WinGD develops marine industry’s 1st on-engine NOx abatement solution

Swiss engine developer Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD) has launched “the first marine two-stroke engine to carry its own NOx abatement solution.”

As disclosed, the engine is expected to offer reductions in space requirements and installation costs for shipyards seeking to comply with the strictest International Maritime Organisation (IMO) NOx emission limits.

The X52 low-speed engine with integrated selective catalytic reduction (iSCR) was launched at Dalian Marine Diesel Co. in China. 

The six-cylinder two-stroke engine, with a maximum continuous output of 11,640 kW, will be installed on a 50,000 dwt tanker built by CSSC Chengxi Shipyard for Japanese owner Kumiai Senpaku.

“Making a more compact, on-engine solution has occupied developers for a long time and we’re delighted to have reached this landmark with the help of our partners, and to be able to offer big cost savings and even greater ship design flexibility to our customers,” Volkmar Galke WinGD Director of Global Sales said.

The X52 engine will have a high-pressure (HP) SCR reactor integrated on-engine, directly to the exhaust manifold, which means less off-engine auxiliary equipment and piping is required, reducing installation costs and space requirements.

The location of the SCR directly upstream of the turbocharger also means higher operation temperatures, conducive to more effective NOx removal, according to WinGD.

Furthermore, the iSCR-fitted engine is said to offer low heat dissipation, easy switching between IMO Tier II and IMO Tier III modes, and WinGD’s latest automation and control systems with monitoring and predictive diagnostic features. 

Additionally, the engine offers customers “fuel flexibility” in that HP-SCRs can still run on high sulphur fuels.

“WinGD aims to make iSCR available as a first step for single turbocharger applications of its diesel-burning X-series low-speed engines,” the company stated.

“While NOx abatement is also needed for high-pressure engines using LNG, WinGD’s low-pressure X-DF dual-fuel engines comply with IMO Tier III without aftertreatment – again reducing installation costs, complexity and space requirements for shipyards while reducing CAPEX and OPEX for ship owners.”

In February 2021, the engine developer updated its X72DF dual-fuel engine platform with four new versions to provide ship design flexibility while reducing emissions.