WinGD opens test center in Shanghai

Swiss engine developer WinGD opened a new collaborative global test center in Shanghai, China in collaboration with China Shipbuilding Power Engineering Institute (CSPI).

The goal of the center is to advance decarbonization through sustainable fuel and combustion research and innovation, the company said.

The role of R&D has come into sharp focus as part of the strategy to help ships reach the IMO’s 2050 target. The success of the industry reaching these targets relies on a focus well beyond alternate fuels.

This new test center will encompass research and innovation around future fuel propulsion solutions, holistic energy management systems, and power generation based on new energy converters, the company said. For the development of new technologies and products, the center includes two 2-stroke test engines and several test rigs for the validation of sub-systems such as fuel injection, pumps or gas admission valves. With future demands in mind, testing will focus on new fuels including methanol and ammonia, and on the further development of WinGD’s low pressure dual-fuel technology. The test center will also be equipped with an electrical grid representing modern vessels, including a DC grid laboratory and dynamometers instead of water brakes, a perfectly suited infrastructure to test and demonstrate hybrid propulsion systems in the future.

Swiss-based marine engine technology developer WinGD continues to invest in its R&D testing infrastructure with the opening of a new collaborative Global Test Center in Shanghai, China. The new test center is a collaboration with CSPI (China Shipbuilding Power Engineering Institute Co., Ltd.)

“The pace at which we need to act as an industry to reach a carbon-free future requires all players to step up with significant commitment,” said WinGD Vice President Research & Development Dominik Schneiter. “By considerably expanding our test engine infrastructure, we are confirming our commitment to accelerate the energy transition in shipping. The future is a multi-fuel landscape where deep knowledge of the combustion properties of all fuels is required. Our collaboration with our CSSC family of companies allows us to bring the full weight of our shared expertise towards this goal.”