12 - Sulzer low speed engines

Abstract

Sulzer is one of the leading manufacturer of both four-stroke and two-stroke diesel engines. The first Sulzer-built diesel engine started in June 1898. In 1905, the company built the first directly reversible two-stroke marine diesel engine and five years later introduced a valve-less two-stroke engine with an after-charging system and spray-cooled pistons. In 1981, the company launched the uniflow-scavenged, constant pressure turbocharged RTA series with a single poppet-type exhaust valve. The company has also launched TriboPack technology that enables the time-between-overhaul (TBO) of cylinder components, including piston ring renewal, to be extended to at least three years and also allows a further reduction in the cylinder lubricating oil feed rate. The Sulzer RT-flex system that is progressively offered as an option for all models in the RTA program 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.