Experimental data on radial thermal conductivity of beds formed of solid cylinders, Rashig rings, six-spoke wheels, four- and 52-hole cylindrical pellets are presented. The use of shaped particles in packed beds can significantly improve radial heat transfer. Thermal conductivity of the bed increases with the increase of the channel cross-section in the particle. The hydrodynamic approach to the description of convective radial thermal conductivity in packed beds of cylindrical particles with arbitrary number and form of channels is proposed. The approach is based on the account of mean fluid velocities around and through the hollow cylinders in the packed bed.