WinGD - Experts & Thought Leaders

Alfa Laval has signed its first contract for the ammonia fuel supply system, FCM Ammonia, reinforcing its position as a frontrunner in developing solutions for decarbonizing the maritime industry.  The FCM Ammonia will be installed onboard seven LPG/ammonia carriers for Tianjin Southwest Maritime. Ammonia-powered shipping The FCM Ammonia will be installed on a CSSC Huangpu Wenchong shipyard in ChinaAs a front-runner in enabling the use of ammonia, Alfa Laval has achieved a significant milestone by securing the contract for the ammonia fuel supply system, highlighting its technological readiness to handle ammonia as fuel. The FCM Ammonia will be installed on a CSSC Huangpu Wenchong shipyard in China for ship owner Tianjin Southwest Maritime (TSM). The installation will commence with three 25,000 cubic metre vessels, followed by four 41,000 cubic metre vessels. Greener fuel solutions "Through research, product development, and strategic partnerships, we are building the solutions needed for a safe and efficient transition to low-carbon alternative fuels," says Peter Sahlen, Head of Marine Separation, Fuel Supply System & Heat Transfer, Alfa Laval.  “Our deep experience with fuels like methanol and LPG has given us a head start with ammonia, and this first contract validates our commitment to driving decarbonisation in shipping with reliable and innovative solutions.”  Collaborative development drives The FCM Ammonia contract follows extensive testing and development conducted in close collaboration with Swiss engine designer WinGD. In December 2024, comprehensive testing of the full fuel supply system, fuel valve train, and vent treatment system commenced at WinGD’s Engine & Research Innovation Center (ERIC) in Winterthur, Switzerland. These tests, utilising test benches delivered by Alfa Laval Monza, will first validate key components for the vent treatment system, also called the ammonia release mitigation system, and then secure control logic and performance at varying engine loads. Sailing towards clean energy "Collaborating with trusted partners such as Alfa Laval has been instrumental in bringing these new clean-fuel technologies to market, making ammonia-powered shipping a reality. This partnership, along with our joint R&D efforts, underscores our shared commitment to the clean energy transition to enable a sustainable future for shipping,” says Sebastian Hensel, Vice President, Research & Development, WinGD. Future of fuel The research and development project with WinGD for testing FCM Ammonia has laid a strong foundation for its commercial adoption. This is further evidenced by K Shipbuilding receiving Approval in Principle (AIP) from ABS in December 2024 for the design of an ammonia dual-fuel MR1 tanker. Clean marine solutions The project features Alfa Laval’s integrated ammonia fuel system and pioneering vent treatment technology The project, a collaboration between South Korea’s shipbuilder K Shipbuilding (KSB), Alfa Laval, WinGD, and the classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), saw Alfa Laval contribute to the design of the entire fuel system, including the ammonia fuel supply system, fuel valves train, and vent treatment system.  With Alfa Laval also adding an Aalborg ammonia dual-fuel boiler system to the project scope. This achievement marks the first instance of a combined vent treatment system incorporating both a water absorber and burning. The success of the rigorous testing project is generating trust across the industry, and the recognition from class societies further confirms that ammonia can be a safe and viable marine fuel when backed by expert collaboration and robust system design. Powering maritime The first FCM Ammonia unit for TSM is scheduled for delivery at the end of 2025. The contract with TSM, a current customer for FCM LPG, Alfa Laval fuel supply system for LPG, further underlines Alfa Laval’s key role in providing comprehensive fuel solutions to meet the evolving needs of the maritime industry.

Swiss marine power company WinGD has confirmed key parameters for its X-DF-A ammonia-fuelled engine design after full-load testing at its Engine Research and Innovation Centre in Winterthur, Switzerland. The performance and emission measurements deliver timely assurance as the first users prepare their vessels and auxiliary systems for ammonia fuel. NOx emissions for operation Emissions data was also urging, with ammonia emissions below 10ppm and N2O below 3ppm The tests confirm engine performance data that WinGD has published in its General Technical Data (GTD) software, available online, and guaranteed to customers. Operation on ammonia achieved the same thermal efficiency as for diesel fuel, with pilot oil consumption at the targeted 5% of overall fuel consumption at full load. Emissions data was also encouraging, with ammonia emissions below 10ppm and N2O below 3ppm. NOx emissions for ammonia operation were well below those generated during diesel use. Principles of ammonia injection Crucially, the low emissions were achieved without the use of exhaust gas after-treatment, allowing WinGD to confirm that no ammonia slip catalyst (ASC) will be needed to operate the engine with ammonia fuel. WinGD Vice President Research & Development Sebastian Hensel said: “Our well-structured development approach has paid off. After intensive efforts to understand the principles of ammonia injection and combustion, we are the first two-stroke engine designer to demonstrate 100% ammonia operation with 5% pilot fuel consumption and such low emissions.” WinGD’s ammonia combustion investigations Performance predictions based on this and later rig testing have now been confirmed WinGD’s ammonia combustion investigations began in 2021 and have since progressed through several carefully planned stages. These include the use of proprietary technology, such as the unique, full-scale Spray Combustion Chamber that enables combustion parameters to be observed under realistic two-stroke engine conditions. Performance predictions based on this and later rig testing have now been confirmed at full-load during engine testing. New era for the shipping industry The first engines will be delivered from mid-2025 for ammonia carriers owned by Exmar LPG, and bulk carriers operated by CMB.Tech, deploying 52- and 72-bore engines respectively, to be built in Korea and China. These ammonia engines will be the first low-speed ammonia engines to be delivered for commercial ships, marking the beginning of a new era for the shipping industry. WinGD has already secured nearly 30 orders for X DF A engines in the bulk carrier, containership, tanker and LPG/ammonia carrier segments.

Swiss marine power company WinGD has completed shop tests of its groundbreaking variable compression ratio (VCR) technology. The results confirm that methane reductions from new X-DF engines with VCR technology deliver similar ship greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to high-pressure dual-fuel technologies, while delivering a total system cost and fuel cost advantage for several vessel applications. Dual-fuel engines in maritime The reduction is expected to be even greater for engines with a larger bore The VCR shop test was completed at Mitsui E&S DU (MESDU) facilities in Japan, where the first X-DF2.0 engines with VCR are being built for bulk carriers owned by NYK Lines. The six-cylinder, 62-bore engine achieved around 30% fewer methane emissions than the same engine without VCR, taking total slip to around 0.83% of gas consumption.  This is less than half the EU (and provisional IMO) default slip attributed to low-pressure, low-speed dual-fuel engines in maritime regulations. The reduction is expected to be even greater for engines with a larger bore. Overall GHG emissions WinGD Vice President Product Centre, Peter Krähenbühl, said: “Over the past decade we’ve worked to ensure that the unmatched reliability and low capital expenditure of X-DF engines are supported by the lowest possible overall GHG emissions. The fuel consumption and methane slip reductions achieved by VCR bring us to that point." "Low GHG emissions will be fundamental for shipowners as carbon pricing measures take effect, which is why we have already seen strong uptake, with well over 100 new X-DF engines ordered with VCR so far.” CO2 equivalent emissions The significant reduction in methane slip was achieved alongside a fuel reduction of up to 5.8% The significant reduction in methane slip was achieved alongside a fuel reduction of up to 5.8% in gas mode and up to 6.9% in diesel mode.  The charts below show how those improvements affect the fuel cost and CO2 equivalent emissions compared to previous X-DF engine technologies and a high-pressure engine counterpart, for a typical car carrier operating profile. New X-DF engines VCR technology allows engine compression ratio to be adjusted automatically to optimise combustion based on engine load, fuel type and ambient conditions. The solution can be applied to all new X-DF engines and a retrofit package has already been designed and installed on a pilot case vessel, yielding promising early results. European and IMO regulations WinGD is supporting the development of these mechanisms through various associations Both European and IMO regulations will include mechanisms to update default methane slip factors and to allow shipping companies to supply their actual methane slip measurements - meaning that ship operators can reduce carbon costs based on any improvement in methane slip. WinGD is supporting the development of these mechanisms through various associations that contribute to the regulatory process. Recent updates to IMO’s NOx Technical Code X-DF engines bring added certainty on fuel consumption and emissions thanks to their inherently low-NOx design and the long-established use of rational emission control strategies, as explicitly required in recent updates to IMO’s NOx Technical Code. This means that WinGD does not need to adjust brake specific fuel consumption figures or tolerances to meet the new requirements. Improve LNG engine platform As previously stated, WinGD envisions a transitional pathway for LNG as a marine fuel, with fossil LNG steadily being replaced by zero or near-zero emissions variants from biomass and ultimately synthetic sources. Reducing methane emissions supports reduced GHG impact regardless of the source of LNG. WinGD’s efforts to further improve its LNG engine platform come alongside its ammonia- and methanol-fuelled engines, ensuring that ship operators are able to choose the most cost-effective fuel to support their selected decarbonisation pathway.