Thermocouple type T, exposed tip, fiberglass insulated, 10 m

The Pico SE055 Type T Exposed-Tip Thermocouple, Fiberglass Insulated, 10 m is designed for engineers, laboratories, environmental-test facilities and research applications that require accurate Type T temperature measurement over an extended distance.

Pico Technology specifies the SE055 as:

• Order Code: SE055
• Thermocouple Type: Type T
• Thermocouple Materials: Copper / Constantan
• 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: 10 m, approximately 33 ft
• Connector: Miniature thermocouple connector
• Tolerance Standards: IEC 60584-2:1993 / BS EN 60584-1:2013

Type T Class 1 Temperature Measurement

The SE055 uses Type T thermocouple technology, which is particularly suitable for applications requiring good measurement accuracy at low and moderate temperatures.

Pico states that Type T thermocouples are a good choice when higher accuracy than Type K is required, provided the narrower Type T temperature range is suitable for the application.

The SE055 Class 1 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%

This makes the SE055 suitable for applications where repeatable and accurate thermocouple measurement is more important than very high-temperature capability.

Suitable for Low-Temperature Applications

Type T thermocouples are widely used for low and moderate-temperature measurements.

The SE055 can be suitable for:

• Refrigeration testing
• Freezer monitoring
• Environmental chamber testing
• Laboratory temperature measurement
• Product cooling studies
• Air-temperature logging
• Gas-temperature monitoring
• Research experiments
• Equipment thermal validation
• Multi-point temperature monitoring

Its −75 °C Class 1 lower limit provides useful coverage for many sub-zero engineering and laboratory applications.

Exposed Welded Junction

The SE055 uses an:

• Exposed junction
• Welded sensing tip

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

This reduces thermal mass around the sensing point and allows the junction to respond quickly when the surrounding temperature changes.

Very Fast Response

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

• Very fast response

This makes the SE055 suitable for applications involving changing temperatures in:

• Air
• Gases
• Refrigeration systems
• Environmental chambers
• Laboratory experiments
• Heating and cooling processes

Pico does not publish a numerical response time for SE055, so a response time in seconds should not be added without separate manufacturer documentation.

Ideal for Gas Measurements

Pico specifically describes the exposed welded-tip construction as:

• Ideal for gas measurements

This makes the SE055 appropriate for applications including:

• Ambient air-temperature monitoring
• Refrigerated-air measurements
• Gas-temperature experiments
• Environmental chamber testing
• Equipment enclosure measurements
• HVAC-related research
• Laboratory airflow testing

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

Fiberglass Cable Insulation

The SE055 uses:

• Fiberglass cable insulation

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

Fiberglass is therefore useful when the cable environment requires greater temperature resistance than a comparable PTFE-insulated thermocouple cable.

The actual measurement system should still remain within the published SE055 operating specifications.

Extended 10 m Cable Length

The SE055 provides:

• Cable Length: 10 m
• Approximately 33 ft

The extended cable length makes this model especially useful when the sensing location is positioned far from the thermocouple data logger.

Typical installations include:

• Large environmental chambers
• Refrigeration equipment
• Cold rooms
• Large laboratory test systems
• Remote monitoring points
• Product-validation facilities
• Engineering test rigs

The 10 m lead allows the measurement instrument to remain outside the immediate test area while the sensing tip is positioned at the required measurement point.

Extended-Reach Environmental Chamber Monitoring

The long 10 m cable is useful for environmental chambers where the thermocouple logger may need to remain outside the test environment.

Multiple SE055 thermocouples can be routed through suitable access points to monitor:

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

This provides engineers with a practical method for multi-point thermal characterization.

Refrigeration and Freezer Testing

Type T thermocouples are particularly useful for refrigeration and low-temperature applications.

SE055 can support:

• Refrigeration-system testing
• Freezer temperature monitoring
• Cold-storage experiments
• Cooling-system development
• Product cold testing
• Laboratory low-temperature research
• Environmental qualification

The Type T Class 1 tolerance provides strong measurement performance for applications where better accuracy than general-purpose Type K measurement is preferred.

Miniature Thermocouple Connector

Pico specifies the SE055 with a:

• Miniature thermocouple connector

This provides direct connectivity with compatible Type T thermocouple measurement equipment.

The connector is suitable for instruments such as the Pico USB TC-08 Thermocouple Data Logger.

Recommended for Pico USB TC-08

Pico Technology lists the SE055 as a recommended accessory for the USB TC-08 Thermocouple Data Logger.

The USB TC-08 provides:

• 8 thermocouple input channels
• Type T thermocouple support
• Built-in cold-junction compensation
• 20-bit measurement resolution
• Multi-channel temperature recording
• PicoLog software
• Long-duration data logging

Multiple SE055 sensors can therefore be connected to available TC-08 channels for multi-point temperature-monitoring applications.

Multi-Point Temperature Logging

Using several SE055 thermocouples with a multi-channel logger can provide simultaneous measurement at different locations.

Applications include:

• Environmental chamber mapping
• Freezer temperature distribution
• Refrigeration-system testing
• Product cooling studies
• Laboratory thermal experiments
• Equipment temperature monitoring
• Air-temperature distribution studies

Engineers can compare:

• Temperature differences
• Heating profiles
• Cooling profiles
• Thermal gradients
• Stabilization time
• Long-term temperature trends

Type T vs Type K Thermocouple

Type T and Type K thermocouples are suited to different applications.

Type T advantages include:

• Higher accuracy than Type K in its specified range
• Strong low-temperature performance
• Suitability for refrigeration and laboratory applications

Type K advantages include:

• Wider overall temperature capability
• More options for high-temperature measurements
• Broad general-purpose use

Choose SE055 Type T when measurement remains within its Class 1 range and low-temperature accuracy is a priority.

Fiberglass vs PTFE Insulation

Pico offers exposed-tip Type T thermocouples with both fiberglass and PTFE cable insulation.

Fiberglass insulation is useful where:

• Higher cable-temperature resistance is important
• The cable may encounter hotter environments
• Chemical or oil exposure is not the primary concern

PTFE insulation is useful where:

• Chemical resistance is important
• Oil resistance is required
• Fluid resistance around the insulated cable is important

The exposed sensing junction itself remains unprotected in both versions.

Important Limitation for Corrosive or Oxidizing Liquids

Because the sensing junction is exposed, Pico specifically states that these thermocouples should not be used in corrosive or oxidizing liquids.

For applications involving:

• Corrosive liquids
• Oxidizing liquids
• Aggressive chemical solutions
• Permanent liquid immersion

use an appropriately protected or waterproof Type T probe instead.

Thermocouple Industry Standards

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

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

These standards form the basis for the published Class 1 Type T measurement tolerances.

Complete Measurement Accuracy

The final accuracy of the complete temperature-measurement system depends on several factors:

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

For consistent measurements, position the sensing junction correctly and periodically inspect the thermocouple cable and exposed tip.

Typical Applications

The Pico SE055 is suitable for:

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