Ways of increasing the specific energy characteristics of self-contained supersonic cw chemical HF lasers

Abstract

An experimental investigation was made of ways of increasing the specific energy characteristics of a self-contained supersonic cw chemical HF laser with a radial-expansion nozzle array 18 cm long. Optimisation of the chemical composition of the fuel (which was a F2—D2—He—H2 mixture) improved the energy characteristics by 10–25% and made it possible to reach a specific output energy of 305 J g-1. A 1.4-fold reduction in the size of the reactant mixing zone at the entry to the cavity increased the specific power by 50% and its maximum value was 180 W cm-2. Possible further improvements in the specific energy characteristics are suggested.