WinGD to offer first ethanol-fuelled two-stroke marine engine next year

In Switzerland, WinGD will offer the first ethanol-fuelled two-stroke marine engine next year, with deliveries for newbuild and retrofit applications starting in 2027. The announcement follows a decade of investigation into ethanol fuel—including full-scale engine tests in 2018—and the successful launch of a methanol-fuelled engine that uses the same combustion concept and is subject to the same safety regulations as the new ethanol engine.

The new engine will be adapted from the X‑DF-M methanol-fuelled engine, which has received strong feedback from first users and class societies approving the design. The diesel-cycle concept—available across the full range of bore sizes currently offered by WinGD—will feature an adapted control system and fuel injector nozzle arrangement to account for the higher energy density of ethanol and the consequently lower fuel volumes required.

WinGD has been studying ethanol fuel, which has a similar combustion and emissions profile to methanol, since 2014 beginning with a project financed by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. WinGD later led work to develop a flexible injector for alcohol fuels as part of the EU-funded HERCULES 2 project starting in 2016. Ethanol can be produced renewably from biomass and is prevalent at a competitive price in some national markets, driving interest in the new fuel.