Liquid Metal Technology

Liquid metal technology has been the subject of an impetuous development in the recent decades, mainly due to the application of liquid met als in nuclear techniques. The technological development has been supported by studies of the basic physical-chemical properties of liquid metals: One major concern is the material behaviour in contact with the liquid metals, corrosion and the possible deterioration of metallic and ceramic materials which are in use as constructional or functional materials in such systems. Since the corrosion is in many cases not only a simple dissolution process, the chemical background of such processes had to be studied. Such studies included the determination of solubilities of metals and non-metals in liquid metals, the measurement of thermodynamic data of dissolved materials and of chemical equilibria. Several formerly unknown chemical compounds are formed in liquid metal~ lnd are only stable in this environment. The research and deve\opment devoted to the fission reactor techniques were more or less completed in several countries, further work is in progress in some countries in which the interest in fast breeder reactors arose recently. Even the worldwide program on fusion reactor technology is related to liquid metals, and severallaboratories are now contributing to this new technology.

Science and Technology of Liquid Metal Coolants in Nuclear Engineering is a comprehensive consolidation of the latest research and knowledge on liquid metal coolants. Over the last decades, various new technologies have been developed for the liquid metal coolants of fast breeder and fusion reactors and accelerator driven systems. Details of pumps and instrumentation used in these coolants and their operating principles are included to provide the reader with a well-rounded understanding of the topic and to guide on the operation of different liquid metal coolant systems. Methods for the safe handling and control of impurity levels in these coolants are clearly discussed, along with alkali metal fires and their management, including methods for safe disposal of sodium waste. Discusses the thermophysical and chemical properties of liquid metals described with their microscopic origin Includes methods for the safe handling of liquid metal coolants and their purification and management Discusses pumps and instrumentation principles and design