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How is the sodium-potassium alloy used in nuclear reactors?
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potassium
Properties of potassium.
Sodium-potassium alloy (NaK) is used to a limited extent as a heat-transfer coolant in certain fast-breeder nuclear reactors.1
As a coolant, the alloy serves to carry the thermal energy produced by fission away from the reactor fuel. It transports this heat through the system, ultimately moving it to the steam-generating equipment of the nuclear power plant. Because the alloy is a good conductor of heat, it is effective at managing the high temperatures generated during the fission process.21