Contact angle measurement system with liquid sodium in inert atmosphere

V A Faizal; N Murugesan; V Sukumaran; Hrudananda Jena; C Remash; Rajesh Ganesan; V Jayaraman

doi:10.1063/5.0151599

Contact angle measurement system with liquid sodium in inert atmosphere

Rev Sci Instrum. 2023 Jun 1;94(6):065105. doi: 10.1063/5.0151599.

Authors

V A Faizal¹, N Murugesan¹, V Sukumaran^{1

2}, Hrudananda Jena^{1

2}, C Remash³, Rajesh Ganesan^{1

2}, V Jayaraman^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Materials Chemistry and Metal Fuel Cycle Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102, India.
² Homi Bhabha National Institute, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102, India.
³ Formerly with Materials Chemistry and Metal Fuel Cycle Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102, India.

PMID: 37862516
DOI: 10.1063/5.0151599

Abstract

Liquid sodium is the heat transport medium in fast breeder reactors due to its favorable chemical, physical, and nuclear properties. Wetting of liquid sodium with the material of reactor components is essential for the effective functioning of the reactor. Liquid sodium wetting plays a crucial role, such as in (i) heat transfer and (ii) image reconstruction under sodium ultrasonic scanners. Contact angle is the inverse measure of the wetting of liquids over solid surfaces. A contact angle measurement system was set up in an inert atmosphere glow box to study the wetting behavior of liquid sodium on reactor materials. The contact angle of liquid sodium on nickel surface was measured as a function of temperature, and the results obtained were found to be in good agreement with the literature values. The contact angle of liquid sodium on SS316LN as a function of temperature was measured for the first time using this facility.