EURISOL Multi-MW Target: Investigation of the hydrodynamics of liquid metal (Hg) jet

In order to develop a windowless target it is necessary to investigate the hydrodynamics of liquid metal (Hg) jet. On the basis of the schematic layout of a high-power target module presented in Ref. [2], and the parameters of the windowless target (speed of the mercury jet up to 30 m/s, diameter of jet 10-20 mm and length of jet about 1 m), a first estimation of the parameters of the main components of a Hg-loop has been obtained by the Institute of Physics, University of Latvia. A preliminary engineering design of a functional Hg-loop to be constructed soon is also proposed. A simplified water stand has been developed with the ability of testing different Hg-nozzle configurations. The tests carried out showed that the kinetic energy of the jet is so high that the coaxial water flow at contact point is transformed into small bubbles (spray). The characteristics of the jet were shown to depend on the pressure of the stand.