Ammonia Gas Detection: technology landscape, marine fuel applications, and must-knows from existing experts

Following the publication of the AEA’s new technology and safety-focused report on ammonia gas detection, members of the task force that developed the report joined experts and AEA staff for a launch webinar. Debbie Koske, Jami Lorenz (both CTI Gas Detection), Liam Blackmore (Lloyd’s Register), as well as Trevor Brown & Andrea Guati Rojo (AEA) discussed the content of the report, offered additional insights, and identified the key missing pieces still to figure out. Watch a replay of the event here, and access the presentation slides here.

The new report

Click to expand. A few examples from the detection technology section in the AEA’s new report, Ammonia Gas Detection: Core Technologies and Standards (Nov 2025).

Our new report — Ammonia Gas Detection: Core Technologies and Standards — identifies the available gas detection technologies, relevant standards and regulations, and key considerations for deploying and operating ammonia gas detection systems. As presented by AEA Executive Director Trevor Brown, there were three key takeaways in the report:

• A wide range of technologies is currently commercially available to meet different requirements and settings.
• For the testing and performance of the detectors themselves, there are three
  standards widely used. There is also a series of relevant regulatory documents available, with examples of detection threshold limits provided for ammonia use in various settings.
• Ammonia gas detection is a key component of a broad, comprehensive safety system, but it must be done in conjunction with appropriate design and management processes.

The report also outlines four key questions that anyone should ask while trying to set up an effective ammonia gas detection system.

The first things to know about ammonia gas detection

The technology choice landscape for ammonia gas detection is large and diverse, but support is available to help guide your decision-making. Knowing what level of ammonia you need to detect, where you need to detect it, and what sort of regulatory requirements you need to meet is the ideal starting point.

Click to expand. Diagram of an example machinery room, with ammonia gas detectors fitted out as per IIAR (International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration) standard requirements. Source: CTI Gas Detection.

As CTI Marketing Manager Debbie Koske explained, a layered approach to technology choice covers all the required detection ranges and alarm points, and provides important fail safes in the overall system. The approach is also a good way to ensure regulatory compliance. An example of detection regulations in practice is included in the report – a machinery room with a range of detector types and threshold settings, all meeting specifications set down by the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration. With the molecule having been in use at large-scale for more than a century, the current range of standards and regulations for ammonia is quite comprehensive. There are even parts of this existing regulation set that can (and have been) co-opted for new applications of ammonia, particularly its use as a maritime fuel.

As explained by Liam Blackmore, Principal Specialist Decarbonisation (Technical Directorate) at Lloyd’s Register, using ammonia in maritime fuel applications will require value chain partners to learn from and implement existing best practices for gas detection. Indeed, this is already happening. There is, for example, a great deal of overlap between refrigeration machinery room standards (such as in the diagram above), and those spaces containing ammonia gas detection on board ships. A growing list of maritime ammonia gas detection standards now exists, and is being gradually supplemented with operational experience from onboard ammonia-fueled vessels.

Misconception + challenges

But while all this is positive and constructive, our speakers reminded us that there are a set of common pitfalls and misconceptions associated with ammonia gas detection. CTI’s Director of Service Jami Lorenz emphasized that the first thing to know about ammonia gas detection is that it cannot be installed, and then improperly maintained. In their many years of experience, CTI Gas Detection has seen systems installed and never checked again, rendering them effectively useless! In the years to come and as ammonia use expands into new applications, training (and retaining) the required maintenance people for ammonia gas detection will be a challenge.

Jami and Debbie also discussed a phenomenon seen in industries where ammonia use is common and long-standing: an over-reliance on the “original ammonia detector”, or the human nose. Operators who have worked with ammonia for decades might not think they require a detector to warn them when something is wrong, but accurate level measurement and automation of warning alarms is critical for safety. Especially for ammonia newcomers – who are not used to ammonia but can still smell it at well below dangerous levels – ammonia gas detection serves as a reassurance, with alarms only going off at levels where action needs to be taken. There is also a need to consider accurate and real-time detection to support first responders, who need to know exactly what they’re walking into when an incident occurs.

Liam reminded us that gas detection on its own is not sufficient, but part of a wider, comprehensive safety system designed to protect seafarers. The overlap of gas detection with the “human element” of maritime ammonia fuel safety should be enough to ensure its presence and proper functioning is appreciated on-board vessels, but many more layers of protection  are needed to provide an adequate safety system. Integrating ammonia gas detection over the average 25 year lifespan of a vessel will be an additional challenge, including proper maintenance schedules and access to expertise when required (particularly when the vessel is sailing).

Looking ahead, and missing pieces

Click to expand. A few examples from the detection standards section in the AEA’s new report, Ammonia Gas Detection: Core Technologies and Standards (Nov 2025).

Promisingly, global alignment on gas detection standards in maritime applications is progressing – just as it did in the refrigeration sector. Effective knowledge transfer from existing experts and leading organizations is happening, and efforts like this new AEA report will help speed up that process. Bringing together existing expertise & experience (such as CTI), and the people developing rules and standards for new applications (such as Lloyd’s Register) is part of this process, and reflected in the diverse membership of the AEA Gas Detection task force brought together to author this report.

As well as the focus on maintenance, time and operational experience is required to fill in the missing pieces. As gas detection systems are installed and operated on-board ammonia-fueled vessels (and for new ammonia energy applications), key learnings and confidence can be passed from stakeholder to stakeholder.

Learn more and download the full report here.