TWO-STROKE ENGINES
WinGD TO INTRODUCE AI SELFCALIBRATING ENGINES BY 2026 WinGD has plans to gradually introduce fully self-tuning engines for its engine programme by the end of 2026, Peter Krähenbühl, WinGD’s Head of Digital Transformation & Technology tells The Motorship in an exclusive interview Smart self-tuning technologies are expected to be progressively introduced on and around the company’s engine and energy management control system. The potential of the technology has been demonstrated already in other sectors as for example in the automotive industry, where engine control systems use closed-loop model predictive controls already. Krähenbühl noted that WinGD’s research envisaged combining the optimisation of individual cylinder combustion, related components, and subsystems with a broader holistic approach to optimise the energy consumption of the engine and total propulsion system. “Skilled engineers and operators are very good at achieving optimal outcomes for individual systems, but this approach will go beyond what any individual or team can achieve by allowing the operation of an entire system to be optimised in real-time,” Krähenbühl said. The technology, which is described in ‘Self-tuning engines’ below, builds upon some of the detailed modelling work that the company has undertaken during the development of performance and diagnostic monitoring modules within its WiDE engine monitoring system, as well as the enhanced energy flow simulation platform that was developed during the development of WinGD’s integrated hybrid system. The introduction of the system is expected to result in an incremental improvement in fuel efficiency for conventional diesel-fuelled engines, resulting in fuel consumption improvements of “at least 2-3%” without any other changes to the engine, Krähenbühl noted. “More significant reductions” in fuel consumption are to be on offer for vessels that combine self-tuning engine technology with WinGD’s recently developed electrification solution, given the potential for the electrification system to contribute to the optimum operating point via peak shaving, or use engine free end driven generators instead of gensets, for example. Further, the technology is also to make a significant contribution to WinGD’s dual-fuel engine programme, which has recently broadened its scope to include the introduction of ammonia and methanol engines by 2024 and 2025 respectively. Compatibility with variable compression ratio VCR technology introduces the ability to raise or lower the piston's top position to burn a reduced volume of fuel or lower it, creating a responsive compression ratio. The technology coincides with a separate advance, the replacement of mechanical cam-plate triggers with a sensor-based system, which will allow WinGD’s engines to monitor and adjust the piston’s position in relation to the cylinder liner. The advances will broaden the range of control strategies available to WinGD engine designers. “The introduction of this kind of flexibility [offered by selftuning approaches], allows you to start adjusting the engine to the combustion characteristics of different fuels,” Krähenbühl said. “Then, of course, if you can adjust the
22 | NOVEMBER 2021
compression ratio, you can much better optimise both combustions [in dual-fuel engines]. And the [model-based control] would [open up] self-tuning by having feedback loops within some constraints.” This would offer an elegant solution to the compromised adjustments and tunings operators experience today switching between different fuels.
8 WinGD’s next target is to introduce continuous optimization to its real time energy management controller
Timeline for introduction The introduction of model-based predictive control was likely to be more of a process than an event, Krähenbühl said, noting that the solution has already been introduced for some of the subsystems controlled by WinGD’s engine control system. Further systems were currently under development. “For example, we're just completing the solution for the aftertreatment, because that's also one of the newer systems. So that should be available next year for testing, and then for roll out later.” The model-based predictive control technology was being considered from the beginning for new solutions, such as hybrid, Krähenbühl said. By progressively replacing existing subsystems with new model-based predictive controls, the expectation was that a fully self-tuning engine would be introduced “within the coming years”. Ageing effects as a variable The introduction of self-tuning technology would also allow WinGD to reflect engine-specific factors in its optimisation process. One such factor was the effect of ageing on subsystems, as existing optimisation approaches do not reflect the impact of deposits on the performance of an aftertreatment system, to take one example.
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