Patent ID: 7023895

Claim:
A method of operating a chemical oxygen-iodine laser, comprising: coupling the chemical oxygen-iodine laser system to a source of potassium hydroxide, a source of molecular chlorine gas, a source of hydrogen peroxide, a source of molecular iodine gas, and a source of molecular nitrogen gas; reacting at least one of potassium hydroxide, a molecular chlorine gas, a hydrogen peroxide, a molecular iodine gas, and a molecular nitrogen gas; producing at least one of spent water, spent aqueous basic hydrogen peroxide, and spent laser exhaust gas that includes molecular oxygen, molecular nitrogen, molecular chlorine, molecular iodine, and molecular water collecting an amount of the spent basic hydrogen peroxide including an amount of spent aqueous potassium chloride; collecting an amount of the spent laser exhaust gas; processing the spent laser exhaust gas to separate the spent molecular oxygen gas from the spent molecular nitrogen gas; processing the amount of spent aqueous potassium to convert the amount of spent aqueous potassium chloride and the spent aqueous potassium iodide into a substance selected from the group consisting of molecular hydrogen, molecular chlorine, aqueous potassium hydroxide, and combinations thereof; combining the molecular oxygen gas with a substance selected from the group consisting of the spent water, the molecular hydrogen, or combinations thereof to form hydrogen peroxide; and mixing the hydrogen peroxide from with the aqueous potassium hydroxide to form basic hydrogen peroxide.