Metrology for Ammonia as an Energy Carrier (MetNH3Energy)

Projects

Metrology for Ammonia as an Energy Carrier (MetNH3Energy)

Ammonia (NH₃) is considered a key energy carrier due to its favourable properties (carbon-free, hydrogen carrier, and easily liquefied) as well as recent policy developments such as the European Green Deal. Given its higher volumetric energy density compared to hydrogen, ammonia is expected to play a significant role in long-term energy storage.

Ammonia can be converted back into hydrogen, but it can also be used directly. In the maritime and power generation sectors, many manufacturers have announced plans to develop and commercialize ammonia-compatible engines and gas turbines. During thermal conversion of NH₃ in the presence of air/oxygen, nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) are formed.

To ensure a safe and fair rollout of ammonia as an energy carrier, it is essential to establish infrastructure for measuring quantity, quality, and emissions.

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Marcel Workamp
Principal Scientist Gas Flow

mworkamp@vsl.nl

Our role

VSL focuses on the following objectives within this project:

Development of gas standards and measurement methods for purity analysis and emission monitoring of ammonia used as an energy carrier.
Establishment of traceability for NH₃ flow measurement in both liquid and gaseous forms.

VSL is the work package leader for developing traceability for NH₃ flow measurement. In this project, VSL collaborates with 26 sister/research institutes and industrial partners located across Europe.

Start Date: August 1, 2025
End Date: July 31, 2028

You can find information about this project on the website van MetrNH3Energy.

“The project has received funding from the European Partnership on Metrology, co-financed from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme and by the Participating States.”

“This project is co-financed by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.”

Projects

Our expertise in practice

Metrology for Hydrogen Vehicles 3

This project focuses on developing faster methods for hydrogen flow calibrations (using master meters), combining flow calibrations with sampling for quality measurements, creating test protocols for gas composition sensors, and investigating potential new impurities.

New standards for calibration of spectroradiometric measurement instruments

Developing new standards for calibration of spectroradiometric measuring instruments, with VSL focusing primarily on new sources and detector-based methods.

Sensor engineering for vibration isolation in Einstein Telescope

Project SENVIDET contributes to the development of the Einstein Telescope through innovation in the field of sensors for vibration isolation.

Traceable machine vision systems for digital industrial applications

Machine vision systems are crucial to many high-value industries, where Europe is globally competitive, and to the EU objectives for digital transformation and the Green Deal.

Digital metrological twins for advanced manufacturing

Supporting advanced production processes using so-called Digital Metrology Twins (D-MTs), where VSL will mainly work on a digital representation of tactile measurements on the CMM.

Virtual experiments and digital twins (ViDiT)

Virtual experiments and digital twins are key enabling technologies to achieve and realise European strategic policies devoted to sustainability and digitalisation within the complex framework of Industry 4.0 and the European Green Deal.

Metrology for Aerosol Optical Properties (MAPP 19ENV04)

The goal of this project is to enable the Si-traceable measurements of column-integrated aerosol optical properties retrieved from the passive remote sensing of atmosphere using solar and lunar measurements.

RMG Research on optical microscopes (Research Mobility Grant 20FUN02-RMG1)

This Research mobility grant together with EMPIR project 20FUN02 POLight aims to enhance multiple optical measurement methods for use in nano-metrology.

Pushing boundaries of nano-dimensional metrology by light (20FUN02 POLight)

This project addresses this issue by developing novel methods to help bridge the metrology gap and in turn foster KET innovation. More specifically, this project will push the boundaries of optical measurement methods by realising a new generation of optical metrology systems, with unprecedented performances in terms of spatial resolution, traceability, reliability and robustness.

Traceable metrology of soft X-ray to IR optical constants and nanofilms for advanced manufacturing (20IND04 ATMOC)

The optics and semiconductor industries use innovative materials and complex nanostructures in their products whose optical properties are difficult to measure and often not accurately known. This project is developping advanced mathematical methods to traceably characterise these materials for wavelength ranges from soft X-ray to IR.