CONTINUOUS GENERATION OF SINGLET DELTA OXYGEN AT HIGH PRESSURES

THIS PHASE I PROPOSAL ADDRESSES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MUTUALLY IMPINGING SPRAY SINGLET DELTA OXYGEN (SDO) GENERATOR (REACTOR) WHICH WILL OPERATE AT NEAR ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AND PROVIDE A CONTINUOUS AND STEADY-STATE FLOW OF OXYGEN AT A SDO PARTIAL PRESSURE OF 100 TORR. THE REACTOR PRESSURE IS AT LEAST A FACTOR OF 7.5 AND AS HIGH AS A FACTOR OF 1500 TIMES GREATER THAN THE PRESSURES FOUND IN CURRENT SDO GENERATORS. SINGLET DELTA OXYGEN IS USED TO COLLISIONALLY EXCITE ATOMIC IODINE LASING SPECIES IN OXYGEN-IODINE LASERS. OPERATING PRESSURES UP TO ONE ATMOSPHERE ARE REQUIRED BOTH (A) TO REDUCE THE PUMPING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE LASER SYSTEM AND (B) FOR HOMOGENEOUS SATURATION OF THE LASER, LEADING TO EFFICIENT FIBER OPTIC COUPLING AND POTENTIAL REMOTE APPLICATIONS OF THE OXYGEN-IODINE LASER. A CONCEPT DEMONSTRATION UNIT OF ONE-TENTH SCALE WILL BE BUILT AND TESTED IN THE PHASE I PROGRAM. THE MAJOR UNCERTAINTY TO BE RESOLVED IN THE PHASE I PROGRAM IS WHETHER THE INTERACTION OF THE MUTUALLY IMPINGING SPRAYS CAN PRODUCE HIGH YIELDS OF SDO WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT QUENCHING. THE PHASE II PROGRAM WILL ADDRESS THE DESIGN, FABRICATION AND TESTING OF A FULL-SCALE, CONTINUOUS, HIGH PRESSURE, SDO GENERATOR/CHEMICAL OXYGEN-LASER SYSTEM. THE MAIN APPLICATION OF THE HIGH PRESSURE, CONTINUOUS SDO GENERATOR WILL BE FOR THE REMOTE USE OF OXYGEN-IODINE LASERS, AS FOR EXAMPLE, FOR WELDING AND PRECISION METAL CUTTING. OTHER APPLICATIONS WOULD INVOLVE THE USE OF SDO AS AN OXIDIZING AGENT AT LOWER OXIDATION TEMPERATURES, AS FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE FORMATION OF SILICON OXIDE IN THE SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY OR IN THE ANNEALING PROCESS OF HIGH TEMPERATURE CUPRATE SUPERCONDUCTORS.