Help to identify part
To me, this looks more like a thermistor than a thermocouple.

Can you measure the resistance across this part?  If it's zero Ohms (short), then it's a thermocouple.  If it's on the order of 10kΩ at room temperature, then it's a thermistor.

What materials are the wires made of?  If they are both copper, then it's certainly not a thermocouple.

Can you describe what was this connected to inside of the unit?  If it's connected directly to the microcontroller, then it's probably a thermistor.  Thermocouples have weaker signal than thermistors, so they require more signal conditioning.