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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.”
Gary W. Beall, Bert Allard+
Nuclear Technology | Volume 59 | Number 3 | December 1982 | Pages 405-408
Technical Paper | The Backfill as an Engineered Barrier for Radioactive Waste Management / Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT82-A32998
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A general method of selection of backfill material for nuclear waste disposal has been derived from a large body of data on sorption of actinides and fission products. These sorption studies identified four major factors of importance in enhancing sorption: (a) pH, (b) chemi-sorption, (c) oxidation-reduction, and (d) special reactions with clay minerals. It appears that simple cation exchange plays a very minor role, especially in the pH range of 7 to 9 that is common to groundwaters. In addition to consideration of radionuclide retardation, physical factors such as water retardation and thermal conductivity have been incorporated in the design. All of the materials employed in the backfill are natural minerals that are commercially available.
