Selective Emissions During Combustion of KClO₄/Zr Pyrotechnics for Laser Pump Application

Abstract

Selective emitters can be used effectively to obtain spectrally matched flare compositions. This work investigated selective emitters in combusting KClO₄/Zr pyrotechnics, which was used as a pyrotechnical pump light source for solid state lasers, and analyzed the spectral matching of selective emissions with Nd-doping laser materials. Emission spectra were obtained with an Ocean Optics HR 4000 UV-NIR fiber spectrometer. Thermodynamical calculation was conducted to aid understanding the combustion process of KClO₄/Zr. Major selective emissions observed included spectral lines of atomic K (g), Cl (g), O (g), and molecular ZrO (g). When Zr content in the formula increased from 50% to 60%, the radiation efficiency in the bands of 730–760 nm and 790–820 nm decreased from 13.09% to 10.0% and from 4.70% to 3.66%, respectively. The highest radiation efficiency for KClO₄/Zr (50/50) was partly ascribed to the strongest emission of atomic K (g) generated by this formula.

Keywords:

• Combustion
• KClO₄/Zr
• Pyrotechnical pump source
• Radiation spectra
• Selective emission

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the National High Technology Development Program of China under Grant No. 2009AA8043022.

Notes

^aLinstrom and Mallard, 2009; Pearse and Gaydon, 1976; Richardson, 1931.