Thermocouple type T, exposed tip, fiberglass insulated, 5 m

The Pico SE054 Type T Exposed-Tip Thermocouple, Fiberglass Insulated, 5 m is designed for engineers, laboratories, research facilities and temperature-monitoring systems that require accurate Type T measurements with extended cable reach.

Pico Technology specifies the SE054 as:

• Order Code: SE054
• 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: 5 m, approximately 16 ft
• Connector: Miniature thermocouple connector
• Tolerance Standards: IEC 60584-2:1993 / BS EN 60584-1:2013

Type T Class 1 Temperature Measurement

The SE054 uses Type T thermocouple technology, which is a strong choice for applications requiring higher thermocouple accuracy than Type K where the narrower Type T temperature range is suitable.

The official Class 1 measurement range is:

• −75 °C to +260 °C

Pico publishes the following Class 1 accuracy:

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

These specifications make the SE054 suitable for accurate laboratory, environmental, refrigeration and engineering temperature measurements.

Suitable for Low-Temperature Applications

Type T thermocouples are commonly selected for low and moderate-temperature measurements where accuracy and stability are important.

Typical applications include:

• Refrigeration testing
• Freezer monitoring
• Environmental chamber testing
• Laboratory temperature measurement
• Product cooling studies
• Equipment thermal validation
• Air-temperature measurement
• Gas-temperature testing
• Research and development
• Temperature data logging

The −75 °C Class 1 lower limit provides useful measurement capability for many sub-zero testing applications.

Exposed Welded Sensing Junction

The SE054 uses an:

• Exposed junction
• Welded sensing tip

The sensing junction is directly exposed to the measurement environment rather than enclosed within a protective metal sheath.

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

Very Fast Response

Pico describes the exposed welded-tip construction as providing:

• Very fast response

This makes the SE054 useful for monitoring temperature changes in:

• Air
• Gases
• Environmental chambers
• Cooling systems
• Refrigeration experiments
• Laboratory thermal tests

Pico does not publish a numerical response time for SE054, so a specific value in seconds should not be added.

Ideal for Gas Measurements

Pico specifically states that the exposed welded tip is ideal for gas measurements.

Typical applications can include:

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

Because the junction is directly exposed, changes in the surrounding gas can reach the sensing point without the additional thermal mass of a protective sheath.

Fiberglass Cable Insulation

The SE054 uses:

• Fiberglass cable insulation

Pico states that fiberglass insulation offers resistance to hotter temperatures that could otherwise damage PTFE cable.

This is the key difference between the SE054 and the SE049 PTFE-insulated 5 m Type T thermocouple.

Fiberglass is a suitable choice where higher cable-temperature capability is more important than the chemical, oil and fluid resistance provided by PTFE.

Extended 5 m Cable Length

The SE054 provides:

• Cable Length: 5 m
• Approximately 16 ft

The longer cable is useful where the temperature measurement point is located farther from the thermocouple data logger.

Typical installations include:

• Environmental chambers
• Refrigeration equipment
• Laboratory test rigs
• Large product-development setups
• Remote temperature-measurement points
• Engineering test systems

The 5 m length provides considerably more installation flexibility than shorter 1 m, 2 m and 3 m versions.

Miniature Thermocouple Connector

Pico specifies the SE054 with a:

• Miniature thermocouple connector

This allows direct connection to compatible Type T thermocouple measurement instruments.

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

Recommended for Pico USB TC-08

Pico's current TC-08 accessory list includes SE054 as a recommended Type T thermocouple accessory.

The TC-08 supports:

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

Multiple SE054 thermocouples can therefore be used for multi-point temperature monitoring.

Multi-Point Environmental Monitoring

Several SE054 sensors can be connected to a multi-channel logger to measure temperatures at different locations.

This can support:

• Environmental chamber mapping
• Refrigeration-system testing
• Freezer temperature studies
• Air-temperature distribution measurements
• Cooling-system evaluation
• Product thermal testing
• Laboratory research

Engineers can compare:

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

Environmental Chamber Testing

The SE054 is well suited to environmental chamber applications where the logger must remain outside the chamber and a longer cable is required.

Multiple probes can help evaluate:

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

The 5 m cable provides flexibility when routing sensors through chamber access ports or test-fixture openings.

Refrigeration and Freezer Testing

Type T thermocouples are particularly suitable for low-temperature applications.

The SE054 can support:

• Refrigeration testing
• Freezer monitoring
• Cold-storage experiments
• Cooling-system development
• Product qualification
• Low-temperature research

Its Type T Class 1 performance makes it useful where better thermocouple accuracy is required than a general-purpose Type K configuration.

Important Limitation for Corrosive or Oxidizing Liquids

The thermocouple tip is exposed and therefore has no protective sheath.

Pico explicitly states that the exposed alloy tip should not be used in corrosive or oxidizing liquids.

For applications involving:

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

use an appropriately protected or waterproof thermocouple instead.

Type T vs Type K Thermocouple

Pico notes that Type T is 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
• Better thermocouple accuracy is desirable
• Low-temperature performance is important

Choose an appropriate Type K probe when significantly higher temperatures are required.

Fiberglass vs PTFE Type T Thermocouple

Pico offers both fiberglass and PTFE versions of the 5 m exposed-tip Type T thermocouple.

SE054 Fiberglass Version

• Fiberglass insulation
• 5 m cable
• Better suited where elevated cable temperatures are a concern

SE049 PTFE Version

• PTFE insulation
• 5 m cable
• Better resistance to chemicals, oils and fluids
• Lower maximum cable-temperature capability than fiberglass

The correct probe should be selected according to the cable environment.

Industry Thermocouple Tolerances

Pico thermocouples are manufactured to 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 performance.

Complete Measurement Accuracy

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

Important factors include:

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

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

Typical Applications

The Pico SE054 is suitable for:

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