Static Pressure Due to Sodium - Water Reactions in Closed Vessels,

The reaction between water and sodium, followed by reaction of the liberated hydrogen with air, in a closed vessel is treated as a thermodynamic problem at constant volume. The results for reaction of stoichiometrically equivalent amounts of sodium and water for varying size of vessel are found to follow the equation P 3.44 45.64 R - 7.97 R-sq were P is the final pressure in pounds per square inch gauge, and R is the ratio of sodium in hundreds of cubic feet measured at 350 F to dry air in millions of cubic feet at 77 F. This equation is satisfactory when the final temperature is above the melting point of sodium hydroxide 59l K.