The Sulzer RT-flex system, which will be progressively offered as an
option for all models in the RTA programme, resulted from a project
originated in the 1980s to develop an electronically-controlled low
speed engine without the constraints imposed by mechanical drive of
the fuel injection pumps and exhaust valve actuation pumps (see the
introductory chapter on Low Speed Engines.) Traditional jerk-type
fuel injection systems combine pressure generation, timing and metering
in the injection pump with only limited flexibility to influence the
variables. In contrast, Sulzer’s common rail system separates the
functions and gives far more flexibility for optimizing the combustion
process with injection and valve timing