Offline waterwash 9FA mission

Tamizh,

There is no question here.

We don't know where the Water Wash system was manufactured, or if it has a PLC controlling the system devices.

For MANY years, Water Wash systems provided by the OEM used PLCs (usually A-B (Allen-Bradley, or Rockwell) PLCs) which had a couple of really bad programming errors in them--easily fixed, but required a hand-held programmer or some other interface. Stupid little things like expecting flow from a pump at the same instant the pump motor was started (that is, no time delay for pump pressure and flow to build up after the motor was started), and other similar annoying poor programming practices. These systems (often called "skids") were manufactured for the OEM by a outside supplier, and talking with them revealed they were aware of the problems, but wanted to get paid to fix them--now and on skids shipped in the future, something the OEM would not do. So, the Customer suffered--or they hired someone to fix these problems, or, as was most often the case, they used jumpers and modified their operating procedures to work around the problems.... One of the real problems with these little PLCs was that to save money, there were no displays of any kind to annunciate alarms about what was causing the problems, forcing the Customer's technicians to invest in programmers or hire an outside firm to come and investigate the issue.

So, we don't know who supplied the system at your site (the OEM, or one of its packagers, or an EPC (Engineering-Procurement Company) or ???? We presume you believe (rightly or wrongly) that you shouldn't have to be doing what you're doing to perform a Water Wash (a reasonable expectation from an "automated" system)--but, again, there's no question.

Finally, the fact that you are working on a GE-design Frame 9FA heavy duty machine (I think that's what "mission" is trying to convey: machine) does not mean that every other GE-design Frame 9FA heavy duty gas turbine (machine) is exactly the same as the one you are working on. Yes--every GE-design Frame 9FA heavy duty gas turbine (machine) sucks (draws air into an axial compressor), squeezes (compresses the air), burns (burns some hydrocarbon-based fuel) and blows (exhaust--either to atmosphere or to an HRSG (Heat Recovery Steam Generator--a boiler). But, some were packaged by the OEM, and some were packaged by licensees of the OEM (for example, BHEL), some were built by newer divisions of the OEM (GE-Belfort, for example). AND most ALL of them have very different auxiliaries, including Water Wash systems (skids). They all function similarly, but they all function slightly differently. So, assuming your machine is like every other machine is a VERY POOR assumption. And, can lead to all manner of incorrect responses to requests for help and information. PLEASE, remember, though all GE Frame 9FA heavy duty gas turbines (machines) suck, squeeze, burn and blow--they all have different auxiliaries to help them do that! They are NOT all the same. If you want quick and concise answers, you are going to need to provide more information. While I realize English may not be your first language, there are free translators available on the World Wide Web for most languages these days (maybe not all dialects, but most languages).

My recommendation is to tell us what kind of PLC or control system (maybe it's just a simple conglomeration of relays and timers) is in use on the Water Wash system, and then try to find out what is blocking the pump from starting automatically. Perhaps it does, in fact, start--but only starts and runs for a split second, because the control system is immediately looking for pressure/flow and that just doesn't happen anywhere on this planet earth where a centrifugal pump is used and driven by an electric motor (and centrifugal pumps are much less expensive than positive displacement pumps with recirc valves--so they are most often used). If this investigation on your site requires hiring a contractor to come to site and use a hand-held programmer or some other interface to troubleshoot this problem, so be it. But, we can't help you if we don't know what kind of equipment you have (and you haven't told what you have!) and even if you tell, unless someone else reading this thread has the same equipment with the same problem (a remote possibility) it's not very likely you will get a fast response. Sure, a LOT of people have problems with their Water Wash systems--but, as I've said, and as you've discovered, sometimes the fastest "solution" is a work-around like the one you are doing. A pain-in-the-arse, to be sure--but fast and effective, if not elegant or the proper solution. If you let the supplier of the equipment leave site before the problems were resolved and now the warranty is expired, then this should be a lesson to all on site: Don't do that!

And, don't accept the answer from the equipment supplier that, "They ALL do that!" Because it's not true. (MANY do, but not all--and if it's a PLC then the fix should be relatively simple, if one has the proper equipment.)

Best of luck. Please write back to let us know how you resolve the problem.
 
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