2 ms·
I'd be curious to know how that radioactive coolant is processed to filter out magnesium that is bound to accumulate over time.
by pyrale 4y ago
I'd be curious to know how that radioactive coolant is processed to filter out magnesium that is bound to accumulate over time.
- credit_guy 4y agoSodium has a melting point slightly below 100 degrees Celsius. Magnesium has a melting point of 650 Celsius. I don't know the exact temperature that sodium will have in the Natrium reactor, but in the French Phenix reactor it was about 560 Celsius. But that's the highest one. The temperature at the bottom of the sodium pool is most likely much lower. In any case, much, much lower than the "freezing" point of magnesium, which will particulate. So, I imagine it can be filtered by a sieve made of steel, not much different than the sieve in my kitchen to filter my tea.
- RF_Savage 4y agoWon't the magnesium just dissolve in the sodium? I'd expect distilling the sodium or chemically processing it being a requirement for removing accumulated magnesium from the sodium coolant.
- riffic 4y agothis process (neutron capture and decay) contributes to only a small amount of magnesium in the reactor coolant, as the probability of neutron capture by sodium-23 is relatively low compared to other reactions involving the reactor's fuel, coolant, and/or structural materials.