High pressure rinsing water jet characterization

High pressure rinsing is widely used as the final wet step in the high field superconducting cavities production. The interaction of an high speed ultra pure water jet with the niobium surface depends on various parameters such as water pressure, water throughput, treatment duration, cavity rotation speed, etc. In this paper we illustrate a simple technique for the characterization of water jet parameters based on the momentum transfer between the water jet and a load cell. The jet profile and its dependence on water pressure as well as the force exerted by the jet on the surface are easily measured. Moreover a portable apparatus has been set up and the information gathered in different laboratories will be used for a quantitative comparison of the different HPR systems. These measurements allow to study the correlation of the jet parameters with the effects (surface status, oxide formation, corrosion, etc) of the water interaction with the niobium surface. Furthermore a new analysis, based on the luminescence induced on transparent dielectric samples, is used for confirmation of the water jet structure.