Solubility of gaseous helium in liquid mercury at temperatures 600–1500 K

141 Earlier, in [1], a modernized “hole” model of solu bility of inert gases in metal melts at high temperatures was developed. Using these models, the solubility of helium, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon in liquid lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and cesium in the temperature range of 600–1500 K was calculated [1–3], the tables of which in the indicated tempera ture interval with a step of 50 K were tested and approved by the Russian Federation Agency on Tech nical Regulation and Metrology (Gosstandart Russia) as standard reference data [4]. Then, analogous results were obtained for the solubility of inert gases in melted heavy metals, such as tin, lead, and bismuth, which are promising heat carriers for fast neutron nuclear reac tors, in the melting temperature range up to 1500 K [5, 6]. As well, the calculated data on solubility in all stud ied inert gas–metal melt systems satisfactorily agree with the few experimental data available in the litera ture for relatively low temperatures [7]. The taking of new measurements on the solubility of inert gases and chemically and corrosively active liquid rare earth and heavy metals at large temperatures is coupled with var ious significant difficulties. Therefore, to check the accuracy and reliability of the developed hole model on solubility of inert gases in metal melts, similar experiments should be performed, apparently on mer cury in a melt state at room temperature, which is chemically inert to the surrounding air atmosphere and a benchmark substance for much thermophysical research. Solubility of Gaseous Helium in Liquid Mercury at Temperatures 600–1500 K