This progress report covers continuing work to develop a temperature probe for a coal gasifier. A workable probe design requires finding answers to crucial questions involving the probe materials. We report on attempts to answer those questions. We designed, assembled, and tested a portable test fixture that can give relative quantitative data on the condition of phosphors. It needs a more-sensitive detector for optimum performance. We ordered an appropriate detector. An experimental test of the survivability of thermographic phosphor in an ambient environment similar to that in a slagging gasifier showed no substantial deterioration of the phosphor. We consider this result so important that we delayed the date of publication of this report by one month to accommodate it. We assembled the first version of a prototype probe and were preparing to test it at the time of this report.

This progress report covers continuing work to develop a temperature probe for a coal gasifier. A workable probe design requires finding answers to crucial questions involving the probe materials. We report on attempts to answer those questions. We previously reported an apparent anomaly in the high-temperature behavior of fused-silica optical components. This time, we report on further anomalies in other components. These unexpected results impede or prevent acquiring data related to the project. The commercial manufacturer of gasifier probes had agreed to lend us three ceramic inner sheaths and one outer sheath for experimentation. He subsequently sent us one inner sheath. We designed a test fixture to be used in a proposed test of phosphor material in a reducing environment at a power company's test facility. Funding delays outside our control caused a related project to be put on hold. Because the two projects shared travel funds, we are unable to continue experimental work until funding resumes. Meanwhile, we are doing some of the labor-intensive data reduction for our recent calibration curves.