Burns Engineering

Thermocouples in direct immersion, variable immersion, and spring-loaded designs for thermowells, listed at -196 C to 1260 C with special accuracy limits.

Use it whenReach for this when the process is hotter than an RTD will survive. Burns also points Series 100 at hazardous chemical applications, so it is the usual answer in high-temperature furnace, fired-heater, and aggressive chemical service.

Platinum RTDs in direct immersion, variable immersion, and spring-loaded designs for thermowells, listed at -196 C to 500 C.

Use it whenThis is the default industrial choice inside the RTD range: you get better accuracy and repeatability than a thermocouple, and Burns rates the Series 200 for use in volatile environments. Spring-loaded is the version to specify when the sensor drops into an existing thermowell, because it holds the tip against the well bottom.

Rugged industrial RTDs engineered for high-vibration environments, listed at -50 C to 200 C.

Use it whenSpecify this when a standard RTD keeps failing on you -- pumps, compressors, blowers, anything that shakes. The narrower temperature range is the tradeoff for surviving the vibration.

RTD and thermocouple sensors with field-adjustable lengths and, per Burns, various mounting options to interface with nearly any process connection.

Use it whenUse it when you do not yet know the exact insertion length, when you are standardizing a spare across several different wells, or when you are retrofitting into a connection you cannot fully document ahead of the order.

RTDs Burns describes as designed for applications where space is limited, with small size and a broad temperature range.

Use it whenUse it when there is physically no room for a standard probe -- small-bore tubing, tight skids, inside equipment.

Series B mounts on a surface and is available as a platinum RTD or a thermocouple; Series D measures air and room temperature as distributed average, multi-point average, or single-point, with transmitters or cables.

Use it whenSeries B is the answer when you cannot penetrate the pipe or vessel at all and have to read through the wall. Series D is for air -- ducts, rooms, and cleanrooms -- and the distributed-average version is what you want when a single point in a duct will not represent the air stream.

Burns' premium sanitary sensors, described as designed for sanitary installations where cleanliness is a design requirement, for pharmaceutical, biotech, and food and beverage service.

Use it whenThis is the workhorse for hygienic process lines and the one to quote unless something about the installation rules it out.

Sensors that measure temperature without extending into the process; Burns notes they work well for small-diameter piping.

Use it whenUse it when the line is too small for a probe, or when the validation and cleaning group does not want anything protruding into the flow path.

Sensors Burns describes as designed to be mounted through the wall of a vessel and flush with the inner surface.

Use it whenUse it on agitated vessels -- flush means nothing for the mixer or scraper to hit, and no dead space to clean around.

Platinum wire RTDs for monitoring and controlling temperature in disposable bioreactor bag systems.

Use it whenSpecify this for single-use bioreactor work rather than adapting a standard sanitary probe.

RTDs Burns states are engineered specifically for demanding autoclave environments with built-in durability.

Use it whenUse it when the sensor is cycled through steam sterilization repeatedly -- Burns positions these as eliminating the problems associated with autoclave use, which is a maintenance argument, not just a rating.

Sanitary thermowell designs including hygienic ferrules, elbow wells, Ingold-style, and options with special materials or coatings.

Use it whenUse a well when you need to pull the sensor without breaking into the process. The elbow well is the one to remember for small lines where a straight well would not give you enough immersion.

Burns describes these as highly accurate temperature measurement sensors primarily used for laboratory temperature calibrations.

Use it whenThis is the lab reference. Use it when the sensor's job is to be the standard everything else is measured against, in a controlled bath or furnace.

Described as rugged, accurate, and cost-effective sensors primarily used for on-site field temperature calibration.

Use it whenUse this when the calibration happens in the plant rather than the lab. It trades some of the lab standard's delicacy for the ability to survive being carried around.

Calibration standards for sub-zero environments; Burns states the cryogenic probe is a completely sealed assembly, is rated for use in cryogenic freezers, and is rated to -196 C.

Use it whenUse it to validate and map ultra-low freezers and cryogenic storage, where a standard probe's seals will not survive repeated cold cycling.

Per Burns, analog transmitters for use with 3-wire RTDs only, head or rail mountable.

Use it whenUse it when you just need a 4-20 mA output from an RTD and nothing has to be configured in the field. Note the 3-wire-only limitation before you pair it with a 4-wire sensor.

Transmitters for RTDs or thermocouples, head or rail mountable.

Use it whenUse it when you want one transmitter part number to cover both RTD and thermocouple inputs, or when range needs to be set at commissioning.

Transmitters for RTDs and thermocouples supporting HART 5 and HART 7, head or rail mountable.

Use it whenUse it when the plant expects to configure and diagnose the transmitter over HART from the control system rather than at the sensor. Check which HART revision the host requires.

Programming modules for various transmitters, plus Rosemount transmitters offered alongside Burns' own.

Use it whenThe Rosemount option matters when a site has standardized on Rosemount transmitters -- you can still buy the Burns sensor and keep the plant's transmitter standard.

Fifteen head models in cast iron, aluminum, plastic, and stainless steel; Burns notes most of the cast iron, aluminum, and stainless models carry hazardous area certifications while the compact and plastic options do not.

Use it whenPick the head by the area classification and the washdown regime first, not by price: stainless for cleanability and hazardous locations, plastic only where neither a hazardous rating nor cleanability is required. Confirm the head accepts a terminal block or a transmitter, since not all do.

Thermowells with a range of mounting options in stepped, tapered, quick, and dampened designs, with specialized materials available.

Use it whenUse a well any time the sensor has to come out without shutting down. Stepped and tapered designs improve response and help with flow-induced vibration; a dampened design is the one to ask about when a well has failed from vibration before.

Sensors for sub-zero environments that Burns states feature special sealing technology to prevent damage and maintain accuracy through repeated cold cycles.

Use it whenUse it for cold chain, ultra-low freezers, and cryogenic process. The failure mode you are buying out of is moisture ingress from repeated cold cycling, not accuracy.

Monitoring sensors developed for critical bearing temperatures in rotating industrial equipment.

Use it whenUse it for pump, motor, and turbine bearing monitoring, where the sensor has to be small, held in contact, and survive vibration.

Solutions adapted from Burns' standard product lines for unique applications.

Use it whenBring Burns the installation when nothing in the catalog fits -- odd process connection, an existing well of unknown geometry, or a length and lead configuration that has to match an obsolete sensor being replaced.