Swiss marine power company WinGD has announced it will offer an ethanol-fuelled version of its low-speed dual-fuel engines, adapted from its methanol dual-fuel engine design.
The new engine will use a modified control system and injector nozzle arrangement to account for ethanol’s higher energy density and lower fuel volume requirements.
The move follows more than a decade of research, including a Swiss government-backed project in 2014 and EU-funded injector development under the HERCULES 2 programme. Ethanol was also tested at full scale in 2018.
WinGD is working with ship owners, fuel suppliers and class societies on the first applications and will confirm later whether the design will be fully optimised for ethanol or retain methanol capability.
‘Our early ethanol explorations were crucial to the successful development of our X‑DF-M methanol engine, and now both are enabling the rapid commercialisation of the first ethanol-fuelled two-stroke engine,’ said Sebastian Hensel, Vice-President R&D at WinGD.
The company has also joined the Global Ethanol Association to help build supply chain links.
