The current work presents the hydrothermal flame impingement experiments conducted for the design of a hydrothermal spallation drilling nozzle. The products of hydrothermal flames of mixtures of ethanol, water and oxygen were injected as free jets in a high pressure water bath. The nozzle design was based on ideas stemming from underwater welding and cutting of metal sheets. Water entrainment in the flame-jets and the heat transfer capabilities of flames injected from various nozzles have been analyzed by measuring their impingement temperature profiles on a flat stainless steel plate. It was found that the thermal-to-kinetic energy ratio of the jet has a direct influence on the entrainment of water in it. Furthermore, the cooling water of the combustion chamber was injected in various angles to the axis of the jet resulting to different entrainment rates. It was found that higher water injection angles reduced the rate of entrainment. Finally, it was indicated that at certain operational points of the jet, its trans-critical properties had an important influence on the impingement temperatures. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.