Alfa Laval, WinGD to cooperate on methanol engines

Alfa Laval and Swiss engine designer WinGD have established a joint program in which Alfa Laval will develop the fuel supply system for WinGD methanol engines. The agreement was signed at SMM 2022 in Hamburg, Germany.

Peter Nielsen (left), president, Marine Separation & Heat Transfer Equipment at Alfa Laval and Dominik Schneiter, vice president R&D at WinGD at signing new joint program agreement at SMM 2022. (Photo: Alfa Laval)

To support shipping decarbonization, WinGD has announced that its engines will be able to run on methanol as of 2024. To make that promise reality, the company has turned to Alfa Laval for the development of a fuel supply solution. Alfa Laval will provide a fuel supply system designed for the requirements of WinGD’s proven two-stroke engine and fuel injection technology using methanol as fuel.

“Many of the vessels purchased today will be sailing in 2050, so the engine solutions for carbon-neutral methanol cannot wait,” said Dominik Schneiter, vice president R&D at WinGD. “To bring reliable solutions quickly to WinGD customers, we need a knowledgeable partner in the fuel supply application. We are confident in the expertise Alfa Laval will bring to this collaboration.”

Alfa Laval’s role in the project will draw heavily on existing experience. The Alfa Laval FCM Methanol low-flashpoint fuel supply system (LFSS) has an adaptable design and has been selected in over 30 methanol projects for major shipowners.

In the cooperation with WinGD, Alfa Laval will provide the LFSS itself, as well as the control system, the fuel valvetrain and auxiliary functions like the purging system. A prototype will be delivered for tests of the methanol engine, which will take place at WinGD facilities in Winterthur, Switzerland.

The companies said they intend to have a methanol engine and fuel supply system design prepared and tested during 2023. Under the terms of the agreement, Alfa Laval will be an approved manufacturer and supplier of the commercial LFSS product resulting from the joint R&D. Further, the agreement paves the way for similar cooperation on ammonia, targeting WinGD engines that can use ammonia as fuel by 2025.

“Strategic partnerships like this one with WinGD are the fastest, most certain path to shipping decarbonization,” said Peter Nielsen, president, Marine Separation & Heat Transfer Equipment, Alfa Laval. “To reach the goals within the time frame the climate demands, we as marine technology leaders must pool our expertise.”

“Alfa Laval is supporting customers of all types and in all stages of the fuel transition,” added Viktor Friberg, head of Marine Separation & Fuel Supply Systems, Alfa Laval. “That means working with the full range of current and future marine fuels, as well as adapting our technology to support their choice of engines.”