HIGH EFFICIENCY, HIGH PRESSURE RECOVERY, HIGH MACH NUMBER NITROGEN BASED CHEMICAL OXYGEN-IODINE LASER

摘要

A new Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser (COIL) has been developed and demonstrated at chlorine flow rates up to 1 gmol/s. The laser employs a cross flow jet oxygen generator operating With no diluent. The generator product flow enters the laser cavity at Mach 1 and is accelerated by mixing with 5 gmol/s, Mach 5 nitrogen diluent in an ejector nozzle array. The nitrogen also serves as the carrier for iodine. Vortex mixing is achieved through the use of mixing tabs at the nitrogen nozzle exit. Mixing approach design and analysis, including CFD analysis, led to selection of the preferred nozzle configuration. The selected mixing aid design was tested in cold flow and the results are in good agreement with the CFD predictions. Good mixing was achieved within the desired cavity flow length of 20 cm and pressure recovery above 90 Torr was measured at the cavity exit. Finally, the design was incorporated into the laser and power extraction in excess of 20 kW was measured at the best operating condition of 0.9 gmol/s. Stable resonator mode footprints showed desirable intensity profiles, with none of the "sugar scoop" profiles characteristic of the conventional COIL designs.