Mating and Optimization Parameters for High-Temperature Liquid Metal Wetting on Solid Substrates

Abstract : The main goal of the research is to determine the mating and optimization parameters for the wetting of liquid metal coolants, such as sodium (Na) or lithium (Li), onto various solid surfaces by experimentally measuring the wetting angles and theoretically examining the surface energies. The wetting angle is optically measured using a microscopic goniometer and digital imaging analysis. Examination of the mating and optimization wetting parameters can provide a valuable data base of design parameters for high-temperature heat pipes using liquid metal coolants. Due to budget constraints, this in-house effort was cancelled prior to the start of testing; therefore, only the test chamber design and preparations are discussed in this report.