Investigation of Fluid Dynamic Properties of Liquid Field’s Metal

The density and viscosity Field’s metal is measured in this work and compared to traditional liquid metal coolants such as sodium and lead-bismuth eutectic. Field’s metal is a eutectic of the ternary In-Bi-Sn system. The alloy is by weight percent is 51% indium, 32.5% bismuth and 16.5% tin and possesses a melting temperature of 333 K. This work experimentally measures the density and viscosity of Field’s metal for numerical modeling and thermal hydraulic applications. The density of Field’s metal is measured using a pycnometer. The density is determined for both its solid and liquid states. In its liquid state Field’s metal is found to have a linear dependence with respect to increasing temperature. The viscosity of Field’s metal is measured using a rotational viscometer. The viscosity is measured is to be 27 mPa-s at 353 K, however further investigation is required to determine a trend at higher temperatures.Copyright © 2013 by ASME