Hot gas flow thermocouple test system

A system for testing thermocouples at high temperature, comprising:

• (a) a source of fuel and a source of pressurized air;
• (b) a combustion chamber for burning said fuel and generating a flow of hot combustion gases therethrough, said combustion chamber having first and second ends and including an outer substantially cylindrically shaped housing defined between first and second flanged members, said first flanged member including first and second inlet openings operatively connected to respective said source of fuel and said source of air, an inner housing disposed within and substantially coaxial with said outer housing, said inner housing having a plurality of circumferentially and axially spaced holes defined in the wall thereof through which the interior of said inner housing communicates with an annularly shaped space defined between said inner housing and said outer housing, said inner housing having an inlet opening communicating with said first inlet opening in said first flanged member for conducting said fuel into said inner housing, and a baffle near said inlet of said inner housing for diffusing flow of said fuel into said inner housing, and an igniter for igniting mixtures of said fuel and air within said combustion chamber;
• (c) a generally tubular shaped transparent chamber having an inlet at a first end thereof and and an outlet at a second end thereof, said transparent chamber operatively connected at said inlet thereof to said second end of said combustion chamber for conducting said flow of hot combustion gases through said transparent chamber;
• (d) means defined in a wall of said transparent chamber for inserting a thermocouple into said flow of hot combustion gases;
• and
• (e) an optical pyrometer disposed near said transparent chamber for measuring the temperature of said thermocouple.