Marine engine developer WinGD updated its X72DF dual-fuel engine platform with four versions to provide ship design flexibility while reducing installed power and emissions.
The X72DF accounted for every low-speed engine ordered for a newbuild LNG carrier in 2020. It is also applicable on Suezmax tankers, Panamax and sub-Panamax containers and Capesize bulk carriers.
It is now available in four configurations which reflect the varied demands on shipowners. Alongside baseline design improvements to the platform, now it is available to optimise lower power output in five and six-cylinder configurations. These new versions are also available with enhanced methane slip reducing X-DF2.0 technology.
The X72DF-1.1 as the base version incorporates the company’s new engine control architecture, WinGD Integrated Control Electronics (WiCE).
The X72DF-1.2 features a selected power/speed range with a lower specific fuel consumption. This configuration is designed specifically for ships like the LNG carriers and is for shipyards seeking to limit installed power in line with the IMO’s energy efficient design indexes for newbuilds and existing vessels.
The option of reduced power rating and limited cylinder configuration enables a more compact design, an optimised gear drive and a smaller fuel supply unit contributing to reduced engine length. This equates to greater flexibility and versatility potential for the ship design.
The new versions are available as X-DF2.0 upgrades featuring iCER (intelligent control by exhaust recycling) technology. The iCER tecology reduces methane emissions by up to 50 per cent compared with X-DF1.0 engines.
The X72DF-2.1 and 2.2 are specifically tailored for all LNG fueled vessels.
The X72DF-2.0s, with improved greenhouse gas emissions, reduced methane slip and lower gas consumption, are considered the most competitive solutions in terms of opex and overall emissions for LNG carriers, Capesize bulkers, Suezmax tankers and 3,000-8,000 twenty-foot equivalent units container ships.
All the versions are available for order with the delivery set for April 2022. Delivery of the first iCER-equipped version is targeted in the third quarter of 2022.