Degradation of the active mixture and the feasibility of regenerating it in an Iglan-3 multibeam 5-kW gas-discharge CO2 laser

Experimental data are presented on the dissociation of CO₂ molecules in the active medium of a multibeam gas-discharge laser as a function of the circulation velocity of the active mixture and of the discharge current. An analysis is given of the physical processes responsible for degradation of the active mixture, and its results are in agreement with data from other studies on both the value of the dissociation rate constant and the dependence of the degree of dissociation on the discharge current. A closed-cycle laser operating procedure is proposed in which the active mixture is regenerated in a high-temperature reactor at atmospheric pressure. Tests of this system showed that the regenerator provides for stable laser operation in the closed-cycle regime and enables the gas flow rate to be reduced by almost a factor of 30. Record values of the specific flow rate for high-power industrial gas discharge CO₂ lasers, of the order of 6 liters · kW^–1 · h^–1, are reported.