SCADA is part of the Industry 4.0 wave - but is it just hype or does it have a place in your business?
It's a question worth asking and answering, especially if you want to stay competitive now. You have options, and you need to know what they are.
A SCADA application supports a business through remote monitoring. It is often used to control critical functions and collect and incoming data to help keep your operations running smoothly.
SCADA has become the key to smarter, more cost-effective power system control. Here's everything you need to know to make sure it's right for you.
What is SCADA?
SCADA is an acronym for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition.SCADA denotes an automated control system favored in large-scale industries such as oil and gas, water, power, pharmaceuticals, and other large-scale industrial, manufacturing, construction, and engineering industries.
But SCADA can be difficult to pin down because it is not a specific technology - it is a process. Think of it as an application program that receives operational data about a range of systems. The application then uses the incoming data to control and optimize the operation of the system in a proactive or even predictive manner.
You start with a centralized system that monitors and controls sites, from a single plant to a complex series of plants spread across the country.
SCADA works by processing input signals from switches and devices. Remote users can read incoming data without being present and then control the equipment.
The application also relies on a distributed database of tags or points throughout the plant. These points are information about individual input or output values that tell the SCADA system what is happening to the equipment being monitored and controlled.
SCADA also captures and stores metadata such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), register paths, and alarm statistics. The architecture collectively supports:
- Control industrial processes from local or remote locations.
- Real-time data monitoring, collection and processing.
- Interact directly with devices such as sensors, valves, pumps and motors via HMI software.
- Record events to log files.
When you view a SCADA model graphically, it is easy to see that it is a feedback loop with parallel analysis branches. For example, using temperature sensors and RTUs, the SCADA server receives information about the information for further analysis and decision making.
Common SCADA system components include:
- Remote Terminal Unit (RTU): A field device, such as a PLC, that transmits sensor/field device data using industrial data communication protocols.RTUs are more powerful than PLCs because they are intelligent controllers that are used to assert control over other devices, which then automate industrial processes.
- Radio/Modem: Through wireless transmission, radios and modems send and receive real-time data in an efficient and reliable manner.
- Sensors/Transducers: Sensors receive signals from physical systems and then communicate them through telemetry and control systems. These sensors help the technician/operator of a SCADA system to measure and collect data remotely.
- Repeaters: Like satellites, repeaters receive and retransmit signals over long distances, even in the presence of physical obstacles.
- SCADA Master: The master is the dashboard, the central control station for all other operations. It may be a single computer or multiple servers, software applications, RTUs and PLCs for more complex operations.
- Monitoring Software: The monitoring software is responsible for instructing the system and establishing a baseline of data instructions. These instructions direct how the system interacts with all hardware, what values are expected, and what performance metrics are required.
- Human Machine Interface (HMI): Once the SCADA host scans for data, the HMI software detects an alarm condition and tells the operator what to look for.
SCADA is not just a matter of convenience. It can also be a security issue.
Industries such as oil and gas, power and hydroelectric plants, water and wastewater treatment facilities, and environmental monitoring stations rely on SCADA communications and data collection because these resources are so remote.
Even if they can be accessed, it's sometimes safer for plant operators to stay awake-especially if the remote monitoring system can perform regular measurement and collection efforts.
Oil wells, water wells, and power stations are just a few examples of assets that rely on SCADA architectures that rely on old-fashioned telemetry operations.
Telemetry Monitoring
SCADA applications would be nothing without telemetry monitoring.
Telemetry is a critical part of acquiring, receiving, monitoring and analyzing incoming data about the condition of equipment in real time.
Weather systems that measure, monitor and predict the weather are a good example of a telemetry monitoring system. Telemetry monitoring is done remotely and requires a set of data collection instruments connected (even wirelessly) to a set of IT systems.
Communication between the two interfaces is done through technologies such as radio, ultrasound, infrared, telephone, or computer networks.
There are four types of telemetry units used in SCADA:
- Wired: Physically located within the plant and includes Ethernet, dial-up phone lines and leased lines to remote sites.
- Wireless: Includes in-plant wireless networks such as Wi-Fi, cellular, satellite and point-to-point radio networks with repeaters.
- Voting: reporting here is based on exceptions.
- Hybrid: A combination of one or more prior units.
Telemetry is becoming increasingly useful with the advent of big data. It provides a data-rich transportation system that can be enhanced with complex and detailed intelligence through aggregation in a centralized system.
Modern SCADA Systems
Modern SCADA systems increasingly rely on cloud-based SCADA applications to re-imagine the SCADA architecture.
The concepts in the model are the same, but the physical devices are often digitized and automated, making operations more intuitive, flexible and scalable.
Today's modern SCADA systems bring the best control devices to the flexibility and functionality of IT. Modern SCADA systems are all about real-time operations: access, transparency, control and decision making.
Seven Golden Rules for SCADA Success
The true efficacy of SCADA lies in its role in the broader goals of the organization.
SCADA occupies a very strategic position at the center of the automation pyramid:
Through its operations, SCADA controls and monitors incoming data and operations as intended.
It also responds and sends critical information to MES and ERP software. A successful SCADA implementation allows you to turn operational data into actionable business intelligence and planning.
1) System issues
Your choice of system should be in line with the requirements of your sector and industry, as well as a vendor with a strong reputation for scalable solutions.
2) Integrating your network correctly
Is downtime inevitable when migrating from one system to another? Severe downtime can mean data loss, compromised data integrity or possible inaccurate data transfer. Plan for these contingencies, as any loss could be catastrophic.
3) Prepare for environmental hazards
RTUs give operators safer access to relevant information. But even RTUs can be damaged when exposed to harsh environments. Choose equipment that meets your regional climate and regular (or even predictive) maintenance schedule.
4) Plan to Replace Obsolete Units
A planned obsolescence unit means you can plan for replacement. Also, be sure to choose SCADA components designed for future expansion and maximize equipment flexibility.
5) Stay away from security threats
The operation of the software is as important as its implementation.
68% of IT professionals say that denial-of-service attacks (known as DDOS) are the most common way to disrupt and exploit SCADA systems.
As powerful as SCADA is, it is still vulnerable to attack.
Part of the vulnerability comes from the way the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) is changing the field of instrumentation and control.
Cybersecurity for SCADA needs to be as proactive and predictive as the monitoring and maintenance of its devices.
6) Regular vulnerability assessment
Consider threat and vulnerability assessments, such as routine and preventive maintenance of equipment. It is not enough to report attacks - to protect your SCADA system network, you need a specific prevention program.
Even closed systems with no external communication interfaces are at risk.
It is vital, unavoidable and necessary. Run all possible scenarios and types of attacks using internal or external experts, as well as experienced technicians who know how to respond to external attacks.
7) Strike a balance
SCADA's strategic position between operational technology and advanced planning initiatives makes it a powerful tool for business intelligence.
But only if you strike a balance between security and integration. Ensure that different systems on a wide-ranging network are interoperable, while still making sure it's not open enough to risk infiltration by rogue devices.
Conclusion
Industrial MAX knows that SCADA software is mission critical. As a certified instrumentation and control integrator, we have seen how SCADA is poised to take its role as a valuable intelligence center to the next level.
Rather than IIOT driving SCADA systems out of business, we are seeing how priorities such as flexibility and data-driven decision making are re-imagining the capabilities of modern SCADA systems.
Since integration is a family affair, SCADA systems are going nowhere.
Instead, we will see how IIOT hallmarks such as cloud computing, mobility and analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more are indicators of successful HIM/SCADA software selection and deployment.