Innovative lasers for uranium isotope separation. Final report, September 1, 1989--April 1, 1993

Technical Report · Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10191040· OSTI ID:10191040

Brake, M L; Gilgenbach, R M

Copper vapor laser have important applications to uranium atomic vapor laser isotope separation (AVLIS). We have investigated two innovative methods of exciting/pumping copper vapor lasers which have the potential to improve the efficiency and scaling of large laser systems used in uranium isotope separation. Experimental research has focused on the laser discharge kinetics of (1) microwave, and (2) electron beam excitation/pumping of large-volume copper vapor lasers. Microwave resonant cavity produced copper vapor plasmas at 2.45 GHz, have been investigated in three separate experimental configurations. The first examined the application of CW (0-500W) power and was found to be an excellent method for producing an atomic copper vapor from copper chloride. The second used a pulsed (5kW, 0.5--5 kHz) signal superimposed on the CW signal to attempt to produce vaporization, dissociation and excitation to the laser states. Enhanced emission of the optical radiation was observed but power densities were found to be too low to achieve lasing. In a third experiment we attempted to increase the applied power by using a high power magnetron to produce 100 kW of pulsed power. Unfortunately, difficulties with the magnetron power supply were encountered leaving inconclusive results. Detailed modeling of the electromagnetics of the system were found to match the diagnostics results well. An electron beam pumped copper vapor system (350 kV, 1.0 kA, 300 ns) was investigated in three separate copper chloride heating systems, external chamber, externally heated chamber and an internally heated chamber. Since atomic copper spectral lines were not observed, it is assumed that a single pulse accelerator is not capable of both dissociating the copper chloride and exciting atomic copper and a repetitively pulsed electron beam generator is needed.

• Research Organization: Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor, MI (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: FG02-89ER12891
• OSTI ID: 10191040
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/12891-4; ON: DE94001729; BR: KE0103000/KV0200000; TRN: 93:024143
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: Jul 1993
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
07 ISOTOPES AND RADIATION SOURCES
URANIUM ISOTOPES
LASER ISOTOPE SEPARATION
PROGRESS REPORT
GAS LASERS
COPPER
ELECTRON BEAMS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
COPPER CHLORIDES
MAGNETRONS
OPTICAL PUMPING
EXCITATION
050500
070100
URANIUM ENRICHMENT
PHYSICAL ISOTOPE SEPARATION