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Because it doesn't decompose into an explosive mixture of hydrogen and oxygen under extreme temperatures, among other things.

by m0zg 6y ago

Hypx 6y ago
Instead it just explodes when exposed to water or air...
- saagarjha 6y ago
  Just water. Under air it will quickly oxide, but not that quickly.
- m0zg 6y ago
  Well, don't expose it to water then. :-)
fuzzfactor 6y ago
Sodium decomposes the water itself and releases hydrogen which the sodium ignites as it burns in air. Liquid or pulverized metals are more risky than you think. Powdered nickel not only is a flammable solid, it spontaneously ignites too. But sodium is much more reactive, it can be rapdily oxidized by many more surprising things than oxygen or water. There's always this, kilos of molten sodium can lead to unexpected problems: https://www.csb.gov/t2-laboratories-inc-reactive-chemical-explosion/ https://www.csb.gov/t2-laboratories-inc-reactive-chemical-ex... There was a mushroom cloud but it was not nuclear.
baybal2 6y ago
Water is by far safer in comparison to stuff that corrodes, and eventually eats through pretty much anything. Piping for water can be for sure made to far outlive the plant; for sodium, you have no other option than putting in sacrificial material even if you use toughest nickel alloys, and there only is so much of it you can use.
- jabl 6y ago
  > Water is by far safer in comparison to stuff that corrodes, and eventually eats through pretty much anything. Problem with water is that for temperatures sufficient to run turbines at any decent efficiency, you need very high pressure, meaning expensive and bulky equipment. Hence it's not really usable as a heat storage medium. Hot water or steam is actually surprisingly corrosive, though we have a lot of experience how to handle it properly. > for sodium, you have no other option than putting in sacrificial material even if you use toughest nickel alloys, and there only is so much of it you can use. Sodium is actually very compatible with normal structural stainless steels. E.g. when the steam generators for EBR2 were dismantled after 30 years of operation the sodium side were as if brand new.

Because it doesn't decompose into an explosive mixture of hydrogen and oxygen under extreme temperatures, among other things.

by m0zg 6y ago

Because it doesn't decompose into an explosive mixture of hydrogen and oxygen under extreme temperatures, among other things.

Hypx 6y ago

Instead it just explodes when exposed to water or air...

saagarjha 6y ago
Just water. Under air it will quickly oxide, but not that quickly.
m0zg 6y ago
Well, don't expose it to water then. :-)

fuzzfactor 6y ago

Sodium decomposes the water itself and releases hydrogen which the sodium ignites as it burns in air. Liquid or pulverized metals are more risky than you think. Powdered nickel not only is a flammable solid, it spontaneously ignites too. But sodium is much more reactive, it can be rapdily oxidized by many more surprising things than oxygen or water. There's always this, kilos of molten sodium can lead to unexpected problems: https://www.csb.gov/t2-laboratories-inc-reactive-chemical-explosion/ https://www.csb.gov/t2-laboratories-inc-reactive-chemical-ex... There was a mushroom cloud but it was not nuclear.

baybal2 6y ago

Water is by far safer in comparison to stuff that corrodes, and eventually eats through pretty much anything. Piping for water can be for sure made to far outlive the plant; for sodium, you have no other option than putting in sacrificial material even if you use toughest nickel alloys, and there only is so much of it you can use.

jabl 6y ago
> Water is by far safer in comparison to stuff that corrodes, and eventually eats through pretty much anything. Problem with water is that for temperatures sufficient to run turbines at any decent efficiency, you need very high pressure, meaning expensive and bulky equipment. Hence it's not really usable as a heat storage medium. Hot water or steam is actually surprisingly corrosive, though we have a lot of experience how to handle it properly. > for sodium, you have no other option than putting in sacrificial material even if you use toughest nickel alloys, and there only is so much of it you can use. Sodium is actually very compatible with normal structural stainless steels. E.g. when the steam generators for EBR2 were dismantled after 30 years of operation the sodium side were as if brand new.