Effect of Residual CO on Combustion-Type CO2-Gas Dynamic Laser Performance
Abstract
The CO2-Gas Dynamic Laser (GDL) has been developed as a high-power laser. The combustion-type CO2-GDL has the particular merit of a readily obtainable high input energy, because it can use chemical reaction energy. In this type of GDL, however, impurities such as CO and O2 which result from imperfect combustion are present in the laser medium. This paper presents experimental studies of the influence of these impurities on CO2-GDL performance. CO and CH4 fuel is burned with air and N2 is added to form high temperature (1500 K) CO2-N2-H2O gas mixtures. All the observed impurities were CO and O2. Both gain and power decreased monotonically with the increase of CO mole fraction up to 10%. The mole fraction of O2 was always approximately 0.5%, and higher levels of O2 fraction led to unstable combustion.
- Publication:
-
Japanese Journal of Applied Physics
- Pub Date:
- May 1979
- DOI:
- Bibcode:
- 1979JaJAP..18..975W
- Keywords:
-
- Carbon Dioxide Lasers;
- Carbon Monoxide;
- Combustion Products;
- Gasdynamic Lasers;
- Impurities;
- Laser Outputs;
- Combustion Stability;
- Gas Mixtures;
- Oxygen;
- Power Gain;
- Lasers and Masers