Chemical Laser Solid Fuels Program
Abstract
The first successful demonstrations of solid propellant gas generators for chemical lasers were carried out. Because of their inherent storability and simplicity, solid propellant gas generators have potential advantages as reactant sources for chemical lasers compared to the alternatives of reactant storage as high pressure gases or cryogenic liquids. Solid propellant gas generators which can supply all of the reactants for a deuterium fluoride (DF) chemical laser were developed. The reactants required by the laser were generated from separate solid propellant gas generators and then fed into a conventional, combustion-driven, supersonic flow DF laser. The deuterium laser cavity fuel, the nitrogen trifluoride plus fluorine oxidizer, the hydrogen precombustor fuel and the nitrogen diluent were supplied from four separate solid propellant gas generators. In addition to the low power lasing demonstrations conducted with all four types of gas generators, the solid propellant deuterium generators were scaled-up to the flow rates required for multi-hundred watt DF lasers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADB015615
Entities
People
- Francisco Q. Roberto
- John E. O'pray
- Ronald E. Channell
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory