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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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.”
Yuriy Ponkratov, Kuanysh Samarkhanov, Yerbolat Koyanbayev, Yuliya Baklanova, Yuriy Gordienko, Yevgeniy Tulubayev, Yekaterina Martynenko, Vadim Bochkov, Radmila Sabitova, Eldana Saparbek
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 81 | Number 4 | May 2025 | Pages 300-309
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2024.2388421
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The implementation of the ITER and DEMO projects currently includes the investigation of the structural and functional material properties of fusion reactors (FRs). Research to support the use of liquid metals and alloys as plasma-facing materials (PFMs) is a crucial area of work during the development of new FRs. Recent studies indicate the prospects of the tin-lithium (Sn-Li) alloy as a new liquid metal for protecting the in-vessel elements of a FR from the energy flows and high-density particles. Sn-Li alloy has been widely explored for utilization as PFM; however, there is a shortage of investigations being performed at nuclear reactors. The utilization of Sn-Li alloy as PFM in a FR must be fully justified by validated experimental results on tests under extremely high heat, plasma, and radiation loads.
The paper presents the methodology of in-pile experiments performed at the IVG.1M research reactor (Kurchatov, Kazakhstan) to study the interaction of hydrogen isotopes with Sn-Li alloy under neutron irradiation conditions. A Sn-Li sample with 73 at. % tin and 27 at. % lithium was manufactured. A unique experimental ampoule device (AD) with a Sn-Li sample had been developed and manufactured for in-pile tests. The results of neutron-physical and thermophysical calculations of designs of the experimental device with Sn-Li alloy under irradiation conditions of the IVG.1M reactor were performed to justify the AD design. Methodical experiments were performed to determine the temperature dependence of the change in the composition of the gas phase in the chamber with Sn-Li alloy. The time dependence of the partial pressure of hydrogen, tritium, and tritium-containing molecules in the AD volume with the Sn-Li alloy on its temperature under reactor irradiation conditions at a power of 3 MW has been studied. Key findings include the successful measurement of tritium release, the determination of temperature conditions for tritium generation and release, and the validation of our experimental AD for conducting such studies.
