Dynamics of oscillating turbulent liquid sheets

Recently, oscillating high-speed slab jets, or liquid sheets, have been pro posed for shielding the first walls of inertial fusion energy (IFE) reactor chambers from damaging X-rays, neutrons and ions. The near-field dynamics of obliquely oscillating turbulent liquid sheets were investigated in scale d experiments. Results are presented for sheets at Reynolds numbers up to 3 7000 oscillated along various directions at frequencies from 0 to 11 Hz and amplitudes up to half the nozzle thickness (0.5 delta). Data on maximum tr ajectories of oscillating sheets and growth rates of stationary sheets are presented for distances up to 90 delta downstream of the nozzle exit. A mod el for predicting the maximum trajectory is presented. The bulk of the expe rimental data are in reasonable agreement with this model. These results ca n be used to provide design guidelines for thick liquid protection.