What Use Was Sodium In Car Engines

[Oldboy913]

I know I think but I want the ins and outs

[EDDIE51]

I can see no reason for Sodium in car engines. Do you mean Sodium as the Element ? It explodes on contact with water !

[tonyav]

I don't understand the question.

[Sqad]

No idea about engines, but wasn't it used in car batteries.........?

[Zacs-Master]

As far as I can see, some 'nutter' have suggested sodium as a fuel source,however, this is impractical for a number of very good reasons (uneconomic processing, oxidisation and volatility, mainly).

[tonyav]

Isn't it or was it used in lighting.

[Zacs-Master]

It was used in street lighting. Most cars currently use halogen bulbs in their headlights. The new blue-ish headlights are using a different technology called High Intensity Discharge (HID). We normally see HID lamps in the form of mercury vapor and sodium vapor lights used as street lamps and as outdoor lighting for stadiums. These lamps are popular because they are efficient. In the case of sodium vapor, they are twice as efficient as normal fluorescent bulbs.

[Zacs-Master]

But that's not the engine.

[DTCwordfan]

I haven't heard of any significant sodium based chemistry in fuels or lubricants packages for engines.

Sodium sulfonates (amine free) get used in some moderate-soap emulsifiers used to produce soluble oils and emulsion cleaners and in industrial lubricants, such as anticorrosional agents and metal-working fluids.

Guess you could devise a sprinkler system from the boot and spray salt in winter onto the roads?

[tonyav]

I know Zac.
I have never heard of sodium being used in any car engine.

[EDDIE51]

There is a type of battery still experimental that uses liquid Sodium . IF and a big if it can be developed safely it will give far more power than anything around at present. But as I said the problem is liquid Sodium is VERY dangerous and makeing it safe will be a huge problem.

[boxtops]

it says here about sodium silicate, but it also says that you use it to disable car engines http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_silicate

[EDDIE51]

This is what happens if you put Sodium in water

[EDDIE51]

Boxtops that is Sodium Silicate a type of cement, it can be used to repair head gaskets in cars. It would disable an engine if it got into the cylinders.

[Stephen_G]

Sodium Silicate is listed on Wikipedia as a sealant for Head Gaskets, in Aluminium Alloy engines. The only use for Sodium I've heard of is Headlamps.

[Oldboy913]

ins and out was a clue
but you have to be clever my poppet

[tonyav]

Oh right, it's a riddle then .

[factor-fiction]

Are you saying your question was some kind of riddle, Oldboy?

[Oldboy913]

OK its getting silly so I will tell you
Years ago they had trouble with exhaust valves burning out
So they made the valves so they could be filled with sodium, solid at normal temperatures but absorbing a lot of heat to change state to liquid.
Thanks for your interest.