Thermal conductivity of liquid lead-bismuth alloys, possible coolants for fourth generation spallation nuclear reactors

The lead-bismuth eutectic (Pb-wt1%45 Bi-wt%55) appears to be a good coolant for the fourth generation spallation nuclear reactors. We determine the thermal conductivity (lambda) of liquid Pb-Bi for large range of compositions and temperatures from the experimental values of the electrical resistivity (rho) and the thermoelectric power (S). These electronic transport properties are obtained with an automated device that combines a measurement of rho using a four-point probe technique and a measurement of S employing a small AT method. The thermal conductivity has also been determined theoretically with a numerical calculation obtained by using the Faber-Ziman formalism. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.