Abstract: Nuclear energy provides reliable, low-carbon electricity and will play an important role in meeting today’s high extreme demand. Improving the safety and efficiency of nuclear fuel is key to expanding its future use. One promising approach is TRistructural ISOtropic (TRISO) coated particle fuel, which replaces traditional fuel pellets with thousands of microscopic fuel particles, each surrounded by multiple protective layers that contain radioactive byproducts and survive extreme temperatures. My research at Oak Ridge National Lab focuses on the fabrication, testing, and analysis of TRISO particles to understand how to make the best quality coatings and how these coatings perform under reactor-relevant thermal and irradiation conditions. This work supports the development of safer, more efficient nuclear fuels for advanced reactors and other high-temperature nuclear applications.

Bio: Bryan joined Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division in September 2023. At ORNL, Bryan’s primary research focus is on the development of TRistructural ISOtropic (TRISO) coated nuclear fuel particles, which are an alternative fuel form for advanced reactor concepts. His work includes chemical vapor deposition of TRISO coatings, 2D and 3D characterization of fuel structures before and after irradiation testing, and development of image processing and machine learning algorithms to improve our understanding of TRISO fuel behavior. He obtained his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University studying microstructure evolution in ceramic materials at extreme temperatures.