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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Remembering ANS member Gil Brown
Brown
The nuclear community is mourning the loss of Gilbert Brown, who passed away on July 11 at the age of 77 following a battle with cancer.
Brown, an American Nuclear Society Fellow and an ANS member for nearly 50 years, joined the faculty at Lowell Technological Institute—now the University of Massachusetts–Lowell—in 1973 and remained there for the rest of his career. He eventually became director of the UMass Lowell nuclear engineering program. After his retirement, he remained an emeritus professor at the university.
Sukesh Aghara, chair of the Nuclear Engineering Department Heads Organization, noted in an email to NEDHO members and others that “Gil was a relentless advocate for nuclear energy and a deeply respected member of our professional community. He was also a kind and generous friend—and one of the reasons I ended up at UMass Lowell. He served the university with great dedication. . . . Within NEDHO, Gil was a steady presence and served for many years as our treasurer. His contributions to nuclear engineering education and to this community will be dearly missed.”
Kevin J. Kramer et al.
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 60 | Number 1 | July 2011 | Pages 72-77
IFE - NIF & LIFE | Proceedings of the Nineteenth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE) (Part 1) | doi.org/10.13182/FST10-295
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) concept is being developed to operate as either a pure fusion or hybrid fusion-fission system. The hybrid version is designed to generate power and burn both fertile and fissile nuclear fuel. The fuel blanket is composed of TRISO-based fuel cooled by a molten salt. Low-yield (~25-40 MJ) targets and a repetition rate of ~10-15 Hz produce a 300-500 MW fusion source. When this fusion power is coupled to a compact (2-4 m diameter) target chamber, a 14 MeV neutron flux of ~2 × 1014 n/cm2-s drives fissile production and destruction in the fuel blanket providing an additional energy gain of 4-8, depending on the fuel and design objective.We employ a methodology using 6Li as a neutron absorber to generate self-sustaining tritium production for fusion and to maintain constant power over the lifetime of the engine. In a single pass, fertile LIFE blankets achieve uranium and thorium utilization beyond 80% without chemical reprocessing or isotopic enrichment. Fissile blankets destroy more than 90% of the initial load of weapons grade plutonium or highly enriched uranium.
