RE: What's the sodium for?

[Wallace White <whitew@leland.Stanford.EDU>]

Since we're talking about the sodium-filled valves, I'd like to point out
the Bentley's recommendations for disposal of them. They read about like
the "light fuse and get away" instructions on fireworks--which is good, of
course, since sodium is an active metal and burns nicely in water. (The
manual tells you to take any cut or broken valves and drop them in a
bucket of water very carefully.)

I wonder if another thermal advantage of sodium would be the phase change.
It takes a lot of energy (heat) to get something from the solid to liquid
state, while the temperature stays the same. The tendency of coolant to
boil in too-hot situations offers the same advantage.

- Wallace White
  still seeking 5kcstq in Bay Area