Liquid metals are promising coolants and working environments for high-energy technologies such as nuclear power plants, liquid metal batteries, solar collectors, and high temperature chemical reactors. Liquid metal heat transfer in these applications is crucial for the effective and reliable work of the technology as a whole. In this work we study the problem of local heat transfer in a swirled flow in an annulus. The problem model is idealized for ease of comparison between a numerical solution and an experiment. Experimental data was obtained using scanning probe measurements in a swirl flow at certain conditions suitable for the measurement technique, while extensive numerical modeling was executed in a number of possible scenarios, using the RANS equations solution enclosed by an SST model of turbulence. Velocity, temperature, temperature fluctuations, and heat transfer irregularity at the heated pipe perimeter are presented for several base situations that highlight key features of liquid metal flow in an annulus with twisted tape. The paper presents novel results on the influence of thermogravitational convection, helical pitch, tape gap, and inner pipe heating eccentricity on local characteristics of heat transfer in liquid metals. A parametric analysis provides key insights in the prediction of local overheating in a geometrically similar system and discusses differences of problem formulation and the consequent results in both a numerical and an experimental approach. The study reveals a strong influence on the scheme of flow and heat transfer, which is dependent upon the size of the width of the gap between the tape and the external pipe, as well as upon conditions at the entrance of the test section.