The Sulzer RT-flex Common-Rail System Described

Summary
This paper provides a description of the Sulzer RT-flex electronically-controlled common-rail system embodied in Sulzer RT-flex
low-speed marine engines. It covers the main elements of the RT-flex system – the supply unit, rail unit and electronic control
system. The system’s benefits are reviewed, together with its reliability and built-in redundancy. It also provides a reference to
the RT-flex chronology leading up to the 12RT-flex96C – the world’s most powerful common-rail engine.

Contents
Page Page
Introduction 1 Electronic control 9
Sulzer RT-flex system 2 Reliability and redundancy 10
RT-flex Sizes 3 Operation and maintenance 11
Supply unit 3 Key features of the Sulzer RT-flex system 11
Servo oil 5 Benefits from the Sulzer RT-flex system 12
Control oil 5 Low exhaust emissions 12
Rail unit 7 Very slow running 12
Injection control unit (ICU) 8 Fuel consumption flexibility 12
Exhaust valve control 9 Conclusion 13
Operating pressures and system energy 9 Chronology for Sulzer RT-flex engines 14
Starting air system 9 Bibliography 15

practical benefits for engine users.

Introduction The common-rail concept was adopted also because
Although common-rail fuel injection is certainly not a it has the advantage that the functions of pumping
new idea, it has only become truly practical in recent and injection control are separated. This allows a
years through the use of fully-integrated electronic straightforward approach to the mechanical and
control based on high-performance computers which hydraulic aspects of the design, with a steady generation
allow the best use to be made of the flexibility possible of fuel oil supply at the desired pressure ready for
with common-rail injection. injection. The common-rail concept also has the unique
The traditional camshaft has the considerable advantage that it allows the fuel injection valves to be
limitation of fi xed timing given mechanically by the individually controlled. Usually there are three fuel
cams. Although Sulzer low-speed engines have long had injection valves in each cylinder cover, and in the Sulzer
the benefits of double valve-controlled fuel injection RT-flex engines they are operated mostly in unison but
pumps with variable injection timing (VIT), and a under certain circumstances they are operated separately
degree of variable exhaust valve timing being achieved for optimum combustion performance.
hydraulically in the VEC system, the variation in timing The common-rail concept thus provides an ideal
so obtained has been very limited. basis for the application of a fully-integrated electronic
Instead electronically-controlled common-rail systems control. The combined flexibilities of common rail and
have been adopted in the new Sulzer RT-flex engines to electronic control provide improved low-speed operation,
give complete control of the timing, rate and pressure of engine acceleration, balance between cylinders, load
fuel injection and the exhaust valve operation, allowing control, and longer times between overhauls. They also
patterns of operation which cannot be achieved by purely ensure better combustion at all operating speeds and
mechanical systems. loads, giving benefits in lower fuel consumption, lower
Rather than ‘electronically controlled’, it would be exhaust emissions in terms of both smokeless operation at
more accurate to describe Sulzer RT-flex engines as all operating speeds and less NOX emissions, and also a
being computer controlled. This is because in the RT-flex cleaner engine internally with less deposits of combustion
system, engine functions are fully programmable, perhaps residues. Engine diagnostics are built into the system,
limited only by the designers’ imagination and the laws improving engine monitoring, reliability and availability.
of nature. The challenge is to use this freedom to create As the common-rail system is built specifically for

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 Rail unit with
electronic control
units

Duplicated supply lines for Integrated automatic fine

fuel and servo oil filter for servo and control oil

Supply unit

Fuel pumps
Crank angle sensor at free end
Servo oil pumps

Fig. 1: Principal elements of the common-rail system on a Sulzer RT-flex engine. Note that there are variations on this
arrangement in the various RT-flex engine types depending upon the engine type and number of cylinders.
[02#072]
reliable operation on heavy fuel oil, it detracts nothing concept was recognised as essential. Common rail was
from the well-established economy of low-speed marine seen as the road ahead and it is applied in Sulzer RT-flex
diesel engines but rather opens up new possibilities for engines.
even better economy, ease of operation, reliability, times Sulzer RT-flex engines are thus notably different from
between overhauls and lower exhaust emissions. other electronically-controlled low-speed diesel engines
It is more than ten years since development of the today as Sulzer RT-flex engines are unique in combining
Sulzer RT-flex common-rail system began and more the benefits of both common-rail systems and electronic
than 20 years since the first tests were made with control.
electronically-controlled fuel injection in Winterthur,
Switzerland.
The early camshaftless systems developed for Sulzer Sulzer RT-flex system
engines relied on integral electronic control but used Sulzer RT-flex engines are essentially standard Sulzer
individual, hydraulically-operated fuel injection pumps. RTA low-speed two-stroke marine diesel engines except
However the change in injection concept from the that, instead of the usual camshaft and its gear drive, fuel
individual, hydraulically-operated fuel injection pumps injection pumps, exhaust valve actuator pumps, reversing
to a common-rail system in 1993 was made because the servomotors, and all their related mechanical control gear,
system with individual pumps did not offer potential they are equipped with a common-rail system for fuel
for further technological development despite it having injection and exhaust valve actuation, and full electronic
integral electronic control. Electronic control was found control of engine functions.
to be insufficient by itself and a new fuel injection There are four principal elements in the Sulzer RT-flex

Table 1: Sulzer RT-flex engine programme 2004

Engine Type RT-flex50 RT-flex58T-B RT-flex60C RT-flex68T-B RT-flex84T-D RT-flex96C
Bore, mm 500 580 600 680 840 960
Stroke, mm 2050 2416 2250 2720 3150 2500
Power, R1 kW/cyl 1620 2180 2360 3070 4200 5720
Speed, rpm 124 105 114 95 76 102
BMEP, bar 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.6 19.0 18.6
Piston speed, m/s 8.5 8.5 8.6 8.6 8.0 8.5
No. cylinders 5–8 5–8 5–9 5–8 5–9 6–12, 14

RT-flex Size 0 I I II IV IV

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 Exhaust valve WECS
actuator control
system
Crank
angle
Fuel sensor
injectors

50µ
6µ
Exhaust valve
actuating unit
Volumetric
fuel injection
control unit

Fig. 2: Schematic of the common-rail 1000bar fuel HFO / MDO

systems in Sulzer RT-flex engines.
[02#007] 200bar servo oil and control oil

30bar starting air

common-rail system: the rail unit along the side of the rail system in that hardware is standardised for groups of
cylinders, the supply unit on the side of the engine, a filter engine types, not just for the various cylinder numbers.
unit for the servo oil, and the integrated electronic control
system, including the crank angle sensor. Supply unit
The RT-flex engines are thus equipped with common- Fuel and servo oil are supplied to the common-rail system
rail systems for: from the supply unit which is driven through gearing
• heated fuel oil at pressures up to 1000 bar, from the engine crankshaft.
• servo oil at pressures up to 200 bar, In the first few RT-flex engines, the supply unit is on
• control oil at a constant pressure of 200 bar, the exhaust side of the engine so that it could be lower
• engine starting air system. down without interfering with access to the crankcase.
However, for all subsequent engines, the location of the
RT-flex Sizes supply unit has since been standardised on the front of
The hardware in the RT-flex system is being developed the engine (on the same side as the rail unit) and at about
in four principal sizes for the six engine types currently mid height. This keeps the engine ‘footprint’ small so
in the programme (see Table 1). The six RT-flex engine that the engines can be located far aft in ships with fine
types cover a power range of 8100 to 80,080 kW (11,000 afterbodies.
to 108,920 bhp). The supply unit is naturally at the location of the
This illustrates one of the advantages of the common- gear drive: at the driving end for five- to seven-cylinder

Fig. 3: Supply unit for a Sulzer 12RT-flex96C

engine with the fuel pumps in a Vee-form
arrangement on the left and servo oil pumps on
the right-hand face of the central gear drive. The
fuel pumps all deliver into the collector seen above
the fuel pumps.
[04#074]

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Fig. 4 above: Supply unit on a Sulzer 12RT-flex96C engine with the fuel pumps in
a Vee-form arrangement on the left and servo oil pumps on the right-hand face of the
central gear drive. [04#111]
Fig. 5 right: Cutaway drawing of the fuel supply pump element for RT-flex96C
engines. [04#017]

engines, and at the mid gear drive for greater cylinder service access. The numbers, size and arrangement of
numbers. pumps are adapted to the engine type and the number of
The supply unit has a rigid housing of GGG-grade engine cylinders.
nodular cast iron. The fuel supply pumps are arranged For RT-flex Sizes I and IV, the supply unit is equipped
on one side of the drive gear and the hydraulic servo-oil with between four and eight fuel supply pumps arranged
pumps are on the other side. This pump arrangement in Vee-form. The Size 0 supply unit, however, has just
allows a very short, compact supply unit with reasonable two or three supply pumps in-line.
Fig. 6: Close view of the fuel supply pumps in figure 4 Two sizes of fuel pumps are employed for all RT-flex
showing the regulating linkage. engines, both based on the well-proven injection pumps
[04#112] used in Sulzer Z-type medium-speed four-stroke engines
though with some adaptations to suit their function as
supply pumps and to raise their volumetric efficiency up
to a very high degree. For Sizes 0 and I, the fuel pump
elements are based on the injection pumps of Sulzer
ZA40S engines, while the Size IV pumps are based on the
injection pumps of the Sulzer ZA50S engine type.
The fuel supply pumps are driven through a camshaft
with three-lobe cams. This camshaft cannot be compared
with the traditional engine camshaft. It is very short and
of much smaller diameter, and is quite differently loaded.
There is no sudden, jerk action as in fuel injection pumps
but rather the pump plungers have a steady reciprocating
motion. With tri-lobe cams and the speed-increasing gear
drive, each fuel supply pump makes several strokes during
each crankshaft revolution. The result is a compact supply
unit.
Two designs of camshaft are employed. For Size I it is
manufactured in one piece. For Size IV, the camshaft is
assembled from a straight shaft on to which the tri-lobe
cams are hydraulically press fitted. This latter form of

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 A

Fig. 7: Various RT-flex equipment on the half-platform of a 12RT-flex96C engine. From left to right, these include (A) the local
engine control panel, (B) the automatic fine filter for servo and control oil, (C) the two electrically-driven control oil pumps and
(D) the supply unit.
[04#113]

construction has been used for decades in Sulzer Z-type

Servo oil
engines. It is extremely service friendly and minimises
maintenance cost. The camshaft bearings have an Servo oil is used for exhaust valve actuation and control.
aluminium running layer. It is supplied by a number of swashplate-type axial-
The fuel delivery volume and rail pressure are piston hydraulic pumps mounted on the supply unit.
regulated according to engine requirements through The pumps are of standard proprietary design and are
suction control with helix-controlled filling volume driven at a suitable speed through a step-up gear. The
regulation of the fuel supply pumps. Suction control was working pressure is controllable to allow the pump power
selected for its low power consumption as no excess fuel is consumption to be reduced. The nominal operating
pressurised. pressure is up to 200 bar. The number and size of servo
The roller guide pistons contain the floating-bush oil pumps on the supply unit depend on the engine
bearings for the rollers as they are used on all Sulzer output or number of engine cylinders. There are between
RTA- and Z-type engines. Owing to the moderate three and six servo oil pumps.
accelerations given by the tri-lobe cam shape, the specific The oil used in both the servo and control oil systems
loads of roller bearings and pins as well as the Hertzian is standard engine system lubricating oil, and is simply
pressure between cam and roller are less than for the taken from the delivery to the engine lubrication system.
original pumps in ZA40S and ZA50S engines. The oil is drawn through a six-micron automatic self-
For every individual fuel pump element of the supply cleaning fine filter to minimise wear in the servo oil
unit, the roller can be lifted off the cam, blocked and pumps and to prolong component life.
manually taken out of service in case of difficulties. After the fine filter, the oil flow is divided, one branch
The fuel pumps deliver the pressurised fuel to an to the servo oil pumps and the other to the control oil
adjacent collector from which two independent, double- pumps.
walled delivery pipes lead upwards to the fuel rail. Each
delivery pipe is dimensioned for full fuel flow. The Control oil
collector is equipped with a safety relief valve set to 1250 Control oil is supplied at a constant 200 bar pressure at
bar. all engine speeds by two electrically-driven oil pumps,
An equivalent arrangement of a collector and one active and the other on standby. Each pump has its
duplicated independent, double-walled delivery pipes is own pressure-regulating valve and safety valve attached.
employed for the servo oil supply. The control oil system involves only a small flow

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 Fig. 8 above: Cylinder tops and rail unit of a Sulzer
D A 8RT-flex96C engine. The electronic control units are
mounted on the front below the rail unit.
[04#034]
Fig. 9 left: Three-dimensional drawing of the inside of
a rail unit for an RT-flex96C engine, showing the fuel
rail (A), the control oil rail (B) and the servo oil rail
(C) with the control units for injection (D) and exhaust
valve actuation (E) on top of their respective rails. Other
C manifold pipes are provided for oil return, fuel leakage
return, and the system oil supply for the exhaust valve
drives.
E [04#023]
Fig. 10 below: The two sections of rail unit for a 12-
B cylinder RT-flex96C engine during the course of assembly.
[04#076]

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Fig. 11: Cylinder tops of a 12-cylinder RT-flex96C engine with the rail unit under the platform on the left. The hydraulic pipes
for the exhaust valve drives arch up from the exhaust valve actuators on the servo oil rail, and the sets of triple high-pressure fuel
injection pipes rise up from the injection control units on the fuel rail.
[04#091]
quantity of the fine filtered oil. The control oil serves as pressure is very stable with negligible pressure drop after
the working medium for all rail valves of the injection each injection.
control units (ICU). The working pressure of the control In the RT-flex Size I, the high-pressure pipe for the
oil is maintained constant to ensure precise timing in the fuel rail is modular with sections for each cylinder and
ICU. It is also used to prime the servo oil rail at standstill flanged to the individual injection control units for each
thereby enabling a rapid starting of the engine. cylinder.
With the Size IV, the high-pressure fuel rail was
Rail unit changed to a single-piece rail pipe to shorten assembly
The rail unit is located at the engine’s top platform time and to simplify manufacture. A single length of rail
level, just below cylinder cover level. It extends over the pipe is installed in each section of the rail unit. The only
length of the engine. It is fully enclosed but has good high-pressure pipe flanges on the Size IV pipe are the end
maintenance access from above and from the front. The covers.
rail unit contains the rail pipes and associated equipment The common rail system is designed with very high
for the fuel, servo oil and control oil systems. The starting safety margins against material fatigue. The fuel rail
air system is not included in the rail unit. pipe for instance has a very special inner shape to keep
For engines with up to eight cylinders, the rail unit the stress amplitude in cross-bored drillings remarkably
is assembled as a single unit. With greater numbers of low. The fact that, by definition, common rails have
cylinders, the engines have a mid gear drive and the rail almost constant pressure levels further increases the
unit is in two sections according to the position of the safety against high cycle fatigue cracking compared to
mid gear drive in the engine. conventional injection and actuator systems with high
The fuel common rail provides storage volume for the pressure cycles.
fuel oil, and has provision for damping pressure waves. The high-pressure rail is trace heated from the ship’s
There is no need for energy storage under gas pressure. heating system, using either steam or thermal oil.
The volume of the common-rail system and the supply The simplification of the fuel rail for Size IV, without
rate from the fuel supply pumps are such that the rail intermediate flanges, compared with that for Size I

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 A

B
Fig. 12: Inside a Size IV rail unit
during assembly. The exhaust
valve actuator (A) is mounted on
the servo oil rail and the injection
control unit (B) is on the fuel rail.
D C Next to the fuel rail is the smaller
control oil rail (C) and the return
pipe for servo and control oil (D).
[04#114]

System oil
Volumetric
injection control
piston

Control oil side Fuel side

Rail
valves

Injection
control
valves
Filtered servo oil

Fig. 13: Injection control unit (ICU) for the three fuel Fig. 14: The exhaust valve actuator with the large-diameter
injection valves of one cylinder. The dashed line marks the actuator piston on the left and the hydraulic control slide on
separation between the control oil and the fuel oil sides. the right.
[04#015] [04#108]
allowed the trace heating piping also to be simplified. The cylinder except for the RT-flex50 which has two. The fuel
trace heating piping and the insulation are both slimmer, injection valves are the same as those already employed in
allowing easier service access inside the rail unit. RTA engines, and are hydraulically-operated in the usual
way by the high-pressure fuel oil. Each fuel injection
Injection control unit (ICU) valve in a cylinder cover is independently controlled by
Fuel is delivered from the common rail to the injection the ICU for the respective cylinder so that, although all
valves through a separate ICU for each engine cylinder. the injection valves in an individual cylinder normally
The ICU regulates precisely the timing of fuel injection, act in unison, they can also be programmed to operate
accurately controls the volume of fuel injected, and separately as necessary.
sets the shape of the injection pattern. The ICU has an For Size I, the individual ICU are arranged between
injection control valve and a Sulzer electro-hydraulic the sections of rail pipe but for Size IV the individual
rail valve for each fuel injection valve. The rail valves ICU are mounted directly on the rail pipe. The ICU for
receive control signals for the beginning and end of Size IV was adapted from that in Size I with the same
injection from the respective electronic unit of the WECS function principles for integral injection volume flow but
(Wärtsilä Engine Control System). to suit the greater flow volumes involved.
There are three fuel injection valves in each engine The common-rail system is purpose-built for operation

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on just the same grades of heavy fuel oil as are already
standard for Sulzer RTA-series engines. For this reason,
the RT-flex system incorporates certain design features Hydraulic
not seen in other common-rail engines using middle- cylinder
distillate diesel oils. The key point is that, in the ICU, the
heated heavy fuel oil is isolated from the precision rail
valves.
The Sulzer rail valves are bi-stable solenoid valves with
an extremely fast actuation time. To achieve the longest
possible lifetime, the rail valves are not energised for
more than 4 ms. This time is sampled, monitored and
limited by the WECS. The valves’ bi-stability allows their
position and status to be reliably controlled. Air spring
piston
Measuring
Exhaust valve control cone

The exhaust valves are operated by a hydraulic ‘push rod’,

being opened by hydraulic oil pressure and closed by an
air spring, as in the Sulzer RTA engines with mechanical
camshafts. But for RT-flex engines the actuating energy
now comes from the servo oil rail. There is one exhaust
valve actuator (also known as the partition device) for
Fig. 15: The exhaust valve drive on top of the exhaust valve
each cylinder.
spindle with the hydraulic cylinder and the air spring. The
In the exhaust valve actuator, fine-filtered servo oil
two position sensors (not visible in this view) measure the
acts on the underside of a free-moving actuator piston,
radial distance to the cone to determine the spindle’s vertical
with normal system oil above the actuator piston for
position. [04#109]
valve actuation. The adjacent hydraulic control slide is
precisely activated by a Sulzer rail valve and controls the the pressure increase.
flow of servo oil to the actuator piston so that the exhaust Exhaust valve actuation requires a high volume
valve opens and closes at precisely the correct time with flow of oil. With an appropriately stepped hydraulic
appropriate damping. The exhaust valve actuator employs piston diameter on the valve spindle both proper valve
the same Sulzer rail valves as are used for the ICU. movement and low parasitic power could be achieved
The exhaust valve drive on top of the valve spindle is at the same time. Additionally, the servo oil pressure of
equipped with two analogue position sensors to provide a 200 bar nominal is variably adapted to the minimum
feedback on valve operation to the WECS. requirement over engine load to ensure a proper function
The electronically-controlled actuating unit for each and minimal power demand.
cylinder gives full flexibility for exhaust valve opening
and closing patterns. At the same time, the actuating unit Starting air system
provides a clear separation of the clean servo oil and the The starting air system of RT-flex engines is very similar
normal system oil. Thus the exhaust valve hydraulics can to that in Sulzer RTA engines, except that its control is
be serviced without disturbing the clean servo oil circuit. incorporated into the WECS. The starting air system,
however, is installed outside the rail unit to facilitate
Operating pressures and system energy overhaul access.
The normal operating pressure for the fuel rail ranges
up to 1000 bar. It is lowered for the best compromise Electronic control
between BSFC (brake specific fuel consumption) and All functions in the Sulzer RT-flex system are controlled
NOX emissions according to the respective engine load and monitored through the Wärtsilä Engine Control
and to keep the parasitic energy demand low. System (WECS). This is a modular electronic system with
It was determined years ago in engine tests in separate microprocessor control units for each cylinder,
Winterthur that, under steady load conditions, the and overall control and supervision by duplicated
influence of fuel injection pressure on specific fuel microprocessor control units. The latter provide the usual
consumption in low-speed engines diminishes with interface for the electronic governor and the shipboard
increasing injection pressure. Thus, higher fuel injection remote control and alarm systems. The microprocessor
pressures than are presently used in large two- stroke control units, or electronic control units, are mounted
low-speed engines have no real benefit. Should an directly on the engine, either on the front of the rail unit
increase become necessary in the future, for instance or adjacent to it..
in combination with other measures to reduce NOX An essential input signal for WECS is the engine
emissions, the RT-flex system is ideal to cope with it. crank angle. This is measured very accurately by two
The additional, parasitic system energy would be very sensors driven from a stub shaft on the free end of the
limited indeed, as the increase is about proportional to crankshaft. The two sensors are driven by toothed belts

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 Fig. 16: Electronic control units
beneath the front of the rail unit
of a Sulzer RT-flex96C engine.
[04#115]

so that axial and radial movements of the crankshaft are With RT-flex engines, the remote control sends engine
not passed to the sensors. The sensors are able to give the manoeuvring commands to the WECS. The remote
absolute crank angle position immediately that electrical control processes speed signals from the engine order
power is applied. telegraph according to a defined engine load program and
At present RT-flex engines are being equipped with fuelling limitations, and generates a fuel reference signal
the WECS-9500 control system. However, this will be for the WECS according to DENIS.
superseded in 2005 by the WECS-9520 control system. The safety system function in RT-flex engines is
The new system provides simpler communication basically the same as in conventional RTA engines,
with the ship automation system and easier wiring except that it has additional inputs for WECS slowdown
for the shipbuilder. Only one electronic module is and WECS shutdown signals, and some outputs to the
used throughout the new system, and there are fewer WECS system.
equipment boxes which are also of simple, standard
design. The functionality of WECS-9520 is the same as
that of the WECS-9500 system. Reliability and redundancy
Sulzer RTA and RT-flex engines have standardised Reliability and safety has the utmost priority in the
interfaces (DENIS) for remote control and safety systems. RT-flex system. Although particular attention is given to
The remote control and safety systems are supplied to the the reliability of individual items of equipment in the
ship by a variety of approved manufacturers and DENIS RT-flex system, the common-rail concept allows for
(Diesel Engine Interface Specification) defines the increased reliability and safety through its inherent
interface between the engine-mounted equipment and the redundancy.
shipboard remote control and safety system. High-pressure fuel and servo-oil delivery pipes, the

Fig. 17: Inside one of the electronic

control units shown in figure 16.
[04#116]

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electrically-driven control oil pumps, and essential parts
of the electronic systems are duplicated for redundancy.
The duplicated high-pressure delivery pipes have stop
Needle lift
cocks at both ends to isolate any failed pipe. Each single
pipe is adequate for the full delivery. All high pressure
pipes are double-walled for safety.
With a more traditional injection arrangement of one
fuel high-pressure pump to each cylinder, a failure of one Cylinder pressure
pump leads to the loss of that cylinder and the imbalance
in engine torque requires a drastic power cut. In contrast,
Fuel rail
with the RT-flex system in which all high-pressure supply
pressure
pumps are grouped together and deliver in common to
all cylinders, the loss of any pumps has much less effect.
Indeed with larger RT-flex engines having several fuel
pumps and several servo oil pumps there can be adequate
redundancy for the engine to deliver full power with at Injection
least one fuel pump and one servo oil pump out of action. pressure
Should further pumps be out of action, there would be
only a proportional reduction in power.
Every injection nozzle is independently monitored and –30° 0° 30° 60°
controlled by the WECS. In case of difficulties, such as Crank angle, degrees
a broken high pressure line or a malfunctioning injector,
the affected injection valve can be cut out individually Fig. 18: Typical injection pattern of Sulzer RT-flex engines
without losing the entire cylinder. with all injection nozzles acting in unison showing needle
The injection control unit ICU hydraulically excludes lift, fuel rail pressure, injection pressure and cylinder pressure
the injection of an uncontrolled amount of fuel. During when all injection nozzles are operating simultaneously.
the entire working cycle of the metering cylinder, there is Note the sharp beginning and ending of injection, the lack
never a direct hydraulic connection between fuel rail and of a significant pressure drop in the common rail during
the injectors. The maximum injection quantity is limited injection, and the small rail pressure fluctuations.
to the content of the metering cylinder as the travel of the [04#107]
metering piston is monitored. If the travel of the metering
piston should be measured as out of range, the subsequent
injections of that ICU will be suppressed and an engine to the camshaft system, fuel pumps, valve actuating
slow-down activated. pumps and reversing servomotors is simply given instead
The ICU also serves as a flow fuse: if the metering to the RT-flex common-rail system.
piston should travel to its physical limit, it cannot return It has been seen from shipboard operation of the
hydraulically and no further injection would be possible RT-flex engines that the ships’ engineers quickly become
until it is reset. comfortable operating the engines.
If the stroke measuring sensor fails, the WECS system
switches the ICU to a pure time control and triggers the
signal based on the timing of the neighbouring cylinders.
Two redundant crank angle sensors measure the
absolute crank angle position which is evaluated through Key features of the Sulzer RT-flex system
WECS. WECS is able to decide which sensor to follow in The key features of the Sulzer common-rail system
case of a discrepancy. can be summarised as:
The WECS main controller and all essential • Precise volumetric control of fuel injection, with
communication interfaces such as CAN-bus cablings integrated flow-out security
are duplicated for redundancy. WECS monitors the • Variable injection rate shaping and variable
momentary position of each rail valve for proper function injection pressure
of each cycle before starting the next. • Possibility for independent action and shutting
off of individual fuel injection valves
• Ideally suited for heavy fuel oil
Operation and maintenance
• Well-proven standard fuel injection valves
Sulzer RT-flex engines are designed to be user friendly, • Proven, high-efficiency common-rail pumps
without requiring ships’ engineers to have any special • Lower levels of vibration and internal forces and
additional skills. Indeed the knowledge for operating moments
and maintenance of RT-flex engines can be given in the • Steady operation at very low running speeds
same form as Wärtsilä’s usual one-week courses for Sulzer with precise speed regulation
RTA-series engines given to ships’ engineers and owners’ • Smokeless operation at all speeds.
and operators’ shore staff. The training time usually given
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Benefits from the Sulzer RT-flex system Usual operation: Selective shut-off of injection valves
At its heart, the Sulzer RT-flex engine is the same reliable, all nozzles Smokeless operation at low speed
in unison
basic engine as the existing Sulzer RTA engine series. The
power ranges, speeds, layout fields and full-power fuel Two nozzles
consumptions are the same for both engine versions.
For shipowners, the principal benefits of Sulzer
RT-flex engines with their electronically-controlled Single nozzle
common rail systems are:
• Reduced part-load fuel consumption
• Smokeless operation at all running speeds Time
• Very low, stable running speeds at about ten per cent
nominal speed Fig. 19: Sulzer RT-flex engines have the unique ability to
• Easy engine setting for less maintenance shut off individual fuel injectors, here shown schematically.
• Longer times between overhauls (TBO) expected, This feature is used to assure clean combustion for smokeless,
primarily through better load balance between stable running at very low speeds.
cylinders and cleaner combustion at all loads. [03#118]

Comments below are made on just the first three of

the above points as these are the ones which have so far nominal speed. This makes for easy ship handling when
been definitely quantified. manoeuvring or in river and canal passages.
Such slow running was well confirmed in service in
Low exhaust emissions the Gypsum Centennial. Slow running was taken to a new
A clearly visible benefit of Sulzer RT-flex engines is their ‘low’ during the testing in May/June 2004 of the first
smokeless operation at all ship speeds. It helps give a 12-cylinder RT-flex96C engine. Owing to its number of
‘green’ image. cylinders, it could run steadily at just seven revolutions
This was well demonstrated in the testing of the first per minute.
RT-flex engine and during the sea trials of the Gypsum The very slow running is made possible by the precise
Centennial. control of injection, together with the higher injection
The superior combustion performance with the pressures achieved at low speed, and shutting off injectors
common-rail system is achieved by maintaining the fuel at low speeds. Reducing the number of injection valves in
injection pressure at the optimum level right across the operation makes injection of the reduced fuel quantities
engine speed range. In addition, selective shut-off of more efficient, especially as the injection pressure is kept
single injectors and an optimised exhaust valve timing up to a higher value than in a mechanically-injected
help to keep smoke emissions below the visible limit at engine at the same speeds.
very low speeds. Shutting off injectors provides more stable operation
The precision and flexibility in engine setting given with better distribution of engine load and thermal loads
by the RT-flex system facilitates compliance with the than if very slow running was to be achieved by cutting
NOX regulation of Annex VI of the MARPOL 73/78 out whole cylinders.
convention, usually referred to IMO NOX regulation. Shutting off injectors is enabled by the separate control
The flexibility of the RT-flex engines will also allow a of individual fuel injection valves. This feature is unique
lowering of NOX emissions if the corresponding increase to Sulzer RT-flex engines. Usually the injection valves
in BSFC is acceptable. With common-rail injection, a operate in unison but, as the engine speed is reduced,
wide variety of injection patterns can be generated. The one injection valve can be shut off and at a lower speed a
injected quantity of fuel can be divided, for pre-injection, second injection valve can be shut off. Thus at minimum
triple injection, etc. The Sulzer RT-flex engine, with its speed, the engine runs on all cylinders but with just one
individual fuel valve control, also has the unique ability injection valve in each cylinder.
to vary individually the injection timing and sequence If the RT-flex engine then runs for a period in single-
between the three fuel injectors in each cylinder and thus injector operation, the electronic control system switches
to generate a tailor-made heat release. between the three injection valves in a cylinder so that
In engine tests, this degree of flexibility has proved the thermal load is equalised around the combustion
useful to reach NOX emissions of 20 per cent below the chamber.
IMO NOX limit with a moderate BSFC increase of 2.3
per cent. Fuel consumption flexibility
Sulzer RTA engines have always been highly competitive
Very slow running in fuel consumption right across the load range owing
Sulzer RT-flex engines have also demonstrated their to the use of variable injection timing (VIT). Variable
ability to run stably at very low speeds, lower than exhaust valve closing (VEC) was also added in RTA84T
engines with mechanically-controlled injection. engines in 1991 to reduce further the part-load BSFC.
They can run without smoking at about ten per cent These benefits have already been carried over to the

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Fig. 20: Sulzer 7RT-flex60C engine in Wärtsilä’s Trieste factory in October 2002. It develops 16,520 kW at 114 rpm, and
measures about 11.4 m long by 10.5 m high. Above the top platform, the rail unit covers can be seen open.
[03#023]

electronically-controlled common-rail systems of the the shape of the new BSFC curve given by Delta Tuning.
RT-flex engines. The BSFC is lowered in the mid- and low-load range,
At the first stage of development of RT-flex engines, thereby increasing the NOX emission levels at those load
however, the main objective has been to achieve the points, but then has to be increased at high engine loads
same performance standards as are achieved in the (90–100 per cent load) for a compensating reduction in
mechanical-camshaft engines, particularly with respect NOX levels.
to power, speed, fuel consumption, exhaust emissions, Delta Tuning was first applied in the first Sulzer
cylinder pressures, etc. Thus the curves of brake specific 8RT-flex96C engine which completed its official shop test
fuel consumption (BSFC) of the first RT-flex engines on 9 April 2004.
have been the same as with corresponding RTA engines,
or perhaps slightly lower in the part-load region. As the Conclusion
fuel injection pressure at part-load is kept higher with the Common rail is now an industrial standard for diesel
common-rail injection system, combustion is sufficiently engines. It has been proven to be an tremendous step
better to have a beneficial effect on fuel consumption in forward for all sizes of diesel engines from automotive
part-load operation. engines up to the largest low-speed two-stroke engines.
Recently an alternative fuel consumption curve was In this environment, Sulzer RT-flex engines have
introduced with Delta Tuning to provide even lower become well accepted by shipowners. Shipowners’
BSFC at loads less than 90 per cent full load. For both confidence is being encouraged by the good operating
the original (Standard) and Delta Tuning curves, the experience with the growing number of RT-flex engines
RT-flex engines comply with the IMO NOX regulation. in service.
The question, of course, arises as to why the BSFC The combination of common-rail concepts and
could not be lowered at all engine loads and speeds. It fully-integrated electronic control applied in Sulzer
is technically possible to do so. With RT-flex engines all RT-flex engines clearly has excellent potential for future
the relevant parameters can be continuously varied so development. It gives the large degree of flexibility in
that the engine can follow any specified BSFC curve as engine setting and operation, together with reliability and
engine load and speed are varied. Yet there is a limitation safety, which are required to meet the challenges in future
because of the need to comply with the IMO NOX marine engine applications in terms of emissions control,
regulation and the inevitable trade-off between lower fuel optimised fuel consumption, insensitivity to fuel quality,
consumption and greater NOX emissions. This explains ease of use, operational flexibility, etc.

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Fig. 21: The world’s most powerful common-rail engine, the Sulzer 12RT-flex96C engine develops 68,640 kW at 102 rpm, and
measures about 24 m long by 13.5 m high. It passed its official shop test in June 2004. The supply unit shown in figure 4 can be
seen at the middle of the engine.
[04#090]

Chronology for Sulzer RT-flex engines 2001 Sep: First RT-flex engine entered service. Sea
1981: First tests with electronically-controlled trials of the bulk carrier Gypsum Centennial
fuel injection on a Sulzer low-speed engine, with a Sulzer 6RT-flex58T-B engine,
using individual, hydraulically-operated of 11,275 kW.
fuel injection pumps. 2002 Oct: Official shop test of the first Sulzer
1990 Mar: World’s first multi-cylinder electronically- RT-flex60C engine, at Wärtsilä’s Trieste
controlled uniflow two-stroke engine is factory in Italy.
started on the Winterthur test bed. Tested 2003 Jan: Official shop test of Sulzer 7RT-flex60C at
until 1995. Hyundai H.I. in Korea.
1993: Project started to develop the Sulzer 2003 Jan: Sulzer RT-flex96C and RT-flex84T-D
RT-flex common-rail system. engine types announced.
1996: Component testing began for the Sulzer 2003 Mar: Sulzer RT-flex50 engine type announced.
RT-flex common-rail system. 2003 Mar: Official shop test of first Japanese-built
1998 Jun: Starting of the first Sulzer RT-flex full- RT-flex engine, a Sulzer 6RT-flex58T-B at
scale engine on the Winterthur test bed. Diesel United Ltd.
Sulzer 4RTA58T-B research engine. 2003 Aug: Aframax tanker Sea Lady entered service in
2000 Feb: Order for the first series-built Sulzer Japan with Sulzer 6RT-flex58T-B
RT-flex engine. 2003 Nov: Multi-purpose carrier Wladyslaw Orkan
2001 Jan: Official shop test of the first series-built entered service in China with Sulzer
Sulzer RT-flex engine, the 6RT-flex58T-B 7RT-flex60C.
at Hyundai H.I. in Korea. 2003 Nov: Reefer Carmel Ecofresh entered service in

— 14 — © Wärtsilä Corporation, August 2004

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 Portugal with Sulzer 7RT-flex60C. Korea, 1–2 November 2001.
2004 Jan: Sulzer RT-flex68T-B engine type 8. Kaspar Aeberli and John McMillan, ‘Common rail
announced. at sea: The Sulzer RT-flex engine’, The Motor Ship
2004 Feb: Multi-purpose carrier Chipolbrok Sun Marine Propulsion Conference, Copenhagen, 10–11
entered service in China with Sulzer April 2002.
7RT-flex60C. 9. Technology Review Sulzer RT-flex60C Engines,
2004 Feb: Reefer Carmel Bio-Top entered service in October 2002, reprinted November 2003.
Portugal with Sulzer 7RT-flex60C. 10. Rudolf Demmerle, ‘The first Sulzer RT-flex60C’,
2004 Mar: Confirmed orders for RT-flex engines Wärtsilä Marine News, No.2-2002, pp23–27.
reach 100. 11. Konrad Huber and Beat Güttinger, ‘First year of
2004 Apr: Official shop test of first RT-flex96C service successful for first Sulzer RT-flex’, Wärtsilä
engine, an 8RT-flex96C at HSD Engine Marine News, No.1-2003, pp4–8.
Co Ltd in Korea. 12. John A. McMillan, ‘The Owner’s perspective’,
2004 May: Multi-purpose carrier Chipolbrok Moon Wärtsilä Marine News, No.1-2003, p9.
entered service in China with Sulzer 13. Heinrich Schmid and Tomas Aminoff, ‘Sulzer low-
7RT-flex60C. speed engines in container liner operation’, Design
2004 May: Containership Safmarine Cameroun & Operation of Container Ships conference, RINA,
entered service in Germany with Sulzer London 23–24 April 2003.
9RT-flex60C. 14. Kaspar Aeberli, ‘Experience with Sulzer common-
2004 Jun: Official shop test of world’s largest rail engines’, The Motor Ship Marine Propulsion
common-rail engine, a Sulzer Conference, Hamburg, 7–8 May 2003.
12RT-flex96C engine of 68,640 kW at 15. Brochure ‘Sulzer RT-flex low-speed engines’, May
Diesel United Ltd in Japan. 2003, and reprinted 2004.
16. Kaspar Aeberli, ‘Expanded Sulzer RT-flex engine
range’, Wärtsilä Marine News, No.2-2003, pp4–7.
17. Kaspar Aeberli, ‘Common rail: The way ahead for
Bibliography VLCC propulsion’, International Symposium on
1. Stefan Fankhauser, ‘Jump into the new Millennium: Combustion Engines and Marine Engineering
Sulzer RT-flex with the world’s biggest common (ISCEM 2003), Busan, Korea, 22–24 October
rail’, The Motor Ship Marine Propulsion 2003.
Conference, Athens, 23–24 March 1999. 18. Kaspar Aeberli, ‘Common rail: The way ahead
2. Stefan Fankhauser, ‘The RT-flex concept – A jump for low-speed engines’, 4th International Ship
into the new millennium’, Wärtsilä Marine News, Propulsion Systems Conference, Manchester, 10–12
No.2-1999, pp15–17. November 2003.
3. Brochure ‘The Common-Rail Low-Speed Engine’, 19. Kaspar Aeberli, ‘Common rail: The way ahead for
May 1999. ship propulsion’, Wärtsilä paper, January 2004.
4. Stefan Fankhauser and Klaus Heim, ‘The Sulzer 20. Data sheet Sulzer RT-flex50, March 2004.
RT-flex: Launching the era of common rail on low 21. Heinrich Schmid, ‘Less emissions through waste
speed engines’, CIMAC 2001, Hamburg. heat recovery’, Green Ship Technology Conference,
5. Heinrich Schmid, ‘Twin-screw propulsion for super London, 28–29 April 2004.
container vessels’, Wärtsilä Marine News, No.2- 22. Kaspar Aeberli, ‘Building the largest common-
2001, pp12–15. rail engines’, The Motor Ship Marine Propulsion
6. Stefan Fankhauser, ‘World’s first common-rail low Conference, Amsterdam, 28–29 April 2004.
speed engine goes to sea’, Wärtsilä Marine News, 23. Rudolf Demmerle and Klaus Heim, ‘The evolution
No.3-2001, pp12–15. of the Sulzer RT-flex common rail system’, CIMAC
7. Klaus Heim, ‘Common rail injection in practice 2004, Kyoto.
in low-speed marine diesel engines and future 24. German Weisser, “Fuel saving with Sulzer RT-flex”,
emissions control’, Kormarine conference, Busan, Wärtsilä paper, July 2004.

Published August 2004 by:

R
Wärtsilä Switzerland Ltd
PO Box 414
CH-8401 Winterthur
Tel: +41 52 262 49 22
Fax: +41 52 262 07 18
www.wartsila.com

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