Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD) announced that its low-speed dual-fuel engines with X-DF low-pressure gas admission will propel the first ever gas-fuelled Aframax crude oil tankers, owned by SCF Group, Russia’s largest shipping company.
Under a contract signed in March 2017, SCF has chosen seven-cylinder, 62 cm bore type 7X62DF engines from WinGD’s X-generation to propel a series of four LNG-fuelled Aframax-class tankers. The ships will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) of South Korea at its shipyard in Samho, while the 7X62DF engines will be built by HHI’s Engine & Machinery Division (HHI-EMD) in Ulsan, South Korea.
The 7X62DF engines are rated 13,800 kW at 86 rpm and designed to operate on a choice of LNG, HFO, distillate or hybrid liquid fuels. The engines comply with IMO Tier III limits for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in their gas fuel mode, and with IMO Tier II when burning liquid fuel. To enable IMO Tier III compliance on liquid fuel operating mode, the contract also specifies the supply of low-pressure selective catalytic reduction (SCR) after treatment systems for the 7X62DF engine.
As well as the engine designs, WinGD will also supply its Engine Diagnostic System, which targets increased availability via monitoring, lower fuel costs via engine performance optimising and extension of predicted Times Between Overhaul (TBO) of components.
WinGD notes that this contract to power the first Aframax crude oil tankers with dual-fuel engines is affirmation of the WinGD X-DF low-pressure gas admission technology.
“This order represents a vote of confidence in X-DF and a recognition from SCF Group and its partners of the benefits of low-pressure X-DF technology to both their business and the environment,” notes Martin Wernli, WinGD CEO. “Further, with this project the SCF Group has raised the bar for environmentally-friendly Aframax tankers. Overall the order for the 7X62DF for the gas-fuelled Aframax tankers is a very clear message that our low-pressure lean burn technology is becoming the industry standard for all LNG-fuelled vessels, and not just LNG carriers.”
Additionally, the WX72DF also passed the Type Approval Test (TAT), on 22 March. To date, already seven engines have been built, all completing the respective shop tests (FAT). All X-DF engines are meeting and exceeding by far the requirements for Tier III NOx emissions.
Source & Image credit: WinGD
