Thermocouple type T, exposed tip, fiberglass insulated, 1 m

The Pico SE051 Type T Exposed-Tip Thermocouple, Fiberglass Insulated, 1 m is designed for engineers, laboratories, research facilities and temperature-monitoring applications that require accurate measurement across low and moderate temperatures.

Type T thermocouples are particularly useful where improved accuracy compared with Type K is required, while their narrower temperature range remains suitable for the application.

Pico Technology identifies the SE051 as:

• Order Code: SE051
• Thermocouple Type: Type T
• Accuracy Class: Class 1
• Class 1 Temperature Range: −75 °C to +260 °C
• Accuracy from −40 °C to +125 °C: ±0.5 °C
• Accuracy from +125 °C to +260 °C: ±0.4%
• Tip Construction: Exposed junction / welded tip
• Cable Insulation: Fiberglass
• Cable Length: 1 m
• Connector: Miniature thermocouple connector
• Tolerance Standards: IEC 60584-2:1993 / BS EN 60584-1:2013

Type T Class 1 Temperature Measurement

The SE051 uses a Type T thermocouple, which Pico positions as a suitable choice for applications requiring greater accuracy than Type K within a narrower temperature range.

The official Class 1 temperature range is:

• −75 °C to +260 °C

Pico specifies accuracy as:

• −40 °C to +125 °C: ±0.5 °C
• +125 °C to +260 °C: ±0.4%

This makes SE051 suitable for laboratory, research and engineering applications where accurate measurement at low and moderate temperatures is important.

Suitable for Low-Temperature Applications

Type T thermocouples are widely used where stable low-temperature measurements are required.

Pico highlights Type T sensors for applications including:

• Ultra-low freezers
• Laboratory measurements
• Food-processing environments
• Low-temperature research
• Environmental testing
• Product-development experiments
• Refrigeration testing

Type T thermocouples also offer good stability at low temperatures, making them appropriate for applications where temperature measurement extends significantly below ambient conditions.

Exposed Welded Tip

The SE051 uses an:

• Exposed junction
• Welded sensing tip

The thermocouple junction is directly exposed to the measurement environment rather than enclosed inside a metal sheath.

This minimizes the thermal mass around the sensing point and allows the sensor to react quickly to temperature changes.

Very Fast Response

Pico states that its exposed-tip thermocouples offer a very fast response.

This characteristic makes SE051 particularly useful when monitoring changing temperatures in:

• Air
• Gases
• Laboratory environments
• Cooling systems
• Refrigeration experiments
• Thermal chambers

Pico does not publish a specific response time in seconds for SE051, so an unsupported numerical response value should not be added.

Ideal for Gas Measurements

Pico specifically describes exposed welded-tip thermocouples as ideal for gas measurements.

Possible applications include:

• Ambient-air temperature
• Cooled-air monitoring
• Gas-temperature testing
• Environmental chamber measurements
• Laboratory airflow experiments
• Heating and cooling studies

Because the sensing junction is exposed, temperature changes can reach the thermocouple junction directly.

Not Recommended for Corrosive or Oxidizing Liquids

The exposed-junction construction also introduces an important limitation.

Because the thermocouple alloy is unprotected, Pico states that the probe should not be used in corrosive or oxidizing liquids.

For applications involving chemically aggressive fluids, a protected or waterproof thermocouple probe should be selected instead.

Pico offers separate Type T waterproof probes for liquid-temperature measurements.

Fiberglass Cable Insulation

The SE051 uses:

• Fiberglass cable insulation

Pico notes that fiberglass insulation provides better resistance to higher temperatures than PTFE-insulated thermocouple cables.

This makes fiberglass useful where environmental temperatures could otherwise exceed the practical limits of PTFE cable insulation.

The product should still be operated according to the published SE051 temperature and application specifications.

1 m Cable Length

The SE051 is supplied with:

• 1 m cable
• Approximately 3 ft

The cable length is suitable for compact:

• Laboratory setups
• Refrigeration tests
• Environmental experiments
• Product-development workstations
• Engineering test systems

Pico also provides the same fiberglass-insulated Type T thermocouple design in longer cable versions.

Miniature Thermocouple Connector

The SE051 uses a:

• Miniature thermocouple connector

This connector allows straightforward connection to compatible thermocouple measurement equipment.

It is particularly suitable for Pico's USB TC-08 Thermocouple Data Logger and other compatible Type T thermocouple instruments.

Recommended for Pico USB TC-08

Pico Technology lists the SE051 as a recommended accessory for the USB TC-08 Thermocouple Data Logger.

The TC-08 supports:

• Type T thermocouples
• 8 thermocouple channels
• Built-in cold-junction compensation
• 20-bit measurement resolution
• Multi-channel temperature recording
• PicoLog software

Several SE051 sensors can therefore be connected to one TC-08 for multi-point temperature monitoring.

Multi-Point Low-Temperature Monitoring

Using multiple SE051 thermocouples with a multi-channel logger can support:

• Freezer temperature mapping
• Environmental chamber characterization
• Refrigeration testing
• Laboratory experiments
• Product cooling studies
• Temperature distribution measurements

Engineers can compare temperatures at several locations simultaneously and record changes over extended test periods.

Food and Laboratory Applications

Pico identifies Type T thermocouples as commonly used in:

• Food-processing applications
• Laboratory environments
• Ultra-low freezers

Their stability at low temperatures and suitability for humid or moist environments make Type T sensors useful in applications where these conditions are relevant.

The exposed SE051 tip should still not be placed directly into corrosive or oxidizing liquids.

Type T vs Type K Thermocouple

Type T provides higher measurement accuracy than Type K, but over a narrower temperature range.

This makes SE051 a useful option when:

• High-temperature capability is not the primary requirement
• Better thermocouple accuracy is desirable
• Low-temperature stability is important
• Measurements remain within the Type T Class 1 operating range

For significantly higher temperature measurements, a suitable Type K thermocouple may be more appropriate.

Thermocouple Measurement Accuracy

The final accuracy of a thermocouple measurement system depends on several factors:

• Thermocouple tolerance
• Data logger accuracy
• Cold-junction compensation
• Probe positioning
• Cable condition
• Thermal gradients
• Environmental conditions

For repeatable measurements, the exposed junction should be positioned consistently and protected from mechanical damage.

Typical Applications

The Pico SE051 is suitable for:

• Laboratory temperature measurement
• Ultra-low freezer monitoring
• Refrigeration testing
• Food-processing temperature monitoring
• Air-temperature measurement
• Gas-temperature testing
• Environmental chamber testing
• Research and development
• Product testing
• Cooling-system evaluation
• Multi-point temperature data logging
• Educational laboratory experiments