Liquid Metal Heat Transfer

TLDR: In this article, the authors focus on certain fundamental aspects of forced convection heat transfer in symmetrical ducts that are of special interest when the fluid is a liquid metal and the most familiar of these applications is their use as coolants in nuclear reactors.

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on certain fundamental aspects of forced convection heat transfer in symmetrical ducts that are of special interest when the fluid is a liquid metal. Compared to the nonmetallic liquids, the combination of large thermal conductivity, small vapor pressure, and extensive temperature range over which they remain in the liquid phase make the liquid metals desirable for certain important technological applications. The most familiar of these applications is their use as coolants in nuclear reactors. The categories of liquid metal heat transfer research are provided in a tabulated form. Some of these categories include turbulent forced convection, convection with “small” Reynolds number, and condensation. The turbulent forced convection in symmetrical ducts is discussed in detail. One of the important consequences of the difference between liquid metals and nonmetallic fluids in turbulent flow is that the temperature distributions in the latter are relatively insensitive to local changes at the duct walls and thus to boundary conditions and to duct shape. This relative sensitivity is illustrated to boundary conditions by comparing computed fully developed heat transfer coefficients for a circular tube for uniform wall flux with those for uniform wall temperature.