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Fusion Science and Technology
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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.”
S. Le Tacon, A. Brodier, C. Chicanne, M. Theobald
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 70 | Number 2 | August-September 2016 | Pages 351-357
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST15-240
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Some experiments implemented on the Laser Megajoule facility (LMJ) require the use of the rare-earth (RE) elements, the lanthanides (57 < Z < 71). Rare-earth metals are known to be unstable under atmospheric conditions and some of them are extremely reactive with air. They may react with oxygen and humidity to form RE oxides. In the present work, we study the oxidation of different RE thin films (gadolinium, dysprosium, and praseodymium) prepared by physical vapor deposition. Energy-dispersion spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, and weight measurement are performed to characterize the corrosion mechanisms as a function of time and aging atmospheres (air, dry box, and vacuum). It appears that the oxidation kinetics depends on atomic number and microstructure of the films. Praseodymium coatings are very quickly corroded (in a few hours) when exposed to air and degrade to a yellow powder. Aluminum layers, used as a diffusion barrier, allow us to preserve praseodymium coatings over a period of several weeks when aging in a dry box. Gadolinium and dysprosium coatings (without a protective layer) are preserved from corrosion due to the formation of a passivation layer on their surface. Whatever Z, a dense microstructure permits us to limit the oxygen content and allows us to stabilize the residual stress.