Thermocouple high-temp type K exposed tip, fiberglass insulated, 1 m

The Pico SE059 High-Temperature Type K Exposed-Tip Thermocouple, Fiberglass Insulated, 1 m is designed for engineers, laboratories and industrial test environments that require temperature measurements at significantly higher temperatures than standard fiberglass or PTFE-insulated thermocouple probes can support.

Pico Technology identifies the SE059 as:

• Order Code: SE059
• Thermocouple Type: Type K
• Probe Construction: Exposed junction
• Accuracy Class: Class 1
• Manufacturer-quoted accuracy: ±1.5 °C over −40 °C to +1000 °C
• Cable Length: 1 m
• Conductor Diameter: 0.8 mm
• Conductor Temperature Rating: Up to +1000 °C
• Insulation: High-temperature glass fiber / fiberglass
• Continuous Insulation Rating: +750 °C
• Primary Application: High-temperature and oven measurements

Pico describes this high-temperature thermocouple as a robust and economical exposed-junction probe particularly suited to oven-temperature measurements.

High-Temperature Type K Measurement

Type K is one of the most commonly used general-purpose thermocouple types and is widely used for engineering, laboratory and industrial temperature measurement.

The SE059 is specifically constructed for higher-temperature applications. Pico specifies the Type K Class 1 performance over:

• −40 °C to +1000 °C

The conductor itself is rated for operation up to:

• +1000 °C

This makes the SE059 suitable for applications where conventional low-temperature probe insulation would not be appropriate.

Class 1 Type K Accuracy

Pico describes the SE059 as a Class 1 Type K thermocouple and quotes:

• Accuracy: ±1.5 °C
• Quoted range: −40 °C to +1000 °C

Pico also states that its thermocouples are manufactured to recognized industry tolerance standards:

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

The overall measurement accuracy of a complete system will also depend on the thermocouple logger, cold-junction compensation, installation and environmental conditions.

High-Temperature Fiberglass Insulation

A major feature of the SE059 is its high-temperature glass-fiber insulation.

Pico specifies the insulation as suitable for:

• Continuous operation at +750 °C

This allows the cable assembly to operate at substantially higher temperatures than standard PTFE-insulated or conventional fiberglass thermocouple leads.

High-temperature fiberglass insulation makes the SE059 particularly suitable for:

• Ovens
• Thermal test chambers
• High-temperature laboratory experiments
• Heat-treatment testing
• Industrial heating equipment
• Materials research

0.8 mm High-Temperature Conductor

Pico specifies a:

• 0.8 mm conductor

The conductor is suitable for temperatures up to:

• +1000 °C

The larger high-temperature conductor differentiates SE059 from Pico's standard SE001 fiberglass-insulated thermocouple, which uses a thinner 0.3 mm twisted-pair conductor.

Exposed-Junction Construction

The SE059 uses an exposed thermocouple junction.

An exposed junction places the sensing junction directly in the measurement environment rather than enclosing it inside a metal sheath.

Exposed-tip thermocouples can provide fast thermal response because there is less material between the thermocouple junction and the surrounding environment. Pico specifically notes that exposed-tip thermocouples are well suited to gas measurements.

Typical applications include:

• Oven air-temperature measurements
• Heated gas monitoring
• Thermal chamber testing
• High-temperature laboratory measurements
• Heating and cooling experiments
• R&D thermal studies

Important Limitation of an Exposed Junction

Because the thermocouple alloys are physically exposed, Pico advises that exposed-tip thermocouples are not suitable for corrosive or oxidizing liquids.

The SE059 should therefore be selected primarily for suitable air, gas and high-temperature environments rather than aggressive liquid immersion.

For corrosive or chemically demanding environments, an appropriately sheathed or protected thermocouple should be selected instead.

Continuous +750 °C Insulation Rating

The SE059 has two different high-temperature ratings that should not be confused:

• Fiberglass insulation: suitable for continuous operation at +750 °C
• 0.8 mm conductor: suitable for +1000 °C

These values describe different parts of the thermocouple assembly.

For continuous installations, cable routing should therefore account for the insulation temperature rather than assuming the complete cable assembly can continuously remain at +1000 °C.

Fixed High-Temperature Installations

Pico states that when the thermocouple is fixed in position so that the insulation is not flexed, it can withstand particularly demanding high-temperature conditions.

This makes careful installation important in applications such as:

• Oven monitoring
• Furnace-adjacent measurement
• Thermal chambers
• Fixed laboratory rigs
• Heat-treatment systems

Frequent flexing of fiberglass insulation at elevated temperatures should be avoided where possible.

1 m Cable Length

The SE059 has a:

• 1 m cable length

Pico also offers the same high-temperature exposed-tip Type K design in longer versions:

• SE060: 2 m
• SE061: 3 m
• SE062: 5 m

The 1 m SE059 is useful where the measurement point is relatively close to the data logger and minimizing unnecessary cable length is preferred.

Recommended for Pico USB TC-08

Pico Technology lists the SE059 as a recommended accessory for the USB TC-08 Thermocouple Data Logger.

The TC-08 supports:

• Up to 8 thermocouple inputs
• Type K sensors
• Multi-channel temperature monitoring
• Cold-junction compensation
• PicoLog software
• Long-duration temperature recording

Several SE059 thermocouples can therefore be used with available TC-08 channels for multi-point high-temperature monitoring.

Oven Temperature Measurement

Pico specifically describes SE059 as being ideal for oven temperatures.

Potential uses include:

• Oven temperature profiling
• Heating-cycle monitoring
• Temperature distribution studies
• Product heat testing
• Thermal-process development
• High-temperature equipment validation

Multiple thermocouples can be positioned at different locations where the installation conditions are suitable.

Furnace and Heat-Treatment Applications

The high-temperature conductor and fiberglass insulation can also make SE059 useful in suitable furnace-adjacent and heat-treatment test setups.

Applications may include:

• Materials testing
• Heat-treatment experiments
• High-temperature process development
• Thermal research
• Furnace atmosphere monitoring

Installation must still remain within the temperature limits of the individual components of the thermocouple assembly.

Fast Response for Gas Measurements

Pico notes generally that exposed-tip thermocouples provide very fast response and are ideal for gas measurements.

This makes the SE059 useful when temperature changes in a suitable air or gas environment need to be detected without the additional thermal mass of a sheathed probe.

Pico does not publish a numerical response time for SE059, so a specific response time in seconds should not be added.

Thermocouple Measurement Considerations

High-temperature thermocouple measurements can be affected by:

• Cold-junction compensation
• Probe placement
• Thermal gradients
• Air or gas movement
• Electrical noise
• Thermocouple aging
• Insulation condition
• Prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures

Pico notes that thermocouple wire can become decalibrated if high-temperature operation changes the composition of the thermocouple material.

Regular inspection is therefore advisable in demanding high-temperature applications.

Typical Applications

The Pico SE059 is suitable for:

• Oven temperature monitoring
• High-temperature air measurements
• Gas temperature testing
• Heat-treatment experiments
• Thermal chamber testing
• Materials research
• Industrial temperature monitoring
• Product thermal validation
• Laboratory high-temperature testing
• R&D thermal measurements
• Multi-point TC-08 temperature logging
• High-temperature process development