Chemical oxygen-iodine laser (coil)/cryosorption vacuum pump system

A cryosorption vacuum pump system for use in a chemical laser to produce vacuum required to draw laser gain media gases through a laser cavity at a rate and sufficiently low pressure to sustain lasing action, said vacuum pump system, comprising:

• (a) a gas chiller assembly for chilling a flow of laser gases received from a laser cavity, said gas chiller removing condensable vapors therefrom, said gas chiller providing cold dry laser gases;
• (b) a cryosorption assembly including a bed of cryosorption material for receiving and absorbing said cold dry laser gases from said gas chiller;
• (c) means associated with said gas chiller assembly for refrigerating said gas chiller assembly;
• (d) means associated with said cryosorption assembly for refrigerating said bed of cryosorption material;
• and
• (e) means for regenerating said gas chiller assembly and said cryosorption assembly by removing the condensable vapors and laser gases therefrom.

A cryosorption assembly for a cryosorption vacuum pump system for use with a chemical laser, comprising;

• (a) a vacuum vessel;
• (b) a plurality of spaced containers contained within said vacuum vessel, each container having at least one wall with apertures, said at least one wall being sufficiently gas permeable to allow gas to flow into and out of the container without suffering significant pressure loss, said containers being spaced so as to avoid impeding gas flow from a chemical laser to said at least one wall;
• (c) cryosorption material contained within said containers;
• and
• (d) heat exchange elements in contact with said cryosorption material for refrigerating said cryosorption material.

A cryosorption assembly for a cryosorption vacuum pump system for use with a chemical laser, comprising;

• (a) a vacuum vessel;
• (b) a bed of cryosorption material contained within said vacuum vessel;
• and
• (c) heat exchange elements contained within said vacuum vessel in contact with said bed of cryosorption material for refrigerating said cryosorption material.

A method of operating a chemical Oxygen-Iodine laser (COIL)/cryosorption vacuum pump system, comprising;

• a sequence of pumping, regeneration and cool down cycles,
• said pumping cycle comprising the steps of:
• (a) flowing laser gases through a laser cavity of a COIL;
• (b) introducing said laser gases into a gas chiller of a cryosorption vacuum pump system for chilling the laser gases and removing condensable vapors therefrom;
• (c) flowing the resulting cold dry laser gases from the gas chiller into a cryosorption assembly, wherein the laser gases are adsorbed by cryosorption material within the cryosorption assembly;
• and
• (d) discontinuing the flow of laser gases through the laser cavity to terminate the pumping cycle;
• said regeneration cycle comprising the steps of:
• allowing the gas chiller and the cryosorption material to warm up and liberate condensed vapors and adsorbed gases, the liberated condensed vapors and adsorbed gases being removed from the cryosorption vacuum pump system;
• and
• said cool down cycle comprising the steps of:
• refrigerating the gas chiller to temperatures suitable for effective condensation and removal of condensable vapors contained in the laser gases;
• and
• refrigerating the cryosorption material to temperatures suitable for effective cryosorption.