Experimental and theoretical investigation of singletoxygen bubbler generator for an oxygen-iodine laser

Conclusions

The following conclusions can be drawn from the calculated and experimental data concerning the operation of the SOG considered here:

• 1. The rate of chlorine production is limited by mass transport in the gas phase. A value$\beta _g ^v \cong 1000/P$ (torr)·sec⁻¹ was obtained for the gas mass output coefficient per unit volume of the reactor.

• 2. Satisfactory agreement was obtained between the experimental and calculated SOG exit parameters at a surface massoutput coefficient$\beta _s \cong (30 - 50) \cdot \sqrt {b_s (mole/liter)} cm/\sec .$.

• 3. The elimination of HO ⁻₂ ions from the solution surface is insignificant in the regimes considered here. The escape of O₂(¹Δ) from the surface of the solution into the gas phase is close to 100%.

• 4. The use of a funnel did not decrease the fraction of O₂(¹Δ) at the generator output, but made it possible to stabilize the bubbling regime, and also increase greatly the degree of chlorine utilization, owing to the decrease of the gas-phase scale.

• 5. It was found that the O₂(¹Δ) yield decreases with the height of the working-solution layer, starting with h _l ≅4–5 cm, a value corresponding to optimum SOG efficiency ξ_outη.

• 6. At optimum height of the solution layer, the relative fraction of O₂(¹Δ) at the exit from a bubbler SOG is$\eta _\Delta ^{out} \cong 85 - 60\%$ at$\dot m_{Cl_2 } /S \cong 0.01 - 0.1$ mmol/cm²·sec respectively.

• 7. In our opinion, the bubbler SOG considered here can be used in subsonic cw COIL with$\dot m_{Cl_2 } /S \leqslant 0.03$ mmol/cm²·sec and with$\dot m_{Cl_2 } /S \cong 0.05 - 0.1$ mmol/cm²·sec in supersonic cw and pulsed COIL.

• 8. Taking the foregoing results into account, it can be concluded that in the investigated range of chlorine loading the parameter that decides the O₂(¹Δ) content is pτ. From the standpoint of comparing the bubbler type SOG considered here with rotor-film and jet types, the conclusions 1 and 3 attest to the similarity of the operating conditions of various generator types. With a suitable choice of bubbler SOG design that minimizes pτ it is therefore possible to expect it to operate at pressures not inferior to those reached in jet and film SOG; this is particularly important for the use of bubbler SOG in supersonic COIL.