The effect of gas flow parallel and transverse to the optical path and of the volume of the laser tube on N2laser energy and pulse width was experimentally investigated. Energy enhancements of more than a factor of 2 are clearly seen in transverse flow as compared with parallel flow. Gas flowrate affects the energy more in lasers with a large volume. Pulse widths in lasers with transverse flow are shorter than those with parallel flow by about 2 ns. These results show that both the direction of gas flow and the volume of the laser tube are important parameters to adjust to increase energy and power.