The dynamics of mercury flow in a curved pipe

Mercury has been investigated as a potential high-Z target for the Moun Collider Accelerator project. Preliminary design of the target delivery system involves pipe curvature and axially-dependent pipe radius. The investigation of the dynamics of mercury flow under these conditions is undertaken with the goal of obtaining the proper nozzle design for this application. Depending on the Dean number, rotational body force modes are observed, with dynamics that are considerably different from these in a straight pipe of constant radius.