ABSTRACT
The surge of interest in liquid metals as heat transfer media is attributable to the growing needs of the nuclear and space programs throughout the world. The severe operating conditions and the need to maximize operating temperature while maintaining a low vapor pressure is one of the main reasons for the use of molten metals in nuclear reactors. Certain types of reactors (see Section 7.3) require coolants with low-neutron-absorption characteristics and liquid metals prove to be most suitable.
