THE FEASIBILITY OF INCREASING OUTPUT POWER FROM A CO2-N2-He MIXTURE,
Abstract
The achievement of higher output power in CO2 lasers with large-diameter discharge tubes is hampered by a tendency toward a pinch effect and ineffective cooling of the gas. An attempt to overcome these problems was made with noncontracting discharge using a water-cooled discharge tube 70 mm in diameter and a discharge gap 150 cm long. Maximum input power was 2200 W. The output was 95 W at an efficiency of 4.3% and a wavelength of 943/cm. The thermal source density was constant over the tube cross section, and the wall temperature was 0C. At 2200 W input with He, the axial temperature rose to 280C. In view of the nonlinear input-temperature curve, an axial temperature of 500C in the presence of He requires a nearly doubled tube diameter which quadruples the output power obtained from a 1 m length of the tube. Considering that cooling and emission extraction can be further improved, and also that water vapor can be introduced into the discharge, a power output per m of 300-400 W is possible.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 18, 1968
- Accession Number
- AD0681579
Entities
People
- E. S. Egorova
- P. A. Bokhan
Organizations
- National Air and Space Intelligence Center