eXPert TCS is SDI’s product dedicated to the complete control of turbines for power generation.
Designed to combine performance, safety, and reliability, it is based on the eXPert STAR DualBus architecture, which integrates native redundancy, high-speed control loops, and native integration with the oE HMI within the eXPert Ecosystem.
Suitable for both gas and steam turbines, eXPert TCS provides real-time control, protection, and diagnostics, ensuring operational continuity and compliance with the industrial cybersecurity policies adopted by SDI.
Insight
Fields of Application
eXPert TCS is designed to adapt to the diverse needs of power generation and turbomachinery automation.
It is used for the control of gas turbines, both in simple-cycle configurations (CT – Simple Cycle Turbine) and in combined-cycle systems (CCGT – Combined Cycle Gas Turbine), where it ensures power regulation, reliability, and fast start-up times.
It is also suitable for the control of steam turbines in industrial or cogeneration plants, managing sequences, limits, and protections in an integrated way.
The product is particularly effective in retrofit projects of legacy systems and in peaking or balancing units designed to support electrical grids with a high share of renewable energy.
Thanks to full interoperability within the eXPert Ecosystem, it enables unified control of the Turbine and the BOP, improving coordination and supervision of the entire plant.
The adoption of redundant solutions and failover mechanisms for CPU, I/O, multiple network layers, and automation logic—together with state-of-the-art protection of data, communications, and devices against external threats through redundancy, encryption, authentication, and access control—makes the STAR DualBus Controller the optimal tool to ensure high availability, operational continuity, and maximum security in the monitoring and control of critical processes.
I/O is enabled through both wired connections and standard data protocols, providing maximum flexibility in acquiring data from the field and from third-party systems. Moreover, the system’s Server role capability—making data accessible to external systems—ensures seamless integration and interoperability.
The modular approach allows the eXPert STAR DualBus Controller to serve either as the foundation of a centralized control system or as the elementary module of distributed control nodes located throughout the various areas of a large plant.
Sequence of Events (SOE) recording with millisecond time-stamping, buffering in case of disconnection from the control center, and native archiving with a minimum period of one second, fully integrated with the Supervision environment of SDI’s eXPert Ecosystem.
The DualBus industrial system bus, based on a redundant architecture, distributes power and synchronization signals to all modules and ensures efficient module-to-module communication.
• Driving of up to 200 boards at a communication speed of 250 kbit/s, and up to 50 boards at 1 Mbit/s
• Remote I/O enabled through the use of copper or fiber-optic repeaters
In the modern energy mix, gas turbines are a key element in maintaining the stability of the electricity grid and ensuring continuity of production when solar and wind power are unavailable or vary rapidly.
During the day, combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT) operate in base load or mid-merit mode, ensuring constant and adjustable production.
Simple cycle gas turbines (CT) operate in mid-merit or peaking mode, providing flexible power in a matter of minutes to cover evening peaks or compensate for drops in renewable energy.
Thanks to rapid and precise controls, the eXPert TCS product allows these units to adapt dynamically to the grid, transforming gas into an enabling resource for renewable generation: a stable base that makes a secure and sustainable energy transition possible.
The eXPert TCS product is successfully employed in the control of the Ansaldo Energia AE94.3A heavy-duty dual-fuel (Natural Gas + Diesel) turbine, where it ensures high-precision servo-hydraulic loops, reliable fast protections, and full integration with the eXPert Ecosystem for supervision, diagnostics, and data historization.
Operational experience confirms the system’s ability to guarantee stability, fast response times, and service continuity, making it a solid benchmark for retrofit applications and new installations on industrial-class turbines.
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