SERVICE LETTER

NIC 09.17.SL Rev. 00

July 10, 2009

CLASSIFICATION

GE Oil & Gas

INFORMATION
INSPECTION
OTHER
Nuovo Pignone S.p.A. Proprietary Information

The information contained in this Service Letter is confidential and proprietary. This Letter and the information contained in it are
protected by copyright and/or other intellectual property rights. This Letter and information are provided for authorized use only,
and may not be used by or disclosed to others without the prior express written consent of Nuovo Pignone S.p.A.

Mark VI Control: End of Regular Production

Abstract
The purpose of this Service Letter is to notify GE
Oil & Gas users that GE will cease regular
production of the Mark VI control system and to
inform customers of the GE post-production
product support phase that will include active
parts support and migration kits for designated
applications.

Applicable Units
All Gas Turbines equipped with the Mark VI
control system.

Background
GE continues to invest in new technology to
keep pace with the growing demand for
increased performance and reliability. This new
technology is reflected in the latest generation
control platform, the Mark VIe series of systems,
which is able to support additional advanced
applications.
The GE flexible architecture platforms, on-board
I/O processors, networks, versatile programming
libraries and many other features offer
significant advances over past controls
providing a common control platform,
simplifying operation and driving lower
maintenance costs.
The ToolboxST software suite has been
developed with more advanced attributes
including a DCS (Distributed Control System)
user experience and the ability to configure
network devices on the Unit Data Highway such
as HMIs and printers, as well as Controllers and
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SERVICE LETTER
NIC 09.17.SL Rev. 00
July 10, 2009

I/O. This is especially advantageous when one or

multiple sites have a mix of Mark VI and Mark

VIe platforms. With an upgrade, all units can
operate with the same software tools, thus
sharing both maintenance resources across
sites and user training on one standard software
environment.

Mark VI & Mark VIe Comparison

Mark VI
VME Architecture
No Remote I/O
Speed - Electronics
- 20MHz Backplane, Rated
- 300MHz CPU, 16MB Flash
- 50Mhz I/O Card Processor
- 10MB Ethernet I/O
Speed System
10ms Simpl, 20ms some TMR
Simplex & TMR Redundancy
Separate Main/Comm. Cards
On-line Repair per Card Rack
1 Link to Each I/O Card
12 bit Analog Outputs
No LEDs at TBs for DI & DO
No Temp Sensor at TBs
125Vdc Electronics Power
LAN Based Diagnostics
Limited Third Party Interfaces
NTP Time Synch 1-10ms

Mark VI Enhanced
Compact PCI Architecture
Remote I/O
Speed - Electronics
- 160MHz Backplane, Rated
- 650MHz CPU, 32MB Flash
- 266Mhz I/O Pack Processor
- 100MB Ethernet I/O
Speed System
10ms Any Configuration
Simplex, Dual, and TMR
Common Main/Comm Card
On-line Repair per I/O Pack
2 Links to Each I/O Pack
14 bit Analog Outputs
LEDs on I/O Packs for DI&DO
Temp Sensor on I/O Packs
28/24Vdc Electronics Power
LAN & Wireless Diagnostics
Expanded Third Party Interf.
PTP Time Synch 1 micro-sec.

GE will cease normal production of the Mark VI

control platform effective September 30, 2009.
GE Oil & Gas is committed to supporting
customer initiatives to minimize their impact
through the end of life stages of the control
system.
The primary objective of GEs life-cycle
commitment is to protect the customers
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SERVICE LETTER
NIC 09.17.SL Rev. 00
July 10, 2009

investment with extensive replacement parts

availability (typically extending up to 10 years
following the end of production date), and
planned upgrade paths to current control
technologies. GE will also maintain ongoing
services to the installed base including:

Engineering support and technical

assistance
Standard and custom training
Site service of equipment including 24/7
remote monitoring & support capability
Contractual Service Agreements (CSA)

GEs Product Life Cycle Support program for

control systems addresses every phase of your
systems life from the development and
deployment of system enhancements following
initial release, to comprehensive parts and
service support as your system matures; and
ultimately a clear migration path to a new
platform when your enterprise requires a level of
performance
only
available
in newer
technologies. The life cycle of any GE control
system has five basic phases:
Phase 1 Product Release Release to market
with full support including enhancements,
custom modifications, new spare parts and
repairs.
Phase 2 Mature Product Same support as
available in Phase 1 except that no new
enhancements or additional functionality is
introduced.
Phase 3 Stop Sale/End of Production
Product is no longer available for new
installations. New spare parts are still available,
and repair, exchange, and remanufacture
services are available through designated repair
centers (Louisville KY, USA or Carol Stream IL,
USA). Custom modifications will be offered for as

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SERVICE LETTER
NIC 09.17.SL Rev. 00
July 10, 2009

long as technically feasible. Notice of last time

to buy spare parts issued approximately
six months before transitioning to Phase 4.
Phase 4 After Market New spare parts are
no longer available and support is limited to
repair, exchange or remanufacture (subject to
availability). Notice of last date to repair issued
approximately six months before transitioning
to Phase 5.
Phase 5 Obsolete The product is no longer
supported. Parts repair, exchange, or
remanufactured services are no longer offered
and GE's recommendation is to upgrade to the
current technology available for continuing
operations.
Given the architectural similarities between
MkVI and MkVIe, principally shared terminal
boards, we are currently planning to have
migration kits to MkVIe technology. These kits
will allow users to partially or completely
transition to MkVIe should the need arise.

Recommendations
For those customers considering updating their
control system, GE Oil & Gas recommends
investing in a modern Control System such as
the MKVIe in order to increase the Gas Turbine
availability and reliability.
The Mark VIe control offers many advantages
over the legacy Mark VI control. These
advantages
include
distributed
control
architecture, reduced footprint, enhanced
computing, and simpler product structure, as
well as other benefits listed below:

Very Flexible I/O modules can be

distributed individually or grouped in
clusters

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SERVICE LETTER
NIC 09.17.SL Rev. 00
July 10, 2009

High Performance Local processor on

each I/O module. Compute power grows as
the system expands
Minimum Repair Time I/O modules can be
replaced individually without disturbing the
rest of the system
Compact Controller Single board with
processor and redundant communications
to control & I/O networks
Robust Controller rated 0 to 65C with no
fans; I/O modules rated 30 to 65C with onboard temperature sensor (suitable for zone
2 hazardous area
Versatile Networks 100% Ethernet at all
levels)
Reliable Communications Redundant
network ports on each I/O module

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Via Felice Matteucci, 2 | 50127 Florence, Italy
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SERVICE LETTER
NIC 09.17.SL Rev. 00
July 10, 2009

Contacts
For units under warranty or covered under a
Contractual Service Agreement (CSA) please
refer to your GE Oil & Gas Project Manager.
For technical questions or application and
commercial requests please contact:
GE Oil & Gas
Customer Service Center
Via Felice Matteucci, 2
50127 Florence, Italy
e-Mail: customer.service.center@ge.com
Web: http://www.geoilandgas.com/businesses/ge_oilandgas/en/prod_serv/serv/cust_serv.htm
Phone: +39 055 427 2500
Fax: +39 055 423 2800
Please specify the Unit Serial Number and
Service Bulletin associated with the request
and whether the request is technical or
commercial.
To directly access and download GE Oil & Gas
Service Bulletins published on your fleet or to
subscribe to our Service Bulletin e-mail
notification service, please visit the Technical
Updates Portal:
http://www.geoilandgas.com/businesses/ge_oilandgas/en/about/technical_bulletins.htm

This online tool is available only to registered

GE customers. Please refer to NIC 07.37.SL for
any additional information.

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Via Felice Matteucci, 2 | 50127 Florence, Italy
T: +39 055 423 211
F: +39 055 423 2800
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SERVICE LETTER
NIC 09.17.SL Rev. 00
July 10, 2009

Glossary of Terms
Classification
The classification column of the header
identifies the severity of the Service Letter as
Indicated below:
INFORMATION Provides Customers with
updates to instruction manuals, new
procedures and tools.
INSPECTION Provides Customers with
updated inspection procedures or the
introduction of new inspections.
OTHER Information content to be defined as
needed.
Revisions
This symbol shows where the
document has been revised (n
n
indicates the revision index history).

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GE OIL & GAS Technical Updates Communication

COMPLIANCE RECORD
SERVICE BULLETIN COMPLIANCE RECORD
Unit Contact Information

Customer Contact Information

Serial Number:

Customer Name:
Contact Name:

Operating Hours:

Role:

No. of Starts:

Email:

Service Bulletin Applied:

NIC Code:

Issue date:

Category:

Title:

Service Bulletin Completion Date:

100% of Service Bulletin Completed:

YES

NO

If No, please state what was completed and what was not:

Comments:

Please complete and Fax this form to:

GE OIL & GAS Technical Update Communication

TES/TECH/TEUP Department Mr. Franco Sciacchitano Fax: +39 055 423.2800
e-Mail: oilandgas.technicalupdates@ge.com

NOTE: The Unit Compliance Record can also be transmitted automatically by email from the My Compliance
Info section of the Technical Updates Web Portal at:
http://www.geoilandgas.com/businesses/ge_oilandgas/en/about/technical_bulletins.htm

Nuovo Pignone S.p.A.

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GE OIL & GAS Technical Updates Communication

USER SATISFACTION SURVEY

GE requests that you complete this User Satisfaction Survey to help us better serve you with
accurate and timely information on your equipment.

USER SATISFACTION SURVEY

Date:

Service Bulletin Number:

1. How many days after the Service Bulletin issue date did you receive this document?
1 - 5 days

6 - 10 days

+ 10 days

NOTE: To directly access and download GE Oil & Gas Service Bulletins published on your equipment and to
subscribe to automatic e-mail notification, please visit the Technical Updates Web Portal at:
http://www.geoilandgas.com/businesses/ge_oilandgas/en/about/technical_bulletins.htm
This online tool is available only to registered GE customers. Please refer to NIC 07.37.SL for any additional
information.

Please rate the following based on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is Excellent and 5 is Poor.
2. How well this document informed you of the technical issue(s)
1

3. The overall effectiveness of this Service Bulletin

1

Comments or Suggestions:

Please complete and Fax this form to:

GE OIL & GAS Technical Update Communication

TES/TECH/TEUP Department Mr. Franco Sciacchitano Fax: +39 055 423.2800
e-Mail: oilandgas.technicalupdates@ge.com

Nuovo Pignone S.p.A.

Via Felice Matteucci, 2 | 50127 Florence, Italy
T: +39 055 423 211
F: +39 055 423 2800
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