A small scale experiment and a simplified model to investigate the runaway of sodium-water reaction
Résumé
Sodium-Water Reaction (SWR) is a notorious and complex interaction between two condensed phase reactants. It involves both physical and chemical processes, is fast, exothermic, and can be explosive under specific conditions. The fine-scale processes of SWR, and in particular the runaway mechanism eventually leading to explosive effects, are not yet fully understood. This paper focuses on how SWR runaway is triggered. Experiments investigating the processes of SWR with a high-speed camera are first described. These experiments suggest that sodium vaporization is responsible for provoking runaway. The main experimental observations are discussed and a scenario for SWR runaway is proposed. Finally, a semi-analytical model based on that mechanism is developed. Physical considerations and simplifying assumptions allow reducing the model to a single differential equation in the configuration of current experiments. The results of this model are consistent with experimental observations, and confirm the critical role of sodium vaporization in the onset of SWR runaway.
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)
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