Alstom Tornado Gas Turbine Expertise Required

Hello guys,
Anyone here an expert on Alstom EGT Tornado Gas Turbine? I have various queries which I want to straighten out regarding the turbine. We have one Tornado installed at our site and control system employed on it is Rustronic Mark-II. I don't have much experience on the said turbine and now I've been charged with the upgradation of its control system with Mark-VIe. Of course, we have awarded the contract to GE guys and I have shared all the backups and documentation with them, but I don't trust the GE guys to go through all of them or to understand a turbine other than theirs. So, I have a big responsibility to ensure everything goes fine. I will welcome any tips or guidance in this regard. Cheers!
 
makster,

I believe GE (the former BHGE, also formerly known as GE Measurement & Control, among other various and sundry names and monikers) have done at least one Alstom tornado unit in the past (in Australia, I think it was). I believe it went reasonable well as I recall, but commissioning did take a few days (maybe a couple of weeks) longer than planned. If I recall correctly, there were a lot of problems with the wiring drawings that were supplied by the Customer and used for configuring inputs and outputs, and loop-checking found a lot of problems caused by bad drawings.

And, there were the usual problems getting flame established (normal tuning stuff for first fire of any unit, new or old control system), and some additional tuning on loading rates and such--again, all normal stuff even for new units.

GE had some good resources working on non-OEM unit controls for a while (don't know if Alstom Tornado units fell under GE's umbrella after the Alsthom acquisition or not). There was one VERY BRIGHT Irishman who could quickly decipher some of the most unintelligible controls drawings and be able to explain what was supposed to be happening to anyone who cared to listen. If he's still associated with the oOEM (other OEM) effort as it's called these days, you will be in fine hands.

Best of luck. Keep us informed, please!
 
Yes. BHGE (Now Baker Hughes only) got the contract from us by giving us the impression that after Alstom acquisition by GE, its a piece of cake for them and they won't have any trouble pulling old data from Alstom database (machine is at least 20 years old!).
After we'd awarded the contract, it turned out that GE had only acquired bigger Alstom units and these small tornados are now owned by Siemens. Long story short, the process wasn't that simple and still isn't. I recently performed FAT at BHGE facility and it was more of an engineering review rather than an FAT. Now we will be moving forward towards commissioning at March end and I wondered if there is any guy here with whom I can straighten out some queries with.
 
Like there is one point that is bugging me. GE guys have configured a logic in new system where when a "Fire confirmed" shutdown occurs, emergency DC lube oil pump starts after 15 seconds. I know that DC lube oil pump runs after normal trip of turbine (and it is absolutely crucial that it runs) but if machine trips due to a fire in turbine enclosure and CO2 is discharged, this pump shouldn't run. I will appreciate any input in this regard!
 
Makster,

Yes; the salespeople working for BHGE/GE are NOT really knowledgeable about the products and services they are selling. They are under a LOT of pressure to SELL, and they don't get much training and very little feedback. Once the order is booked, their involvement is finished and they have already moved on to the next "opportunity." (Most companies are similar, but in this case, the lack of follow-up and attempt to learn from the sale and execution of the "opportunity" is very distressing, and reflects poorly on the Company(s) as a whole.

Anyway, hopefully someone with Tornado experience can help you; they seem to crop up on control.com from time to time.

Best of luck!
 
Thanks Rustons_EGT_Alstom_Siemens_Guy for reaching out. We successfully commissioned the turbine in Dec 2020 with Mark-VIe Control System. Turned out my reservations were correct and GE guys were absolutely clueless about the controls of an aero-derivative turbine. Commissioning went through some turbulent stages but we got there in the end. Will contact you if something comes up in the future.
 
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