Water vapor concentration measurement in singlet oxygen generator by using emission spectroscopy method and absorption at 1392nm

By using emission spectroscopy method and absorption at 1392nm, partial water pressure at the exit of a square pipe-array jet-type singlet oxygen generator (SPJSOG) for chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL) was measured. The water vapor fraction was calculated from the partial water pressure in the diagnostic cell when we assumed the water vapor fraction in the diagnostic cell is the same as that in the generator. The results from the two methods showed that the water vapor concentration is less than 0.08 in this SPJSOG during normal operation. The water vapor fraction decreases with the increasing of the pressure in the generator and rises with the increasing of buffer gas flow rate and the basic hydrogen peroxide (BHP) temperature in the case of constant chlorine flow rate. Measurements showed that the change of water vapor fraction due to BHP temperature could be ignored during normal operation. It is indicated that the gas flow velocity is the main reason that affects on the water vapor fraction in COIL. It is proved that the emission spectroscopy method is one of the simple and convenient ways to measure the water vapor concentration in singlet oxygen generator (SOG), especially in real time measurements. But absorption spectroscopy method, as a direct measurement, can give the more factual results of the water concentration.