Incident: GE Gas Turbines Blade Failures Impacting Power Plants Worldwide.

Published Date: 2018-12-07

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving GE turbines occurred in 2015 [78987, 80709].
System unknown
Responsible Organization 1. General Electric Co (GE) was responsible for causing the software failure incident with its gas turbines, specifically the 9HA, 7HA, and 9FB models, due to turbine blade problems leading to shutdowns and repairs [78987, 80709].
Impacted Organization 1. Utilities worldwide, including in Japan, Taiwan, France, and the U.S., were impacted by the software failure incident involving at least 18 General Electric Co's gas turbines for blade repairs [78987]. 2. Companies using GE turbines such as Exelon Corp, Invenergy, Tennessee Valley Authority, Chubu Electric Power Co Inc, PSEG Power LLC, and Electricite de France were directly impacted by the turbine blade issues and shutdowns for repairs [78987, 80709].
Software Causes unknown
Non-software Causes 1. Blade issues in GE turbines, specifically related to turbine blade failures and the need for repairs, were a significant non-software cause of the failure incident [78987, 80709]. 2. Oxidation problems in turbine blades, leading to blade failures and the need for blade replacements, were identified as a key issue in the failure incident [78987, 80709]. 3. Development and manufacturing issues related to turbine blades, such as the need for new protective coatings and alterations in heat treatment processes, were contributing factors to the turbine failures [80709].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident involving GE turbines led to at least 18 turbines being shut down worldwide for blade repairs, affecting power plants in various countries like Japan, Taiwan, France, and the U.S. [78987]. 2. The shutdowns of the turbines resulted in financial losses for GE, as the company set aside $480 million for repairs and restructuring its power business. This incident also contributed to a drop in orders for GE's turbines. [78987]. 3. The turbine blade failures and subsequent repairs impacted the reliability and performance of GE's turbines, leading to concerns among utilities, insurers, lenders, and customers. GE had to offer extended warranty coverage and make spare parts available to address these concerns. [80709]. 4. The defective blade issue affected GE's newest turbine technology, potentially reducing the revenue streams at power plants and threatening the profitability of companies like Exelon Corp, PSEG Power LLC, and Chubu Electric Power Co Inc. [80709]. 5. The incident caused utilities like Chubu Electric to restrict the operation time of their GE turbines, affecting electricity production and potentially leading to financial impacts depending on the duration of the shutdowns for blade replacements. [80709].
Preventions 1. Implementing more rigorous testing procedures during the development phase to detect blade issues before turbines are shipped [78987]. 2. Conducting thorough root-cause analysis of the 2015 blade break in the 9FB turbine to prevent similar issues in newer models like the HA turbine [80709]. 3. Enhancing quality control measures in the manufacturing process to ensure the reliability and durability of turbine blades [78987, 80709]. 4. Providing more transparent and detailed information to customers about potential blade failures and maintenance requirements to prevent unexpected shutdowns [78987, 80709]. 5. Offering extended warranty coverage and proactive spare parts availability to address concerns of insurers, lenders, and utilities regarding turbine blade issues [80709].
Fixes 1. GE is advising some buyers of its big power turbines to switch out faulty blades sooner than expected and has disclosed that a blade broke in 2015, which prompted GE to work on new protective coatings and alter a heat treatment process for the parts [80709]. 2. GE is offering extended warranty coverage and making spare parts available to ease concerns of insurers, lenders, and utilities interested in buying turbines [80709]. 3. GE is installing new blades in about 50 9FB and 52 HA turbines to address the blade issue [80709]. 4. GE is restricting the operation time of turbines with at-risk blades to fewer than about 7,000 hours before shutting down for blade replacement, compared to the previous guidance of 25,000 hours [80709]. 5. GE is continuing to sell turbines in a slumping market for big power plants and has booked orders for three large turbines last month [80709].
References 1. Plant operators 2. Industry experts 3. GE gas power systems CEO Chuck Nugent 4. French utility data 5. Executives, plant operators, insurance specialists, engineers, and consultants with direct knowledge of GE turbines 6. Invenergy, Exelon, and Tennessee Valley Authority 7. Electricite de France 8. French grid operator RTE 9. Siemens AG 10. Ansaldo Energia SpA 11. Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems 12. Henning Gloystein in Singapore 13. Yuka Obayashi in Tokyo 14. Liz Hampton in Houston 15. Jessica Macy Yu in Taipei 16. Kate Duguid in New York 17. Geert De Clercq in Paris 18. Anastasia Lyrchikova in Moscow 19. Jane Chung in Seoul 20. Drazen Jorgic in Islamabad 21. Marcus Scholz and Tom Dreisbach 22. Lloyd's of London [78987, 80709]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization, multiple_organization (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: - GE experienced a blade failure in one of its turbines in Texas in September, leading to a shutdown for repairs [78987]. - Another blade break occurred in 2015 involving an earlier turbine model, similar to the incident in Texas, prompting GE to work on new protective coatings and alter a heat treatment process for the parts [80709]. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: - Power plant operators in Japan, Taiwan, France, and the U.S. have shut down or planned to shut down at least 18 of GE's newest gas turbines for repairs due to blade issues [78987]. - Japan's Chubu Electric also faced a blade problem with its six new GE turbines, leading to restrictions on operation time at one of its plants [80709].
Phase (Design/Operation) design Unknown
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system, outside_system The software failure incident related to the turbine blade issues at General Electric Co (GE) can be analyzed as follows: (a) within_system: The turbine blade failures at GE were primarily due to issues within the system, specifically related to the design and manufacturing of the turbine blades. GE identified problems with the turbine blades as early as 2015 and had to develop fixes for the oxidation problem that caused blade failures. The incidents involved GE's newest turbine technology, including models like the 9HA, 7HA, and 9FB turbines. GE had to set aside a significant amount of money for repairs and replacements of the faulty blades, indicating internal issues with the turbine design and manufacturing process [78987, 80709]. (b) outside_system: While the articles primarily focus on internal issues within GE's turbine systems, there is also mention of external factors such as competition in the market for large gas turbines. The demand for large gas turbines was at a 23-year low, leading to increased competition among companies like GE, Mitsubishi, and Siemens. GE faced challenges in the market due to rivals gaining market share, forcing GE to lower prices to compete. This external market pressure contributed to the importance of GE's new turbines and the need to address the blade issues to maintain competitiveness [78987].
Nature (Human/Non-human) human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The articles do not mention any software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions. [78987, 80709] (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - The articles discuss a blade failure issue in GE's gas turbines, which was caused by a defect in the turbine blades. GE identified the problem in 2015 and developed a fix before the failure in Texas. The issue involved faulty blades in GE's newest turbine technology, impacting the performance of the turbines. [78987, 80709]
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The articles do not mention any software failure incident occurring due to hardware issues. (b) The software failure incident reported in the articles is related to turbine blade problems in General Electric Co's gas turbines. The issue involves blade failures in GE's newest turbine models, such as the 9HA, 7HA, and 9FB models, leading to shutdowns and repairs at power plants worldwide. GE identified an oxidation problem in 2015 that caused blade failures, and the company has been working on fixes for the blades. The incidents are attributed to contributing factors originating in the design and manufacturing of the turbine blades, which are part of the hardware components of the turbines [78987, 80709].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The articles do not mention any malicious software failure incidents where the failure was due to contributing factors introduced by humans with the intent to harm the system [78987, 80709]. (b) The software failure incidents discussed in the articles are non-malicious. The failures are related to turbine blade issues in General Electric Co's gas turbines, specifically the 9HA, 7HA, and 9FB models. The failures were due to problems with the turbine blades, such as oxidation causing blade failures, leading to the shutdown of turbines for repairs. GE has been working on fixing the blade issues and offering extended warranty coverage to address concerns of buyers and utilities. The failures were not intentional but rather a result of technical issues with the turbine blades [78987, 80709].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown Unknown
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to development incompetence. (b) The software failure incident related to the turbine blade issues at General Electric (GE) appears to be more of an accidental nature rather than due to development incompetence. The incidents of blade failures and defects were not intentional but rather resulted from issues in the manufacturing process and material quality. For example, the articles mention that GE identified an oxidation problem in 2015 and developed a fix before the failure in Texas, indicating that the issue was not deliberately introduced but was a result of unforeseen material problems [78987, 80709].
Duration unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to a permanent or temporary duration.
Behaviour unknown (a) crash: The articles do not mention any software crash incidents. (b) omission: The articles do not mention any software omission incidents. (c) timing: The articles do not mention any software timing incidents. (d) value: The articles do not mention any software value incidents. (e) byzantine: The articles do not mention any software byzantine incidents. (f) other: The articles do not mention any other specific software failure behaviors.

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property, non-human, theoretical_consequence The articles do not mention any software failure incident leading to consequences such as death, harm, basic needs impact, property loss, or delays. The articles focus on turbine blade failures in GE turbines, which have led to shutdowns for repairs and maintenance. The consequences discussed are related to the financial losses, drop in orders, turbine shutdowns, revenue impact on utilities, and potential restrictions on turbine use [78987, 80709].
Domain utilities The software failure incident reported in the news articles is related to the utilities industry. The incident involves the shutdown of General Electric Co's gas turbines for repairs at power plants worldwide, affecting countries like Japan, Taiwan, France, and the U.S. The turbines, specifically the 9HA, 7HA, and 9FB models, experienced blade problems leading to shutdowns for maintenance and blade replacements [78987, 80709]. The failure of the turbines in the utilities industry has caused disruptions in power generation, impacting the ability to supply electricity to homes and businesses. The incidents highlight the challenges faced by GE in maintaining the reliability and performance of its turbines, with the need for early maintenance to address blade issues [78987, 80709]. Furthermore, the article mentions that GE is offering extended warranty coverage and spare parts to address concerns of insurers, lenders, and utilities using its turbines, indicating the financial and operational implications of the software failure incident in the utilities sector [80709]. In summary, the software failure incident reported in the articles is directly related to the utilities industry, specifically impacting the operation and maintenance of gas turbines used for power generation.

Sources

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