Annular Vortex Generation for Inertial Fusion Energy Beam-Line Protection

The use of swirling annular vortex flow inside beam entrance tubes can protect beam-line structural materials in chambers for heavy-ion inertial fusion energy (IFE) applications. An annular wall jet, or vortex tube, is generated by injecting liquid tangent to the inner surface of a tube wall with both axially and azimuthally directed velocity components. A layer of liquid then lines the beam tube wall, which may improve the effectiveness of neutron shielding, and condenses and removes vaporized coolant that may enter the beam tubes. Vortex tubes have been constructed and tested with a thickness of three-tenths the pipe radius. Analysis of the flow is given, along with experimental examples of vortex tube fluid mechanics and an estimate of the layer thickness, based on simple mass conservation considerations.