Mercury-Vapor Turbine

a turbine in which mercury vapor is the working medium. During the 1940’s, it was felt that certain properties of mercury, such as the high temperature of the saturated vapor at relatively low pressures, would permit the efficient use of these turbines in power plants using both hydraulic and mercury-vapor turbines. Mercury-vapor turbines were not widely accepted, however, because of the cost and toxicity of the working medium.