Reducing energy use through accurate temperature measurement

Temperature measurements above 1000 °C are difficult to make but necessary for many industries such as aerospace and steel production.

As industries cannot accurately measure these high temperatures, they often run processes too hot and therefore operate inefficiently. By developing a range of measurement methods, accurate at high temperatures, this project will enable more efficient operation of industrial processes, reduced energy use and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The project will focus on both ‘in situ’ techniques, where measurement devices are located directly in the environment being measured, as well as non-contact techniques that can take measurements without directly exposing devices to the high temperatures involved.

HiTeMS - High temperature metrology for industrial applications (> 1000 °C)

Detailed Summary of Project IND01	Project Website
Contact - Prof Graham Machin (NPL)	graham.machin@npl.co.uk

High-pressure measurements for industry

Advanced high-pressure technologies are frequently used in the petrochemical, pharmaceutical and car industries. In the car industry the application of high, continuously increasing, pressures plays a vital role in the manufacturing of direct injection fuel systems, which have improved petrol and diesel engine performance.

The pressures used in some modern systems are higher than the current European calibration capability, which is limited to around 1 GPa (gigapascal). This project aims to develop new standards to extend this capability to 1.6 GPa and to support the continuing use of high pressure technologies.

This will enable an increase in product quality and lifetime, a saving of materials and a reduction in energy use and pollution.

HighPRES - High pressure metrology for industrial applications

Detailed Summary of Project IND03	Project Website
Contact - Dr Wladimir Sabuga (PTB)	wladimir.sabuga@ptb.de

Improving confidence in polymer properties

Polymers (e.g. plastics and rubber) are often used to reduce the cost and weight of manufactured goods. However, they are viscous and so can deform under stress and over time. This is not ideal for industrial applications, in particular in car manufacturing or water pipes, where materials need to remain stable and predictable over many years.

This project will develop methods for measuring viscous materials, including measurements of shape, mechanical properties and deformation rate.

The project will also help widen the use of recycled polymer materials as current uptake is limited because of the higher uncertainty and variability in their properties, compared with virgin materials.

MeProVisc - Dynamic mechanical properties and long-term deformation behaviour of viscous materials

Detailed Summary of Project IND05	Project Website
Contact - Dr Nigel M Jennett (NPL)	nigel.jennett@npl.co.uk

Helping thin film technologies become a reality

Thin film materials possess novel properties not found in bulk materials, enabling their use in the production of flexible LCDs or solar panels that can be fixed to the outside of windows.

The production of thin films is currently limited due to a lack of understanding of precisely how changes in the composition and structure of thin film materials affect properties such as electronic and thermal conductivity.

This project will improve the nanoscale measurements needed for developing thin film technologies, thereby improving our understanding of film properties and reducing material and energy costs. This should increase the uptake of the novel and beneficial applications of thin films - with European industry taking the lead.

Thin Films - Metrology for the manufacturing of thin films

Detailed Summary of Project IND07	Project Website
Contact - Dr Fernando Castro (NPL)	fernando.castro@npl.co.uk

Force, torque and pressure measurement over time

Many industries would benefit from more accurate dynamic measurements of mechanical quantities such as force, torque and pressure. However, measurements of these quantities are presently based on static calibrations, even though it is accepted that measurement instruments behave differently when the force changes over time.

This limitation is significant and impacts the automotive, aerospace and transport industries. For example, it impacts safety assessment measurements in car crash testing and the characterisation of the strength of weight-saving materials used in both cars and aircraft.

The project will establish traceable dynamic measurements for force, torque and pressure, and will produce precise dynamic mechanical test signals to improve the safety of industrial systems.

Dynamic - Traceable dynamic measurement of mechanical quantities

Detailed Summary of Project IND09	Project Website
Contact - Dr Thomas Bruns (PTB)	thomas.bruns@ptb.de

Reducing wear and friction in components

An estimated loss of 2 % of GDP in developed countries is attributed to losses caused by friction and wear. Therefore, advances in surface engineering, such as low friction coatings on machine components will improve industrial efficiency and the sustainability of transport, power production and manufacturing.

This project will develop advanced measurements from the macroscale to the nanoscale for the assessment of engineered surfaces.

This will lead to an improvement of surface engineering, for example reducing downtime and waste in aluminium forging or increasing the lifetime of mining components used to drill for oil. There could also be health benefits, as high durability coatings can eliminate the health risks posed by contamination of food products during processing.

MADES - Metrology to assess the durability and function of engineered surfaces

Detailed Summary of Project IND11	Project Website
Contact - Prof Mark Gee (NPL)	mark.gee@npl.co.uk

Measurement consistency with time and temperature

The continuing development of advanced industries such as ICT and aerospace requires constant improvement in the accuracy of high-end production equipment and measurement devices.

However, material properties change over time and with temperature fluctuations, which reduces the reliability and performance of systems and means that current state of the art measurement equipment needs regular recalibration.

An increased understanding of measurement drift over time, better temperature control and improved thermal design are therefore necessary to meet industrial demands. This project will perform thermal modelling on a prototype measurement device in order to explore how devices can be improved to increase their stability over time and with changes in temperature.

T3D - Thermal design and time-dependent dimensional drift behaviour of sensors, materials and structures

Detailed Summary of Project IND13	Project Website
Contact - Dr Jens Flügge (PTB)	jens.fluegge@ptb.de

Improving the speed and efficiency of industrial processes

Accurate chemical measurements at surfaces are vital for all areas of engineering and industry that rely on surface analysis. This includes microelectronics, the development of corrosion resistant materials in aerospace, the assessment of the toxicity of medical implants and the design of industrial catalysts.

The properties of a surface and of the bulk material can be markedly different, with bonding, wettability, cell adhesion and reactivity all radically affected by surface chemistry.

This project will provide reference materials and develop methods for the highest priority industrial applications leading to cost and time improvements for many industrial processes across Europe.

SurfChem - Traceable quantitative surface chemical analysis for industrial applications

Detailed Summary of Project IND15	Project Website
Contact - Dr Wolfgang Unger (BAM)	wolfgang.unger@bam.de

Supporting the miniaturisation of technological components

The reliable measurement of small structures, less than one micrometre in size, is necessary to develop optical and semiconductor technologies that are dependent on the miniaturisation of components.

Scatterometry is a tool that measures by scattering light across a surface and detecting the reflections. It is relatively fast compared with traditional techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and could be more widely used during manufacturing processes were it not for a lack of universal standards.

This project will provide a scatterometry reference standard, also suitable for testing AFM and SEM devices that will add traceability to scatterometric measurements and make them comparable to microscopic methods.

Scatterometry - Metrology of small structures for the manufacturing of electronic and optical devices

Detailed Summary of Project IND17	Project Website
Contact - Dr Bernd Bodermann (PTB)	bernd.bodermann@ptb.de

Improving indoor and outdoor air quality measurements

Reliable indoor and outdoor measurements of chemical pollutants in air are required to underpin and implement EU air quality policies designed to maintain human health and the environment.

Improvements are required, especially with regards to human exposure to indoor chemical pollutants such as those emitted by building materials. In addition, no harmonised legislation is currently in place for the monitoring of indoor air.

This project will develop: a method for producing stable reference samples for the calibration of instruments for measuring air quality, new measurement methods to detect volatile, highly reactive gases such as ammonia, and a reliable compact nitrogen dioxide microsensor using the innovative material graphene.

MACPoll - Metrology for chemical pollutants in air

Detailed Summary of Project ENV01	Project Website
Contact - Mrs Annarita Baldan (VSL)	abaldan@vsl.nl

Reducing uncertainty in solar UV measurements

Solar ultraviolet (UV) light can produce substances in the atmosphere that change the environment. Therefore changes in the amount of solar UV reaching the earth’s surface could have an effect on climate change.

However, current measurement methods have uncertainties of around 5 % which is too high to detect changes and to model future trends. This project seeks to develop new methods and cost effective instruments to bring uncertainty levels down to 2 %.

Prototype devices will be commercialised and the methodologies freely disseminated to end-users to support reliable solar UV measurement at both the national and international level.

solarUV - Traceability for surface spectral solar ultraviolet radiation

Detailed Summary of Project ENV03	Project Website
Contact - Dr Julian Gröbner (SFI DAVOS)	julian.groebner@pmodwrc.ch

New measurements to link salinity to density

Higher levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere lead to increased levels of CO₂ dissolved in oceans, and an associated increase in acidity and salinity (the amount of salt in water).

Scientists need to understand water properties such as salinity because they influence ocean circulation patterns, which affect the Earth’s climate.

Salinity measurements, inferred from the conductivity of water, currently use a traditional scale not related to SI units that cannot guarantee long-term measurement traceability and stability. This research will link measurements of salinity to measurements of density, which can be traced back to SI units, thereby improving confidence in salinity measurements.

Ocean metrology - Metrology for oceanic salinity and acidification

Detailed Summary of Project ENV05	Project Website
Contact - Dr Petra Spitzer (PTB)	petra.spitzer@ptb.de

Improving measurements of pressure, temperature, humidity and airspeed

Measurements of pressure, temperature, humidity and airspeed are key to understanding the climate of the Earth. This project aims to improve climate models by improving these measurements.

For example, humidity, i.e. water vapour, has a high heat capacity and can absorb and transfer energy in the atmosphere. Humidity measurements are required up to the stratosphere, however levels of water vapour in the stratosphere are so low that traditional techniques lack sufficient accuracy.

By improving such measurements this project will contribute to metrological and meteorological research and a better interpretation of climate data.

MeteoMet - Metrology for pressure, temperature, humidity and airspeed in the atmosphere

Detailed Summary of Project ENV07	Project Website
Contact - Dr Andrea Merlone (INRIM)	a.merlone@inrim.it

Aiding the successful decommissioning of nuclear power plants

Many nuclear power stations in Europe, and across the rest of the world, are in the final stages of their life cycle and are being prepared for the decommissioning process.

This requires the disposal of thousands of tonnes of nuclear waste and, in order to do this safely and cost effectively, it is necessary to accurately measure the radioactivity of the materials involved.

This project will develop novel methods, standards, decay data, reference materials and instruments for improved radioactive waste measurements and to assist with the successful decommissioning of nuclear power plants.

MetroRWM - Metrology for radioactive waste management

Detailed Summary of Project ENV09	Project Website
Contact - Petr Kovar (CMI)	pkovar@cmi.cz