Thermocouple type T, exposed tip, fiberglass insulated, 3 m

The Pico SE053 Type T Exposed-Tip Thermocouple, Fiberglass Insulated, 3 m is designed for engineers, laboratories, research teams and temperature-monitoring applications that require good thermocouple accuracy combined with extended cable reach.

Pico Technology specifies the SE053 as:

• Order Code: SE053
• 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 Material: Fiberglass
• Cable Length: 3 m, approximately 10 ft
• Connector: Miniature thermocouple connector
• Tolerance Standards: IEC 60584-2:1993 / BS EN 60584-1:2013

Type T Class 1 Temperature Measurement

The SE053 uses Type T thermocouple technology, which is particularly useful where greater measurement accuracy than Type K is required and the narrower Type T temperature range is acceptable.

Its Class 1 measurement range extends from:

• −75 °C to +260 °C

Pico specifies the accuracy as:

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

This makes the SE053 suitable for precision-oriented laboratory, environmental, refrigeration and general engineering temperature measurements.

Suitable for Low-Temperature Applications

Type T thermocouples are particularly useful in low and moderate-temperature applications.

Typical applications can include:

• Refrigeration testing
• Freezer temperature monitoring
• Environmental chamber testing
• Laboratory experiments
• Product cooling studies
• Air-temperature measurement
• Gas-temperature monitoring
• Research and development
• Food-related temperature testing
• Equipment thermal evaluation

The −75 °C Class 1 lower limit provides useful coverage for many sub-zero temperature-monitoring applications.

Exposed Welded Sensing Junction

The SE053 uses an:

• Exposed junction
• Welded sensing tip

The thermocouple junction directly contacts the surrounding measurement environment instead of being enclosed inside a protective metal sheath.

This reduces thermal mass around the sensor and allows changing temperatures to reach the thermocouple junction quickly.

Very Fast Response

Pico describes the exposed welded-tip construction as offering a:

• Very fast response

This makes the SE053 particularly suitable for changing air and gas temperatures.

Applications may include:

• Heating and cooling cycles
• Environmental chamber measurements
• Refrigeration experiments
• Laboratory air monitoring
• Equipment cooling tests
• Product thermal validation

Pico does not publish a specific numerical response time for the SE053, so a response time in seconds should not be added.

Ideal for Gas Measurements

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

The SE053 can therefore be useful for:

• Ambient air-temperature monitoring
• Gas-temperature experiments
• Refrigerated-air measurements
• HVAC-related research
• Environmental test chambers
• Equipment enclosure monitoring

The exposed sensing junction allows the surrounding air or gas to contact the thermocouple directly.

Important Limitation for Corrosive or Oxidizing Liquids

The exposed welded junction has no protective metal sheath around the thermocouple alloys.

Pico therefore states that this probe should not be used in corrosive or oxidizing liquids.

For applications involving:

• Chemical liquids
• Corrosive fluids
• Oxidizing liquids
• Permanent liquid immersion

an appropriately protected or waterproof Type T thermocouple should be selected instead.

Fiberglass Cable Insulation

The SE053 uses:

• Fiberglass cable insulation

Pico notes that fiberglass insulation provides resistance to higher temperatures that could otherwise damage PTFE-insulated thermocouple cable.

This makes fiberglass a useful cable construction where increased insulation-temperature resistance is required.

The cable should still be operated within Pico's published product and application limits.

Extended 3 m Cable Length

The SE053 provides:

• 3 m cable length
• Approximately 10 ft

The additional cable length makes it useful where the temperature measurement point is located farther from the thermocouple data logger.

Typical installations include:

• Environmental chambers
• Refrigeration systems
• Laboratory test rigs
• Product-development systems
• Equipment monitoring
• Remote temperature-measurement points

The 3 m version provides greater installation flexibility than the SE051 1 m and SE052 2 m models.

Miniature Thermocouple Connector

Pico specifies the SE053 with a:

• Miniature thermocouple connector

This provides connection to compatible Type T thermocouple measurement equipment.

The probe is particularly suitable for Pico's USB TC-08 Thermocouple Data Logger.

Recommended for Pico USB TC-08

Pico Technology officially lists SE053 as a recommended accessory for the USB TC-08 Thermocouple Data Logger.

The TC-08 supports:

• Up to 8 thermocouple inputs
• Type T thermocouples
• Built-in cold-junction compensation
• Multi-channel temperature recording
• PicoLog software
• Long-duration temperature logging

Multiple SE053 thermocouples can therefore be connected to available TC-08 channels for multi-point temperature monitoring.

Multi-Point Temperature Logging

Several SE053 probes can be used with a multi-channel data logger to monitor temperatures simultaneously at different positions.

Typical applications include:

• Environmental chamber mapping
• Refrigeration-system testing
• Freezer temperature studies
• Cooling-system evaluation
• Laboratory experiments
• Product thermal validation
• Air-temperature distribution measurement

This allows engineers to compare:

• Temperature differences
• Cooling profiles
• Heating profiles
• Thermal gradients
• Temperature stability over time

Environmental Chamber Testing

The SE053 can be useful for measuring air temperature at different locations inside compatible environmental test chambers.

Multiple sensors can help identify:

• Temperature uniformity
• Hot zones
• Cold zones
• Heating rates
• Cooling rates
• Temperature stabilization

The extended 3 m cable provides useful flexibility when the logger must remain outside the chamber.

Refrigeration and Freezer Testing

Type T thermocouples are particularly well suited to low-temperature measurement.

SE053 applications can include:

• Refrigeration testing
• Freezer monitoring
• Cold-storage experiments
• Cooling-system development
• Low-temperature product testing
• Laboratory environmental studies

Its Class 1 performance provides more precise thermocouple measurement than many general-purpose Type K configurations.

Laboratory and Research Applications

The combination of Type T accuracy, exposed-junction response and 3 m cable length makes the SE053 suitable for:

• Scientific experiments
• Engineering R&D
• Product testing
• Thermal characterization
• Temperature data logging
• Educational laboratories
• Equipment validation
• Long-duration monitoring

Type T vs Type K Thermocouple

Pico specifically states that Type T thermocouples are a good choice where higher accuracy than Type K is required, although Type T has a narrower temperature range.

Choose Type T when:

• Measurements remain within −75 °C to +260 °C
• Low-temperature performance is important
• Higher thermocouple accuracy is preferred

Choose an appropriate Type K sensor when:

• Much higher temperatures are required
• Wider temperature coverage is more important

Fiberglass vs PTFE Type T Thermocouple

Pico offers Type T exposed-tip thermocouples with both:

• Fiberglass insulation
• PTFE insulation

Fiberglass is useful where increased cable-temperature resistance is needed.

PTFE can be preferable where resistance to:

• Chemicals
• Oils
• Fluids
• Moisture

is more important.

The sensing requirements and cable environment should both be considered when selecting the thermocouple.

Thermocouple Tolerance Standards

Pico states that its thermocouples are manufactured to strict industry tolerances specified in:

• IEC 60584-2:1993
• BS EN 60584-1:2013

These standards provide the basis for the published Type T Class 1 tolerance.

Complete Measurement Accuracy

Final temperature-measurement accuracy depends on more than the thermocouple itself.

Important factors include:

• Thermocouple Class 1 tolerance
• Data logger accuracy
• Cold-junction compensation
• Sensor positioning
• Thermal gradients
• Cable condition
• Environmental conditions

For repeatable measurements, maintain consistent probe positioning and periodically inspect the exposed junction and fiberglass cable.

Typical Applications

The Pico SE053 is suitable for:

• Low-temperature measurement
• Refrigeration testing
• Freezer monitoring
• Environmental chamber testing
• Air-temperature logging
• Gas-temperature monitoring
• Laboratory experiments
• Product thermal validation
• Cooling-system evaluation
• Research and development
• Educational laboratories
• Multi-point temperature monitoring
• USB TC-08 temperature data logging