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SURFACE TENSION OF LIQUID SODIUM AND ITS WETTING BEHAVIOUR ON NICKEL AND STAINLESS STEELS

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:4826079
;
The surface tension and wetting characteristics of liquid sodium have been measured in a small pumped apparatus, in which the sodium could be continuously purified with respect to oxygen. Pure argon was used to blanket the free surface of sodium. The vertical plate (zero buoyancy) method of measuring the surface tension gave values in good agreement with recent published work. This method has the advantage that no precise knowledge fo the sodium density is necessary. In experiments where the oxygen content of the sodium was changed, it was found that, over the temperature range 150-265 deg C, there were no significant differences between the surface tension of sodium containing nominally 5 ppm oxygen and sodium close to the solubility limit (10-80 ppm depending on the temperature). The wetting of nickel and stainless steel was found to depend a great deal on the cleaning process employed, as well as on the sodium temperature. Contamination of the sodium with oxygen accelerated the wetting of nickel but retarded that of the stainless steels. Possible reasons for this behaviour are discussed and additional evidence is given, in the case of stainless steels, from rubbing experiments in liquid sodium.
Research Organization:
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, Risley, England (United Kingdom). Reactor Group
NSA Number:
NSA-23-014320
OSTI ID:
4826079
Report Number(s):
TRG-Report--1459
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

LIQUIDS
MEASUREMENT
N30130* --Metals
Ceramics
& Other Materials--Metals & Alloys--Properties Evaluations
NICKEL
NICKEL/wetting by liquid sodium
effects of metal cleaning and sodium temperature on
OXYGEN
OXYGEN/effects on surface tension of liquid sodium
SODIUM
SODIUM/surface tension and wetting properties of liquid
measurements on nickel and stainless steel
STAINLESS STEEL/wetting by liquid sodium
effects of metal cleaning and sodium temperature on
STAINLESS STEELS
SURFACE TENSION
TEMPERATURE
WETTING AGENTS