Question: A nuclear engineer is designing a nuclear reactor for a new power plant. The reactor core will have an operating temperature of 773 K. The
A nuclear engineer is designing a nuclear reactor for a new power plant. The reactor core will have an operating temperature of 773 K. The engineer must choose an appropriate coolant to transfer heat from the reactor core through one or more cooling loops to the steam generator and turbines/generator that produce electricity. Running the coolant under pressure is more expensive than running it at normal atmospheric pressure (1 atm). The choices for the reactor coolant are listed in the table below, with their properties. Choose which substance would be best to recommend to the engineer. Explain your choice in terms of its properties. Explain how the chemical bonds in the substance account for its properties.
Parameter Sodium Water Sodium Chloride Melting point (K) at 1 atm pressure 273 371 1074 Boiling point (K) at 1 atm pressure 373 1156 1686 Boiling point (K) at 70 atm pressure 558 1156 1686 Boiling point (K) at 160 atm pressure 588 1156 1686
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