientific Discovery Together
Two of its developers, data scientists from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory led by AI researcher Massimiliano Lupo Pasini, lobbied to keep the project alive under the lab’s Artificial Intelligence for Scientific Discovery (AISD) initiative.
The team, which also included researchers from the Computing and Computational Sciences Directorate and the Physical Sciences Directorate at ORNL, generated data with which to train the artificial intelligence model. This required performing very sophisticated quantum mechanical (QM) calculations on the DOE Office of Science user supercomputers called Perlmutter and Summit.
The team will then create, train, and implement machine learning models for materials discovery and design based on the data produced in this process. This interdisciplinary work represents the value of collaboration in pushing back the frontiers of science.
Conclusion
With or without tumours To the best of our knowledge, this is the first AI model database to be developed specifically for improving nuclear fusion facilities. With the discovery of new novel, innovative alloy compositions, researchers can help develop improved shielding materials that are better equipped to protect sophisticated high-tech systems and technologies subject to harsh conditions such as those found in these advanced fields. As the team refines its AI models and innovates in new directions for materials discovery, the potential impact on nuclear fusion technologies is nothing short of revolutionary.
