Help request: Issues regarding the service life and replacement of the turbine speed control system. Thank you!

It is better to consult the original equipment manufacturer and related similar companies for their practices.

Reporting to the thread owner: Our unit has a 505 speed control system that’s older than me, and it’s still in use. ;P

The system is valid permanently; replace it if there is a hardware issue

That’s the case, but there is one problem: once there is a hardware issue, it essentially inevitably leads to the complete or partial shutdown of the device, resulting in huge losses and serious consequences； Furthermore, when problems occur in the 505 system, it is difficult to identify the cause of those issues. If the cause is misidentified multiple times, it will lead to repeated shutdowns, resulting in significant losses ； Moreover, even if the location of the hardware problem is accurately identified, there may still be an issue regarding whether sufficient spare parts are available. Therefore, I would like to ask for advice on how long it usually takes before hardware reliability declines and the incidence of problems increases, so that a new system can be installed promptly. Has your company’s 505 control system also been in use without any replacement? Or does your company use a different speed control system?

I would like to ask: Has the 505 control system of your company been operating stably for twenty or thirty years without any problems? Has any hardware been replaced? Also, does your company use any other speed control systems in addition to the 505 control system? Which one is more commonly used? Thank you

Yes, 505 control systems are generally produced by Woodward and supplied together with turbine manufacturers; it would be advisable to contact the turbine manufacturers for consultation, as we are unable to get in touch with Woodward directly...

There was one minor change, but basically no major alterations. The reason is that we have an expert in this field at our company who got this system working perfectly; someone tried to poach him before he retired, but he continued working there until he retired... Anyway, the current speed control system is excellent – it hardly requires any human intervention; everything happens automatically from startup to normal operation. I’ll ask around someday to find out what kind of system it is!

This post was last edited by liaifeng on 2020-8-26 at 19:13. I specifically searched the forum for you just now; there are reliable official materials available for your reference, as well as a after-sales service phone number: woodward505 Chinese

We’ve only been using the 505 model for 4 years, but as far as I know, there are 500 systems that have been in use for over 20 years and are still in operation. Regarding the concerns you mentioned, if a system has been in use for a long time and problems arise that make it difficult to diagnose, leading to additional shutdowns, then it might be advisable to upgrade it; simply handle the issues by replacing the necessary hardware as required

Thank you, friend! In addition to the 505 control system, our company also has a CCC control system, although its cost is relatively high. . . If an application is made to replace everything, it’s likely that it won’t be approved due to the high costs. . . So I’m wondering if there are any other more mature and widely used speed control systems. Thank you