Water coolant temperature and condensation

Lasers
1

Hi, appreciate what u have put out into the forum.

If u got time for quick reply, as I cant find original topic now

So why condensation is bad inside of laser tube?

Does it also cause bubbles which might cause heat stress in the glass later on?

I saw condensation on my tube when coolant temperature was around 12-13C, so I suspect this might be a problem in future and I might need to add an aquarium heater to my water reservoir, to keep the temperature at the suggested 18C

4

Hi @Okami762 I know you PMed me but we like to have these convos public so all can learn from the discussions. So I converted your message to a post.

To answer your questions, condensation on the outside of the tube can be bad for a couple of reasons;

  • It can lead to rust on the sheet metal of the case if it drips off.
  • The tube is connected to HV so it could lead to arcing.

Air bubbles in the tube at the ends could lead to hot spots on the tube which could cause the tube to crack.

Let us know if you have any other questions. :slightly_smiling_face:

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