Thermodynamic properties and equation of state of liquid lead and lead–bismuth eutectic

Since the 1950s, liquid lead (Pb) and lead–bismuth eutectic (Pb–Bi) have been studied in the USA, Canada and in the former-USSR as potential coolants for nuclear installations due to their very attractive thermophysical and neutronic properties. However, experimental data on the thermal properties of these coolants in the temperature range of interest are still incomplete and often contradictory. This makes it very difficult to perform design calculations and to analyse the normal and abnormal behaviour of nuclear installations where these coolants are expected to be used. Recently, a compilation of heavy liquid metal (HLM) properties along with recommendations for its use was prepared by the OECD/NEA Working Party on Fuel Cycle (WPFC) Expert Group on Lead–Bismuth Eutectic Technology. A brief review of this compilation and some new data are presented in this article. A set of correlations for the temperature dependence of the main thermodynamic properties of Pb and Pb–Bi(e) at normal pressure, and a set of simplified thermal and caloric equations of state for the liquid phase are proposed.