Congratulations to Dr. Igor Bolotnov, recipient of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) Thermo-hydraulics Division (THD) Bal-Raj Sehgal Memorial Award. This award recognizes an early-career to a mid-career individual for their exceptional and/or sustained contributions to the thermal-hydraulics field with a particular focus on the application of thermal-hydraulics to nuclear reactor safety.
Dr. Bolotnov is a full professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at NC State University. He specializes in computational fluid dynamics applications in nuclear reactor engineering in general, and in multiphase turbulent flow in particular. Dr. Bolotnov’s research has been supported by the Department of Energy’s Consortium for Advanced Simulation of LWRs (CASL), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, DOE’s NEUP program, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) among others. His Multiphase research group has vast experience and capability with high-performance-computing enabled CFD simulation of complex single- and multi-phase flow, using PHASTA code.
Bolotnov is currently serving as the Chair of the Thermal Hydraulics Division of American Nuclear Society (ANS). He is also the Associate Editor for Annals of Nuclear Energy.
Dr. Bal-Raj Sengal was a highly visible and respected world leader in thermal hydraulics and nuclear safety research; a fixture at the NURETH conferences with which he had a special affinity, regularly invited to deliver a keynote or plenary lecture. He would often be seen interacting with the younger generations to transfer his considerable knowledge and experience. He was active in TH Division affairs, serving as TH Division Chair and receiving the Thermal Hydraulics Technical Achievement Award. Born in Peshawar in former British India, Dr. Sehgal moved to New Delhi during Partition and spent his early years there before emigrating to the United States to pursue a doctorate in nuclear engineering at UC Berkeley. What followed was an exceptional career trajectory that led Dr. Sehgal to become a leading global expert in nuclear reactor safety culminating with his professorship at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm where he established the Division for Nuclear Power Safety. He was inducted into numerous societies and academies, notably as elected member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences and fellow of the American Nuclear Society and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. For his wide-ranging and impactful contribution to research and science of nuclear safety, he was recognized with numerous awards, including the Seaborg Medal, the Technical Achievement Award, and the Thomson Award for Reactor Safety from the American Nuclear Society. This award, established in collaboration with his family, honors his legacy.
The American Nuclear Society (ANS) is the premier organization for those that embrace the nuclear sciences and technologies for their vital contributions to improving people’s lives and preserving the planet. Celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2024, ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.