Heat transfer to liquid metal: Review of data and correlations for tube bundles

Four sets of experimental data (total of 658 data points) for heat transfer to liquid metals (NaK of different compositions and Hg) flowing in a triangular or square lattice of cylindrical rods with pitch-to-diameter ratios of 1.1 up to 1.95 for a wide range of Peclet numbers (30–5000) were reviewed, and analysed using a number of correlations recommended for liquid metal flowing in tube bundles. A new correlation has been derived as a best fit to the data analysed. The quality of the correlations was estimated quantitatively by comparing their predictions with the test data. The estimated accuracies of the correlations for the different test conditions are presented in the paper and can be used to help to select the heat transfer models for designing complex systems cooled by liquid metals, e.g. Generation-IV lead- or sodium-cooled nuclear reactor cores, heat exchangers, etc.