Liquid Sodium Levitation, Reactivity and why Physicists Use it in Nuclear Reactors and Geodynamos
Why physicists love sodium and use it in the world's biggest geodynamo experiments and nuclear reactors? First, it is light and really good electrical conductor and often in science, you work to push boundaries and purposefully try to achieve the most extreme conditions you can. This combination makes sodium the most responsive metal to be controlled by magnetic and electric fields. Sometimes scientists find themselves in situations where they need massive molten metal flows, for example to model, how the earth generates its magnetic field. In such cases, sodium is the answer. It is easy to transport with a special technology called electromagnetic pumps. They combine electric and magnetic fields in metals to causes forces that pump the liquid in a unique way that only metals can be moved. The high thermal conductivity makes sodium very useful as a coolant in nuclear applications. In the simplest case, they work as heat exchangers that can withstand high power density that would vaporize water in a conventional heat exchanger.
Thank you to colleagues in Institute of Physics, especially,
Video operator and artwork designer: Antra Gaile
Electromagnetic levitation on molten sodium: Dr. Phys. Imants Kaldre
Ensuring safety in sodium experiments: Kalvis Kalniņš
Fact-checking by Linards Goldšteins and Patriks Bite
Video is made by: Reinis Baranovskis
Figures of Generation IV reactors
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generat...
Video of Maryland dynamo
• University of Maryland three meter geodyna...
Confinement building roof collapse
https://www.researchgate.net/publicat...
Figure of Nuclear Reactor Wall Charts
http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2009...
DRESDYN experiment
https://www.hzdr.de/db/Cms?pOid=40412...
List of nuclear reactors by coolant type
Fanning, Thomas H. (May 3, 2007). "Sodium as a Fast Reactor Coolant" (PDF). Topical Seminar Series on Sodium Fast Reactors. Nuclear Engineering Division, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Department of Energy. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 13, 2013.
Magnetosphere of Jupiter
• Jupiter's Magnetosphere
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Music: Abstract Corporate by Gribsound
/ gribsound
Video Link: • Video
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Intro 0:00
Properties of sodium 0:31
Levitation of sodium 2:10
Sodium in air 2:56
Sodium in water 3:35
Nuclear reactors 6:02
Electromagnetic pumps 7:45
Geodynamos 08:38
Outro 09:02
Corrections:
The density of lead should be 10.6 g/cm^3 (at melting point) and 11.3 g/cm^3 (at room temperature)