GEH-6127

SpeedtronicTM Mark VI
Industrial Steam Turbine Control
Product Overview

Speedtronic Mark VI
Industrial Steam Turbine Control
Product Overview
GEH-6127

Issue Date: August 1998

This document contains proprietary information of General Electric Company, USA and is furnished to its customers solely to assist that
customer in the installation, testing, and/or maintenance of the equipment described. This document shall not be reproduced in whole or in
part nor shall its contents be disclosed to any third party without the written approval of GE Industrial Systems.
These instructions do not purport to cover all details or variations in equipment, or to provide for every possible contingency to be met during
installation, operation, and maintenance. Should further information be desired or should particular problems arise that are not covered
sufficiently for the purchasers purpose, the matter should be referred to GE Industrial Systems.

 1998

General Electric Company, USA

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

CIMPLICITY and Genius are registered trademarks of GE Fanuc Automation North America, Inc.
Field Control is a trademark of GE Fanuc Automation North America, Inc.
Speedtronic is a trademark of General Electric Company, USA.
GE and  are registered trademarks of General Electric Company, USA.
Ethernet is a trademark of Xerox Corporation.
Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Proximitor and Data Manager are registered trademarks of Bentley Nevada Corporation.
Modbus is a trademark of Modicon.
PI is a trademark of Oil Systems, Inc.

Speedtronic Mark VI Industrial Steam Turbine Control Product Overview

GEH-6127

INTRODUCTION
The GE Industrial Steam Turbine Control (ISTC) is part of the Speedtronic Mark VI family of turbine
controls, which are available for all GE turbines. The ISTC is designed to provide a small core of basic
control functions which can be expanded in small increments for various levels of control, protection and
monitoring for the turbine, the auxiliary systems or the driven load equipment (generator / compressor /
pump).
Various levels of operator interface can be provided. These include an operator interface via a
communication link from a plant Distributed Control System (DCS), a local or remote operator interface
from a PC / flat panel or a hardwired interface. In addition, a common operator interface can be provided
for multiple ISTCs and / or Mark V Turbine Controls, EX2000 Generator Excitation Controls, HRSG
controls, etc.

ARCHITECTURE
The control system receives power from one, two or three power sources, which can be 115/230Vac or
125Vdc. The processor card, communication card and the I/O cards are located in a single 13 slot (VME
type) control module. I/O cards are connected to individual termination boards by computer-type cables
with 37-pin D type connectors.

The termination boards have pluggable, barrier type terminal blocks. Cards and termination boards can be
arranged in various combinations and added in the field for future expansion. In addition, a Genius bus
can be provided to interface with Genius blocks or Field Control stations for remote I/O applications. A
variety of monitoring and diagnostic equipment can be integrated with the ISTC to enhance maintenance of
the machinery.
Some of this equipment includes the following: a PC interface with a CIMPLICITY graphics display
system, a Windows NT operating system, a PC based Historian with PI (Plant Information) Systems
software for storing turbine-generator performance data on-line, and an embedded Data Manager 2000 for
Windows NT inside the Mark VI operator interface.

INPUTS and OUTPUTS

The basic system consists of a small core of inputs and outputs (I/O) for control of the speed/pressure
governor and optional I/O that can be added for protection or monitoring options. I/O circuitry is designed
for direct interface to the sensors and actuators on the turbine to eliminate the need for interposing
equipment with its resultant single point failures, maintenance and spare parts. The following diagram
shows a typical I/O interface to a steam turbine with I/O for the governor and some additional protection
and monitoring.

Speedtronic Mark VI Industrial Steam Turbine Control Product Overview

GEH-6127

RS232 Modbus

Plant DCS

Governor
Flat Panel with
Touchscreen

Laptop

Card Rack

PC Interface
Comm.
VCMI

CPU
UCV_

VCRC

Gover.

VVIB

VRTD VTCC

VAIC

VGEN VSVO

Ethernet
Genius Bus

Vibration, Thrust, Eccentricity

Temperature (RTDs)
Temperature (Thermocouples)
Additional Analog I/O
Generator 3 Phase PTs & CT
Additional Servos (DAX)

Figure 1. Control system overview

(4) Servo Channels

Automatic Synchronizing

(2) 3 Phase Gen/Line Voltage, (1) 3 Phase Gen. Current

Shaft Voltage & Current Monitor

(20) Analog Inputs / (4) Analog Outputs

Exhaust Pressure

(24) Thermocouples

Speed
Extraction Pressure

(16) RTDs

Trip
Gen

Proximitors: (16) Vibration, (8) Position, (2) KP

Inlet Pres.

(24) Relays

1 ms SOE

Actuator
Remote I/O

(48) Contact In.

Actuator

Speedtronic Mark VI Industrial Steam Turbine Control Product Overview

GEH-6127

Contact Inputs: All contact inputs are optically isolated and time stamped to within 1ms.

This built-in Sequence of Events (SOE) monitor can be observed with a level 2 operator / maintenance
interface station. Dry contacts can be powered from either a 125Vdc or 24Vdc supply from the control
that is fuse isolated and current limited in the turbine control.

Contact Outputs: Plug-in type magnetic relays provide a dry, form C contact output from each relay.
Voltage

Contact Resistance Rating

Contact Inductive Rating

24 Vdc

3.0 amps

3.0 amps L/R = 7 ms, no suppression

3.0 amps L/R = 100 ms, with suppression

125 Vdc

0.6 amps

120/240 Vac

3.0 amps

0.2 amps L/R = 7 ms, no suppression

0.6 amps L/R = 100 ms, with suppression
2.0 amps pf = 0.4

Valve Interface: Regulation of the control valve loop is provided in software with a direct interface to the
servo valve actuator and the LVDT valve position feedback. Bi-polar current outputs are provided for 10,
20, 40, 80, 120mA ranges. LVDT circuitry is designed for interface to LVDTs with either single or dual
secondary windings.
The inputs from the dual secondary windings can be used for either LVDTs with dual secondary windings
or a pair of redundant LVDTs with single secondary windings. A 7 Vrms, 3.2 kHz excitation signal for the
LVDT is provided by the turbine control, and the LVDT feedback is 0 to 7.0 Vrms position feedback. 0 to
20mA and 0 to 200mA outputs are provided for interface to I/P transducers or valve positioners.
Speed Inputs: Three (3) passive, magnetic, speed sensor inputs (2 Hz to 12 kHz) are provided. The
median value is used for speed control and primary overspeed protection. Circuit sensitivity allows
detection of 2-rpm speed on a sixty (60) tooth wheel to determine whether the turbine is stopped or on
turning gear.
Emergency Overspeed Protection is provided by either an existing mechanical overspeed bolt or a
separate set of three (3) magnetic speed sensors which are monitored by a separate, triple redundant,
overspeed module. Diagnostic tests of the emergency overspeed module can be initiated and monitored
from the operator interface or a plant DCS while the turbine is running or shutdown.
Proximitor Inputs: A direct interface can be provided from the turbine control to Bently-Nevada
Proximitors for vibration protection, thrusts wear protection, differential expansion and eccentricity
monitoring. The 1X and unfiltered vibration levels and the 1X vibration phase angle are displayed.

A plug-in connector is available to connect the vibration and key phasor inputs to a Bently-Nevada
monitor. 3500 monitors have a matching plug on the monitor and older models require discrete
terminations. BNC type connectors can be provided for remote monitoring with Bently-Nevada vibration
analysis equipment. Inputs for seismic (velocity) type probes are available too.

Speedtronic Mark VI Industrial Steam Turbine Control Product Overview

GEH-6127

Shaft Voltage and Current Monitor: Bearings can be damaged by the flow of electrical current through
the bearing. This can occur due to a static voltage buildup caused by water droplets being thrown off the
last stage buckets in steam turbines or ac voltage on the shaft which is caused by ac ripple on the dc
generator field. Voltage can build up across the oil film of bearings until a discharge occurs.
Repeated discharge and arcing can cause a pitted and roughened bearing surface that will eventually fail
through accelerated mechanical wear. The turbine control can continuously monitor the shaft to ground
voltage and current and alarm excessive levels. Test circuits are provided to check the alarm functions and
the continuity of wiring to the brush assembly that are mounted between the turbine and the generator.
Synchronizing: Automatic synchronizing is available via single phase PT inputs from the generator and
line. The control matches the turbine speed to the line frequency and the generator and line voltages. An
automatic command to close the breaker is issued when the breaker is predicted to close within the phaseslip window. A normally open contact on the breaker (not an auxiliary relay) is monitored to measure the
actual breaker closure time that is used to update the database. Manual synchronizing can be provided
from a synch scope display on a PC-based, level 2-operator interface.
Three-phase PT and CT Monitoring: The turbine control can provide a direct interface to three-phase PTs
from the generator and line, and CTs from the generator including the neutral.

Figure 2. Circuit cards

Figure 3. Termination boards

Speedtronic Mark VI Industrial Steam Turbine Control Product Overview

GEH-6127

Temperature Monitoring: Grounded and ungrounded thermocouples and RTDs can be monitored by the
control with linearization for various sensor types provided in software.

Thermocouple Table
Type "E"

(-)60 to +1100 F

(-)51 to +593 C

Type "J"

(-)60 to +1400 F

(-)51 to +798 C

Type "K"

(-)60 to +2000 F

(-)51 to +1093 C

Type "T"

(-)60 to +750 F

(-)51 to +399 C

RTD Table
SAMA or GE

10 ohm copper

(-)60 to +500 F

(-)51 to +260 C

SAMA

100 ohm platinum

(-)60 to +1100 F

(-)51 to +593 C

DIN 43760

100 ohm platinum

(-)60 to +1292 F

(-)51 to +700 C

MINCO (PA)

100 ohm platinum

(-)60 to +1292 F

(-)51 to +700 C

MINCO (PB)

100 ohm platinum

(-)60 to +1292 F

(-)51 to +700 C

Rosemont 104

100 ohm platinum

(-)60 to +1292 F

(-)51 to +700 C

MINCO (NA)

120 ohm nickel

(-)60 to +480 F

(-)51 to +249 C

US Industrial

200 ohm platinum

(-)60 to +400 F

(-)51 to +204 C

Analog I/O: Each analog I/O termination board contains ten (10) analog input circuits and two (2) analog
output circuits. All inputs can monitor 4-20mA (250 ohms) which can be configured for self-powered,
differential inputs or as sensors which use a +24Vdc supply from the turbine control.
Two (2) of the inputs are designed for 0-1mA inputs with 5,000 ohm input impedance, and eight (8) of the
inputs are designed for +/-5, 10Vdc inputs. Each set of two (2) analog outputs consists of one (1) 4-20mA
output (500 ohms max.) and one (1) output which can be configured for either 4-20mA output or 0-200mA
output (50 ohms max.).
Remote I/O: Genius is a family of proven I/O instrumentation for local or remote control applications. It
consists of I/O blocks that communicate to the host controller over a serial communication link
(153.6kbaud).
Each block has a specific I/O function such as reading thermocouple inputs. Field Control is a new
addition to the Genius family that consists of a rack, called the Field Control station, with the Field
Processor and up to eight (8) different types of I/O modules in the rack.

GEH-6127

Speedtronic Mark VI Industrial Steam Turbine Control Product Overview

Genius blocks and Field Control stations can coexist on the same serial bus with each block or rack
counting as one (1) node with a maximum of 32 nodes. An assortment of I/O blocks and cards are
available.
A typical application for remote I/O in retrofit applications is to mount Genius blocks or Field Control
stations inside an old operator console consisting of: analog meters, switches, annunciators, etc. This
wiring can be localized within the console between the instrumentation and a few remote I/O blocks and
communicated with the steam turbine control via a Genius bus link.

Field Processor

I/O Module: up to 8 per rack

Terminal Blocks
- Barrier Type
- Box Type

Figure 4. Field Control station - remote I/O

PACKAGING
The standard turbine control enclosure consists of a NEMA 1, convection cooled cabinet with front access
and top or bottom cable entrances. It is rated for continuous operation in a 0 to 45 C ambient and
operation up to 50 C during maintenance periods; however, it is recommended that this microprocessor
based product be located in an air-conditioned environment. Other types of enclosures are available with
built-in cooling systems and purification systems as required for the application.

Speedtronic Mark VI Industrial Steam Turbine Control Product Overview

GEH-6127

The I/O cards are located in a 13 slot (VME type) control module. The front of an I/O card has three (3)
LEDs.

- Green = RUN or OK
- Red

= Error or power-up failure

- Yellow = Card specific

Each I/O card plugs into a slot that has P1 and P2 connectors on the backplane, and J3 and J4 connectors
(37 pins) located directly beneath the card. These connectors are used to connect each I/O card to its
corresponding field termination board.

D type connector cables are used with latching fasteners. One wire in the cable is dedicated to
transmitting an identification message from the termination board to the I/O card containing a bar-code
serial number, board type, hardware revision, and a connection location.
The termination boards are arranged in vertical columns with separate wire channels for high level and
low-level wires. Each termination board contains passive noise filters and two (2) pluggable, 24 point,
barrier type terminal blocks. Each screw can terminate two (2) #12 AWG 300 volt insulated wires.
Provision is made on each termination block for shield terminations, which are connected, to the chassis
ground.
English Units

Metric Units

Dimensions

35.4W x 86.6H x 35.4D

900mmWx 2,200mmH x 900mmD

Weight

800 lbs. (typical)

362.9 kgs. (typical)

Temp. Operate

+32 to +113 F

0 to +45 C

Storage

-40 to +158 F

-40 to +70 C

Heat

700 Watts (typical)

700 Watts (typical)

Humidity

5 to 95% non-condensing

5 to 95% non-condensing

POWER
The turbine control can be powered from either 115/230Vac or 125Vdc sources. Provision for a floating
125Vdc source is always available. One or two redundant 115/230Vac sources can be provided in addition
to the 125Vdc source.

GEH-6127

Speedtronic Mark VI Industrial Steam Turbine Control Product Overview

The AC Power Converters include an isolation transformer and a full wave rectifier to produce a 125Vdc
output, which is high-selected with the 125Vdc outputs from the other power converters. This
redundant, internal 125Vdc bus is isolated and fed to the various module power supplies via the Power
Distribution Module. Separate 125Vdc feeders are used to distribute the power to each contact input
termination module for external contact power and to each relay termination module to power external
125Vdc solenoids.

Each solenoid circuit has additional fuses on the positive and negative sides. 24Vdc power sources for the
contact inputs and solenoid outputs are available too. Diagnostics monitor each voltage source and each
feeder including the fuses in each solenoid circuit on the relay termination board.

Control Cabinet Power

Steady-State Voltage
120Vac (108 to 132Vac)
240Vac (216 to 264Vac)

Frequency.
47 - 53Hz
57 - 63Hz
47 - 53Hz
57 - 63 Hz

125Vdc (100 to 145Vdc)

Load

Comments

6 A rms Harmonic distortion < 7%

3 A rms Harmonic distortion < 7 %
6 A dc

Ripple <= 5%

Power source load estimate does not include the load of external solenoids.

OPERATOR and MAINTENANCE INTERFACE

The operator and maintenance interface for the control system can be provided in several arrangements.
Operator interface from the plant DCS
- Communication link between ISTC and the plant DCS
- Hardwired interface between the ISTC and the plant DCS
Operator and Maintenance interface from the ISTC human machine interface (HMI)
- Maintenance and Backup Operator Interface: Laptop or PC
- Level 1 HMI: Operator interface only: Flat Panel with touchscreen, no editors
- Level 2 HMI: Operator and / or Maintenance interface, full capability

A communication link can be provided from the turbine control to the plant - Distributed Control System
(DCS). This link will enable the DCS to issue all operator commands, monitor any turbine parameters and
monitor any process or diagnostic alarm data. A hardwired interface between the ISTC and the DCS is
available too. However, this can be I/O and wiring intensive depending on the complexity of the control
system and the degree of remote monitoring.

Speedtronic Mark VI Industrial Steam Turbine Control Product Overview

GEH-6127

An RS232 link with Modbus protocol is available from the processor card in the Control Module. This is
a Modbus slave device that can be run in either RTU (binary) or ASCII mode at 9,600 or 19,200 baud,
none, even, or odd parity and 7 and 8 data bits.
The Level 2 HMI can provide either a RS232 - Modbus link, an Ethernet Modbus link, or an Ethernet
TCP-IP link directly from the HMI. Plants with PLC based controls can use this operator interface to
integrate communications to both the turbine-generator controls and the PLC controls via a wide variety of
networks.
The Level 1 operator interface is a NEMA 4 flat panel. It can be mounted on the turbine control cabinet
door or as a rackmount insert. The flat panel communicates directly with the processor card in the ISTC
control module via a Genius bus with a 153.6k baud communication rate.

A 640x480 TFT, 10 color display, is provided with a resistive touchscreen. Pop-ups allow operators to
adjust process setpoints while monitoring turbine and generator data on the primary display. Alarms,
which are logged on the display, are available for logging on an optional printer.

Note: A software maintenance toolset is provided which contains an editor for the application software,
logic forcing, analog forcing, access to the extensive ISTC diagnostics, adjustment capability for system
tuning constants, real time trending, etc. This software can be run on a PC with Windows 95 and
Windows NT 3.51 and 4.0. It is embedded in the level 2 HMI.

The Level 2 HMI is an operator and / or maintenance interface with software tools for editors. It is
available as a PC or laptop. It includes CIMPLICITY graphics display system for Windows NT.
CIMPLICITY offers true client / server capability and HMIs can be applied as stand-alone units or
networked together. Host redundancy is available for servers to provide automatic switch over from the
primary server to the secondary server in the event of a computer failure.

Various languages are available for displays, alarm messages and user help windows. Convenient popup faceplates can be opened to adjust process variables or to initiate trends while continuing to monitor the
process graphics. Trend charts can be embedded into displays, and there is no restriction on the number of
pen lines in the chart. Maintenance personnel can use familiar Windows type toolbars located
conveniently around the screen of the drag and drop type graphics editor.

GEH-6127

Speedtronic Mark VI Industrial Steam Turbine Control Product Overview

Figure 5. CIMPLICITY graphics display

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Speedtronic Mark VI Industrial Steam Turbine Control Product Overview

Feature
Platform

GEH-6127

HMI Level 1
NEMA 4 - Door mounted

PC

HMI Level 2

NEMA 4 - Insert

Laptop

Graphics

Text and bar charts

CIMPLICITY drag and drop editor

Commands

Full operator capability

Full operator capability

Full maintenance capability

Alarm/Events

Alarm management (1-sec resol.)

Alarm management (frame rate)

Sequence of events (1 ms)

Oper. System
Networks

DOS running under a scheduler

Windows NT

Genius bus: ISTC to HMI

Ethernet EGD: ISTC to HMI

RS232 Modbus to DCS

RS232 Modbus to DCS

(from ISTC Control Module)

Ethernet Modbus to DCS

Ethernet EGD to GE Fanuc PLCs

Ethernet TCP-IP to DCS

(from ISTC Control Module)

Ethernet EGD to GE Fanuc PLCs

Arcnet to GE Mark V controls
Others available

Trending

None

Real time and short term

Printers

Alarm (logging) printer

Alarm (logging) printer

Laser (document) printer
Color printer

Maintenance

Run applicable turbine tests

Run applicable turbine tests

* See Note

Full diagnostic access to ISTC

Adjust tuning constants
Logic and analog forcing
Edit application software
Edit displays

APPLICATION SOFTWARE
The ISTC is a fully programmable control system, which can be applied to any industrial steam turbine.
Application software is created from in-house software automation tools, which select proven GE control
and protection algorithms and integrate them with the I/O sequencing and displays for the each application.

11

GEH-6127

Speedtronic Mark VI Industrial Steam Turbine Control Product Overview

Floating point data (IEEE-854) is typically run at a frame rate of 40ms. The frame rate is the elapsed time
which it takes to read control inputs, condition the inputs, execute the application software, and send
output commands to the control valves. Changes to the application software can be made with password
protection and downloaded to the control module while the turbine is running. All application software is
stored in the control module in non-volatile memory.

Figure 6. Maintenance software tools

Application software is executed sequentially and represented in a ladder diagram format. A library of
software building blocks allows maintenance personnel to add or change analog loops, sequencing logic,
etc. Math blocks are also available. Application software documentation is created directly from the
source code, and it can be printed at the site. This includes the primary elementary diagram, I/O
assignments, the settings of tuning constants, etc.

CODES and STANDARDS

ISO 9001:1994 in accordance with Tick IT by Lloyds Register Quality Assurance Limited.

ISO 9000-3:1997 Quality Management and Quality Assurance Standards.

Part 3: Guidelines for the Application of ISO 9001:1994 to Development Supply and Maintenance of
Software.

Safety Standards
- UL 508A Safety Standard Industrial Control Equipment
- CSA 22.2 No. 14 Industrial Control Equipment
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Speedtronic Mark VI Industrial Steam Turbine Control Product Overview

Printed Wire Board Assemblies

- UL 796 Printed Circuit Boards
- UL recognized PWB manufacturer, UL file number E110691
- ANSI IPC guidelines
- ANSI IPC/EIA guidelines

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive 89/336/EEC

- EN 6100-4-2
Electrostatic Discharge Susceptibility
- ENV 50140:1993

Radiated RF Immunity

- EN 50082-2:1994

Generic Immunity Industrial Environment

- EN 6100-4-4

Electrical Fast Transient Susceptibility

- EN 6100-4-5

Surge Immunity

- EN 50141

Conducted RF Immunity

- EN 50081-2

Generic Emissions Standards

- EN 55011:1991

ISM Equipment Emissions (CISPR-11)

Low Voltage Directive 72/23/EEC

- EN 50178
- IEC 529
Vibration
- Seismic:
- Shipping:

Safety of Electrical Equipment, Industrial Machines

Intrusion Protection Codes / NEMA 1 / IP 20

UBC - Seismic Code Section 2312 Zone 4

72 hours at 0.3G rms between frequencies of 4 to 16 Hz
3 shocks of 15G, 2 ms impulse each repeated for all three (3) axes

- Operating / Installed at Site: 1.0G horizontal, 0.5G Vertical at 15 to 120 Hz

For < 15 Hz see Seismic Standard
Enclosures
- NEMA 1

(similar to IP-20) - Standard

- NEMA 12

(similar to IP-51) - Option

- NEMA 4

(similar to IP-67) - Option

- NEMA 4X

(similar to IP-68) Option

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GEH-6127

GEH-6127

Speedtronic Mark VI Industrial Steam Turbine Control Product Overview

SERVICE and TRAINING

GE - Power Generation Services (PGS) is a worldwide organization of field service engineers who are
dedicated to the installation and maintenance of GE turbines and generators. Engineers are trained on the
machinery and the associated controls as an integral system. Standard and custom training classes are
available at the site and at the GE factory for operators and maintenance personnel on the ISTC and the
turbine.

14



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