Gas Turbine Control System Retrofits

Kevin Magee CEng. FIET Managing Director,

Proeon Systems Ltd.
Hethel Engineering Centre, Chapman Way, Hethel, UK
kevinm@proeon.co.uk

1. Abstract The world has moved on from the supply of closed

black box type gas turbine controls, with
This white paper reviews the need for undertaking opportunities for Owners / Operators to exploit the
Gas Turbine control system retrofits, how this availability of open technology and to extract
might be considered together with the benefits that running data and improve diagnostics and fault
might be obtained. This paper also examines finding.
some of the typical arguments that can be made to
determine whether such retrofits are appropriate 3. OEM or 3rd Party
and the technology that can be used.
Older OEM gas turbines often come with
2. Introduction proprietary control systems that can be arcane to
use and that make it difficult for Owners /
Over the past decade, the use of electronic and in Operators to troubleshoot, maintain or improve
particular digital control equipment has created a their systems without the direct involvement of the
perfect storm for many users in managing their OEM. There are plenty of examples of older
assets and installed equipment. systems that use parts and equipment that cannot
be sourced through normal procurement routes or
Whilst mechanical equipment can last for many that require OEM licences to run diagnostics
years, control and instrumentation equipment has software.
a limited lifespan before software or component
obsolescence can make it increasingly difficult to When originally developed, the OEM control
support and maintain installed equipment. system may have been developed because of the
lack of commercially available technology that
Such obsolescence can be most significant for could be used or adapted. Many OEM control
technology based companies where the critical systems are highly bespoke and have been
technology used is part of their service or tailored to work with specific gas turbine type. The
production. It may also mean that they can no development of universal logic controllers that
longer be competitive within the marketplace. could be configured to suit a variety of engine
types is a relatively recent phenomenon that has
Obsolescence can also mean that companies matched the growth and capability of industrial
need to be prepared to make capital expenditure Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and
when equipment that affects their service or Process Automation Controllers (PACs)
production becomes or is about to become
obsolete. There are reasons for the OEM to adopt such a
bespoke approach to the control systems. This
The control systems fitted to industrial gas turbines prevents end users from altering operating
and their driven loads is no exception to this rule. parameters, minimises the risk of modifications
and ensures consistent machine deployment to
Owners and Operators of OEM supplied gas allow OEM engineers to provide support
turbines are increasingly facing the need to assistance. Customers who retain the controls
upgrade their legacy control systems. It is not system provided by the OEM are often forced to
uncommon to see gas turbines from the 1970’s & rely solely upon the OEM for troubleshooting,
80’s still in operation with unsupportable legacy service and parts which can be a laborious and
control systems. expensive experience.

Owners / Operators are now considering how to Older systems may suffer from either a lack of
retrofit these control systems and have the option documentation or possibly worse, poor
to use control systems provided by an organisation documentation. Programming and configuration
that is not the OEM. can be difficult to understand - not only for Owner /
Operator technicians, but for OEM field service
Such non-OEM supplied system improvements personnel as well. Reports are given of cryptic
can allow the operator to troubleshoot, tune, repair alarm messages and no useful help feature with
and make improvements independent of the poorly documented diagnostic alarms.
turbine OEM using common hardware and
software platforms that may be in use on many Nevertheless, there are also clear reasons to use
other parts of their plant. the OEM to provide updates, modifications and a
controls retrofit. The OEM has the history, intimate

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 Gas Turbine Control System Retrofits
knowledge of the design of the machine, its
operating characteristics, control algorithms and Experience shows that most failures on gas
parameters. In some engines where emissions turbine systems are due to the control systems,
control technologies are employed the algorithms field instrumentation and the auxiliary systems.
can be locked by the OEM. There can also be a Whilst failures of the engine do happen they are
culture of fear with operators fearful to use Non- more often a result of external sub systems and
rd
OEM 3 parties to provide services in case the not the engine itself. There are many examples of
OEM walks away from providing ongoing maintained machines still running for over 40
mechanical support for an engine. years.

A recent example saw a client who was clearly fed Industrial gas turbines are often redeployed and
up of waiting for the OEM to repair his fuel valves older control systems may not be suitable new
but would not commit to use another company to applications. This can be an optimum time to
work on the valves in case the repaired fuel valves retrofit the gas turbine control systems.
damaged the engines. This was despite a full
testing regime, quality controls and the like in There are some key issues to consider when
place. undertaking a control system retrofit on a gas
turbine that can include:
However, there are compelling reasons to use a
Non-OEM third party organisation to provide the Older / Existing Replacement control
control system retrofit. Benefits of this approach control systems systems
include significantly reduced costs, reduced project Safety
timescales, faster maintenance response times,  May no longer comply  Adoption of latest
the use of commercially available hardware, better with current machinery machinery safety
support and a resulting open system. The Owner / safety standards standards
Operator is left with a system that in many ways is  May no longer able to  Decreased risks to
superior to that of an OEM supplied system and safely control the personnel and assets
that makes use of modern equipment and turbine within the  Life extension
technologies. original design limits
set by the OEM
Owners / Operators who use OEMs can often face  Risks to personnel and
long delays as equipment is repaired or updated assets
and can be at greater commercial risk while assets  Reduced life of the
are unavailable as a result of machine downtime. turbine components
Many operators seeking third party Non-OEM
Reliability
control systems have got disheartened with the
response of OEMs to support their legacy control  Unplanned turbine  Fewer unplanned
shutdowns and trips shutdowns
systems with the OEM will almost always saying
that "your system is obsolete and must be  Costly in terms of  Better diagnostics
upgraded.” manpower and  Improved reliability
possible loss of  Ability to implement
Such operators recognise the importance of capability higher availability
access to machine and diagnostic data, the ability  Deterioration of turbine architectures (1oo2)
to control their own destiny and take ownership of resulting in failure  Solid state equipment
their gas turbine and its control system.  Long standing  Lower failure rates
reliability problems
rd
Using the right 3 party organisation to provide with electro-
such non-OEM retrofits is crucial. The design of a mechanical
gas turbine governor controller is a non-trivial components
application and needs to be undertaken by an  Unacceptably high
organisation with experience of deploying complex failure rates
control and safety systems with an understanding Efficiency
of the processes involved in deploying retrofit  Operate the gas  Operate the turbine
control systems. turbine turbines below more efficiently
maximum efficiency  Reliable and precise
4. Why Retrofit?  Use of larger safety control
margins  Improved load and
Any retrofit of the gas turbine control system will  Slower load and transient response
involve the commitment of significant sums of transient response  Improved automation
money that will need to be justified to senior times of turbine and driven
management. load

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 Gas Turbine Control System Retrofits
Older / Existing Replacement control
control systems systems Such a review may categorise equipment with a
 Improved monitoring, High, Medium or Low risk assessment outcome
trending, event logs using defined criteria. Equipment that has a High
and SOE recording risk outcome would typically be a system whose
 Increased operating failure to operate correctly or to be supportable
flexibility presents an unacceptable risk to the Owner /
 Enhanced alarm and Operator.
trip detail
 Faster, more accurate Owners / Operators may have other demands and
access to operating requirements that are not critical for plant
performance and operation, but where new systems are required to
parameters accommodate system enhancements. Such
demands can be difficult to quantify in terms of
Obsolescence savings etc. but can be justified in terms of
 Limited in their scope  Flexible hardware improved efficiencies, data / communications
for expansion allows future integration, spares holding, compliance with
 Hard to come by with expansion operating standards etc.
limited availability  Readily available
Once an obsolescence study and justification has
 Expensive hardware
been made, an evaluation process would normally
 Lower cost hardware
be undertaken using a cost-benefit analysis to
 Common spares
make a final decision whether to proceed.
holding with other
systems
6. What to retrofit
Usability
Gas turbine control system retrofits could
 Closed systems  Scalable
potentially cover every instrument and control
 Unexpandable  Expandable aspect of the machine.
 Inflexible  Flexible
 Lack of  Support for This may include the control and safety hardware
communications sophisticated and software elements, user HMIs, control panels,
support communications fuel valves, valve actuators, vibration monitoring
 Data acquisition system together with other elements of the
 Remote access instrumentation and controls found on a gas
 Diagnostics turbine unit such as the fire detection and
suppression systems, LV MCC et al.

5. Retrofit Justification In practice a more measured approach is often

taken with the replacement of legacy mechanical /
Justifications need to be made to warrant the hydro-mechanical equipment with software,
retrofit of any gas turbine control system and an electronic or electrical control systems to provide a
obsolescence study can help with highlighting significant improvement in system reliability.
critical equipment and identifying what equipment
has reached a critical state. A typical scope of a gas turbine controls system
retrofit might include:
An obsolescence study may typically review
factors such as:  Replacement field instruments such as
pressure switches, temperature switches,
 Operational Reliability - How reliable the vibration sensors and speed sensors.
equipment in use Replace switches with transmitters for
 Spares Availability - How good is the spares improved diagnostics.
holding or how easily spares can be obtained  Replacement gas and liquid fuel control
 Operational Longevity - How long is the valves with modern intelligent valves
equipment required to operate  Replacement governor controller
 Vendor Support - The capability and / or  Replacement sequencer logic
interest the OEM has in supporting the  Addition of HMI with event / alarm recording
equipment  Replacement vibration monitoring system with
 System Criticality - A measure of how critical additional sensors to improve machine
the successful operation of the equipment is in diagnostics and evaluation unit
use

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 Gas Turbine Control System Retrofits
 Replacement machine safety system
functions including overspeed trips,  Integrated governor, EGT and turbine
emergency shutdown, fuel shut-off etc. sequencing
 Standard software library modules and
Gas turbine control system retrofits may typically programming tools
also consider the update of key auxiliary systems  Increased reliability over older electro–
associated to the engine including: mechanical systems
 High level of built-in diagnostics
 Generator control and protection  Optional load control packages for electrical
 Compressor control and anti-surge protection and turbo–compressor loads
 Fire detection systems  Extensive communications to HMI, DCS and
 Fire suppression systems SCADA systems
 Electrical load management
 LV Motor Control Centres (MCCs) The control system allows close integration with
 Solenoids and actuators other sub-systems within the gas turbine control
system including vibration monitoring and safety
Advances in technology provide significant systems. I/O for field devices such as flame
advantages in reliability and supportability with detectors, LVDTs etc. is handled using specialist
easy integration into newer control and safety I/O modules.
systems.
Safety systems are designed to meet the latest
7. Control Platforms machinery safety standards.

The selection of suitable control platforms for 8. Fuel Systems

turbine control is critical to a successful retrofit
project. One of the key systems that is often upgraded
during a control system retrofit is the gas or liquid
Control platforms used as part of a control system fuel systems.
retrofit are often selected from industrial grade
Programmable Logic and Automation controllers. Older fuel valves may be hydro-mechanical or
Typical controller families may include Rockwell simple multi-stage valves that can have ongoing
ControlLogix and Siemens S7 platforms coupled mechanical problems with poor dynamic response
with operator HMI facilities running on flat panels resulting in poor control of the gas turbine speed
or desktop computers. and load control.

The use of standard equipment has a number of Upgrades of the gas turbine fuel system will
key benefits to Owners / Operators: typically include the replacement of the fuel
modulating valve with a modern digitally controlled
valve that may have integrated diagnostics and
 Readily available hardware
fuel flow metering.
 Modular technology
 User familiarity Many Owners / Operators also take the
 High quality developed systems opportunity to replace the safety shut-off valves
 Cost effective and instrumentation on the fuel system. In some
 Worldwide support instances it may be simpler and more cost
 Open technology effective to replace the entire fuel package with a
pre-tested drop in replacement.
Systems based on such equipment are readily
supportable by Owners / Operators with hardware 9. Fire detection and suppression
and software that is widely used throughout
industry. Gas turbines present a particular challenge with
respect to fire with risks present in gas or liquid
When deployed, these control platforms provide fuel, lubricating oil, rapid development of fires and
interchangeable hardware and portable software, the presence of high thermal loads. Risks are
greater standardisation, OEM and supplier present in the turbine enclosure and within the
independence together with upgradeable auxiliary equipment enclosures.
technology with global support from established
companies. Advanced fire detection systems can provide flame
and heat detection within the turbine enclosures
Such systems provide a wealth of benefits with detectors chosen to minimise false alarms
including: and trips. Integrated fire detection and suppression

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 Gas Turbine Control System Retrofits
systems can provide compliance with the latest  Obsolescence
standards with respect to personnel and asset  Usability
protection.
Demands to lower costs leave opportunities for
Gas turbine fire suppression systems have Owners / Operators to consider the use of non-
traditionally made use of CO2 or halon 1301 OEM companies to provide the retrofit control
gasses to provide the suppression agent. systems for their gas turbines.

Newer suppression gasses provide quicker The use of non-OEM organisations can provide
residue-free fire extinguishing and are typically Installed systems should be reviewed to determine
applied as part of “total-flood” design that requires what parts of the control and safety system,
a tight enclosure around the gas turbine to build up instrumentation, and auxiliary equipment should be
the necessary gas concentration. part of the retrofit.

Older gas turbines may have mechanical issues The scope of retrofit should be considered and the
including the deterioration of door seals, opportunity taken to upgrade fuel systems and
malfunctioning fire dampers and the removal of ancillary systems such the F&G detection, F&G
enclosure panels during past shutdowns and suppression and LV MCC as appropriate.
outages. All of these may affect the concentration
levels of the suppression agent and may ultimately Modern control systems provide the ability to
not supress a real fire incident. provide:

Many Owners / Operators take the opportunity to  Hardware independent system

update the fire detection and suppression systems  Improved safety integrity
as part of gas turbine control retrofit to provide an  DCS / SCADA Interface
integrated system.  Improved Turbine Control
 Exhaust temperature monitoring
10. Load Control  Standard I/O and signal interfaces
 Improved diagnostics and operator
The adoption of modern control systems for the information:
gas turbine allows the Owner / Operator to
integrate driven load control systems for When selecting an organisation to undertake the
mechanical and electrical systems. retrofit work care should be taken to use
companies that have a credible track record and
Typical examples might include: experience in providing gas turbine retrofit control
systems with a background in providing control
 Integration of compressor anti-surge control and safety systems.
systems into the turbine control system to
reduce system interfaces and provide a true
unit control system. Kevin Magee is a Chartered Electrical Engineer,
 Integration of Generator Control Panel (GCP) FIET and CFSP with over 30 years' experience in
functions to provide stand-alone generator detailed design, project engineering, project
package with extensive diagnostics and management, commissioning, and engineering
breaker control. management roles for a variety of industries.
 Integration of Power Management Systems
(PMS) to control electrical power generation He is Managing Director of Proeon Systems and
and distribution systems. oversees the delivery of the company’s core
objectives.
11. Conclusions
Proeon Systems are a specialist systems
There are clearly many reasons that Owners / integrator with experience in the supply of control
Operators may consider a Gas Turbine Control and safety system for high criticality applications
System retrofit. including gas turbine control, F&G systems and
process control.
Some of major issues that should be considered
should include:

 Safety
 Reliability
 Efficiency

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