Engine developer WinGD has developed an ecosystem of solutions around the main engine that is expected to enhance energy efficiency and enable a seamless transition to new fuels, which are the two keys to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with International Maritime Organization’s ambitions.
WinGD’s solutions deploy digital vessel optimization and battery-hybrid energy systems to improve the energy efficiency and future fuel flexibility of its two-stroke engines. For instance, using LNG as a fuel in a low-pressure X-DF engine can reduce GHG emissions by around 20 per cent compared to a conventional two-stroke engine burning heavy fuel oil. Combined with the new solutions, CO2 equivalent emissions can be reduced even further, taking vessels beyond IMO’s intermediate target of reducing carbon intensity by 40 per cent by 2030.
Enhancing fuel efficiency with hybrid solutions
“Our ecosystem approach to energy efficiency acknowledges that vessels today are complex power systems with the main engine at the heart of the integrated solution,” said Klaus Heim, CEO, WinGD. “These systems, including our engines, are fully ready for the future fuels that will take ships much further than IMO’s target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 per cent by 2050,” he added.
The solutions include fuel flexibility and smart engine monitoring, combined with advanced electronic control and hybrid energy management systems. WinGD’s engine expertise means that it can integrate all elements of these complex systems optimally, including advising ship owners on the sizing and operation of hybrid energy sources such as batteries.
In a recent landmark project, WinGD integrated sustainability and efficiency enhancements through a hybrid energy system onboard four pure car and truck carriers ordered by Japanese owned NYK Line. The vessels will run on LNG, using WinGD’s 7X62DF-2.1 two-stroke engines coupled with shaft generators, DC links, and battery systems. WinGD has optimized spinning reserves, peak shaving, and energy flow to run the main engine at its sweet spot as much as possible while reducing the use of less efficient auxiliary engines. The system will be managed by WinGD’s new Hybrid Control System.
“Such integrated energy management plays a key role in our vision to power the energy transition in shipping,” said Mr. Heim. Through WinGD’s progressive investments in future fuels, engine control, optimization, and hybridization, combined with the continued evolution of our core engine technology, these advances give ship owners certainty that they can meet long-range environmental targets with systems they can order today,” he added.
Cutting-edge technology to meet future ship energy demands
Underlying the new offering is WinGD’s Integrated Digital Expert (WiDE), a cutting-edge engine monitoring and optimization solution that is standard on all medium and large bore WinGD engines. The monitoring and support capabilities work with a robust, modern control system, WinGD Integrated Control Electronics (WiCE), that meets the connectivity and security demands of future ship energy systems. Combined with WinGD expert training for operators and a global service network, customers are now fully equipped to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
Speaking on digital solutions to enhance fuel efficiency and cut down on carbon emission, Eng. Ibrahim Behairy, Managing Director of WINGD in the Middle East and Africa, said, “When we speak of decarbonisation and the 2030 and 2050 targets set by the IMO for the shipping industry, we know for a fact that it is necessary that the sector itself begins to use low emission fuels, but what we also know for a fact is that low emission fuels alone will not be able to meet the set targets. In this regard, technology will surely play a vital role in ensuring the industry’s transission to a sustainable and an environment friendly one. Through our dual-fuelled two-stroke engines with enhanced intelligent cooling and exhaust recirculation capabilities have ensured a reduction in methane emissions, thus showcasing the advantafges of digital solutions in terms of reducing shipping emissions.”
While developing a wider ecosystem of solutions, WinGD has continued to focus on the performance and sustainability of vessels powered by its engines. The advantages of dual-fuelled X-DF two-stroke series have been enhanced through the introduction of intelligent Cooling and Exhaust Recirculation (iCER), which cuts methane slip by around 50 per cent as well as improving fuel consumption in both gas and diesel modes.
The X-DF engine is capable of running on carbon-neutral fuels including biogas or synthetic LNG without engine modifications, preparing ship owners for the next stage in their transition to lower carbon operations. As the most widely deployed low-pressure dual-fuel technology in the marine two-stroke market, it is the ideal platform to build a future-ready energy system fit for the next generation of low-emission vessels.
The benefits of future fuel flexibility and potential hybridization are not limited to gas-fuelled engines. WinGD’s X engines are powered by liquid fuels, of which there are several emerging carbon-neutral or zero-carbon candidates, including bio-diesel and alcohol fuels. The company has invested extensively in preparations to use these fuels, including leading European research into injection concepts. The core engine offering is constantly being developed to improve efficiency and flexibility, most recently with the addition of the first integrated, on-engine NOx abatement solution in the marine two-stroke engine market. During its participation at GasTechWinGD, the company will be presenting its range of solutions aimed at addressing the targets set by the IMO.
