Thermodynamic equations of state for heavy liquid metals

Heavy liquid metals, such as mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and lead-bismuth eutectic (Pb-Bi), have been studying in several countries as potential materials for spallation neutron sources and as potential coolants for the fast spectrum nuclear reactors of the next generation coolants. During the last years the studies were performed in different countries aiming at better understanding their properties and development of an equation of state which can be used for design and safety analysis of nuclear installation where they are to be used. Different approaches to construction of EOS were cocompared taking as the basis the generalized van-der-Waals equation and the statistical mechanics (SM) approach. The EOS developed by Y. Song S.M. Lambert, J.M. Prausnitz based on SM and perturbation theory for fluids, is applied to Hg and Pb. The obtained results on their main thermodynamic properties are compared with the available experimental data and recommendations, and with the results obtained with the van-der-Waals and Ridlich-Kwong EOS. A good agreement was demonstrated in a large range of temperatures and pressures close to the saturation line.