High-temperature, low-vapor-pressure liquid jets can provide neutron shielding for inertial fusion energy (IFE) target chambers. To minimize pumping power, free liquid jets must be located close to the target to reduce the total liquid volume required for shielding each fusion shot. For heavy ion drivers compact liquid geometry provides additional benefits by reducing focus-magnet stand off distance. The disruption of the liquid by targets involves complex fluid mechanics, as does the subsequent droplet clearing and pocket regeneration. The ranges of time, length, and energy-density scales in IFE target chambers are extreme compared to most engineered systems. Scaling, discussed in detail here, can identify optimal approaches to study and model liquid response, and minimize experimental distortion. More broadly, the systematic categorization of IFE phenomena by duration and location is shown to provide a natural format for selecting experiments to study IFE phenomena ranging from beam transport to chamber activation.