Theoretical analysis of combustion-driven 16µm CO2gas dynamic lasers

A numerical analysis is presented with a combustion-driven 16 μm CO
2
gas dynamic laser operating on liquid fuel and liquid oxidizer constituted of benzene (C
6
H
6
) and nitrous oxide (N
2
O), respectively. Adopting a sharp-edged nozzle with an area ratio of 100, optimization of equivalence ratio φ, reservoir pressure P
0
, and nozzle throat height
h*
was performed by considering conditions of no steam condensation and exhausting the combustion gas to the atmosphere. The analysis showed that the maximum value of
G_{16} = 0.48
m
^-1
for small-signal gain and
E_{16}^{max} = 9
mJ/(l . atm . pulse) for available specific energy would be attainable with the
P(15)
line of the (02
⁰
0)-(01
¹
0) transition.