Lesson plan
FLiBe
. FLiBe is a molten salt made from a mixture of lithium fluoride (LiF) and beryllium fluoride ( ). It is both a nuclear reactor coolant and solvent for fertile or fissile material. It served both purposes in the Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The 2:1 molar mixture forms a stoichiometric compound, (lithium tetrafluoroberyllate), which has a melting point of , a boiling point of , and a density of . Its volumetric heat capacity, 4540 kJ/(m 3 ·K), is similar to that of water, more than four times that of sodium, and more than 200 times that of helium at typical reactor conditions. Its specific heat capacity is 2414.17 J/(kg·K), or about 60% that of water. Its appearance is white to transparent, with crystalline grains in a solid state, morphing into a completely clear liquid upon melting. However, soluble fluorides such as and , can dramatically change the salt's color in both solid and liquid state. This made spectrophotometry a viable analysis tool, and it was employed extensively during the MSRE operations. The eutectic mixture is slightly greater than 50% and has a melting point of . This mixture was never used in practice due to the overwhelming increase in viscosity caused by the addition in the eutectic mixture. , which behaves as a glass, is only fluid in salt mixtures containing enough molar percent of Lewis base.…
Article summary
. FLiBe is a molten salt made from a mixture of lithium fluoride (LiF) and beryllium fluoride ( ). It is both a nuclear reactor coolant and solvent for fertile or fissile material. It served both purposes in the Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The 2:1 molar mixture forms a stoichiometric compound, (lithium tetrafluoroberyllate), which has a melting point of , a boiling point of , and a density of . Its volumetric heat capacity, 4540 kJ/(m 3 ·K), is similar to that of water, more than four times that of sodium, and more than 200 times that of helium at typical reactor conditions. Its specific heat capacity is 2414.17 J/(kg·K), or about 60% that of water. Its appearance is white to transparent, with crystalline grains in a solid state, morphing into a completely clear liquid upon melting. However, soluble fluorides such as and , can dramatically change the salt's color in both solid and liquid state. This made spectrophotometry a viable analysis tool, and it was employed extensively during the MSRE operations. The eutectic mixture is slightly greater than 50% and has a melting point of . This mixture was never used in practice due to the overwhelming increase in viscosity caused by the addition in the eutectic mixture. , which behaves as a glass, is only fluid in salt mixtures containing enough molar percent of Lewis base.…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.