VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

BELGAUM - 590018

A SEMINAR REPORT
ON

SUPERVISORY CONTROL AND DATA ACQUISITION

NISHANT KUMAR
8th Semester
USN: 4BD11EC066
Department Of E&C Engineering,
BIET, Davangere

Under the guidance of:

PROJECT GUIDE
Mr. D. S. BABU

Table of Contents
CONTENTS

Page no.

1. Abstract.. 3
2. Introduction.... 4
3. Overview of SCADA system. 5
4. SCADA system concepts... 7
5. Functions of SCADA system. 9
6. Elements of SCADA system.. 12
7. Evolution of SCADA system.. 16
8. SCADA communication protocols.. 20
9. Deploying SCADA systems: Communication media. 21
10.Security concerns of SCADA systems 24
11.Advantages and disadvantages 25
12.Conclusion... 26
13.References 27

ABSTRACT

SCADA is an acronym for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, which is

a computer system for gathering and analysing real-time data. Such systems
were first used in the 1960s.
The SCADA industry was essentially born out of a need for a user-friendly
front-end to a control system containing PLCs (programmable logic
controllers). SCADA networks allow remote monitoring and control of an
amazing variety of industrial devices, such as water and gas pumps, track
switches, and traffic signals.
One of the key processes of SCADA is the ability to monitor an entire system in
real time. This is facilitated by data acquisitions. These include meter reading
and checking statuses of sensors. These data points are communicated at
standard intervals depending on the system. Besides the data being used by the
RTU, it is also displayed to a human. The human is able to interface with the
system to override settings or make changes when needed.
SCADA can also be seen as a system with many data elements called points.
Each point is a monitor or sensor and these points can be either hard or soft. A
hard data point can be an actual monitor; a soft point can be viewed upon as an
application or software calculation. Data elements from hard and soft points are
usually always stored and logged to create a time stamp or history.
In essence, a SCADA application has two elements. They are:
1. The process/system/machinery you want to monitor and control. This can
take the form of a power plant, a water system, a network, or a system of
traffic lights.
2. A network of intelligent devices that interfaces with the first system
through sensors and control outputs. This network, which is the SCADA
system, gives you the capability to measure and control specific elements
of the first system.
Throughout this report, we will be looking into the various aspect of
implementing a SCADA system and also discussing other concepts related to
the application of this system.
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INTRODUCTION
SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) is a system operating
with coded signals over communication channels so as to provide control of
remote equipment (using typically one communication channel per remote
station). The control system may be combined with a data acquisition system by
adding the use of coded signals over communication channels to acquire
information about the status of the remote equipment for display or for
recording functions. It is a type of industrial control system (ICS). Industrial
control systems are computer-based systems that monitor and control industrial
processes that exist in the physical world. SCADA systems historically
distinguish themselves from other ICS systems by being large-scale processes
that can include multiple sites, and large distances. These processes include
industrial, infrastructure, and facility-based processes, as described below:

Industrial processes include those of manufacturing, production, power

generation, fabrication, and refining, and may run in continuous, batch,
repetitive, or discrete modes.
Infrastructure processes may be public or private, and include water
treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, oil and
gas pipelines, electrical power transmission and distribution, wind farms,
civil defence siren systems, and large communication systems.
Facility processes occur both in public facilities and private ones,
including buildings, airports, ships, and space stations. They monitor and
control heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems (HVAC),
access, and energy consumption.

Overview of SCADA systems

A typical SCADA system can be shown as in the figure below:

Fig1: A typical SCADA system

A SCADA system usually consists of the following subsystems:
Remote terminal units (RTUs) connect to sensors in the process
and convert sensor signals to digital data. They have telemetry
hardware capable of sending digital data to the supervisory system,
as well as receiving digital commands from the supervisory
system. RTUs often have embedded control capabilities such as
ladder logic in order to accomplish Boolean logic operations.
Programmable logic controller (PLCs) connect to sensors in the
process and converting sensor signals to digital data. PLCs have
more sophisticated embedded control capabilities, typically one or
more IEC 61131-3 programming languages, than RTUs. PLCs do
not have telemetry hardware, although this functionality is
typically installed alongside them. PLCs are sometimes used in
place of RTUs as field devices because they are more economical,
versatile, flexible, and configurable.
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 A telemetry system is typically used to connect PLCs and RTUs

with control centres, data warehouses, and the enterprise. Examples
of wired telemetry media used in SCADA systems include leased
telephone lines and WAN circuits. Examples of wireless telemetry
media used in SCADA systems include satellite (VSAT), licensed
and unlicensed radio, cellular and microwave.
A data acquisition server is a software service which uses industrial
protocols to connect software services, via telemetry, with field
devices such as RTUs and PLCs. It allows clients to access data
from these field devices using standard protocols.
A humanmachine interface or HMI is the apparatus or device
which presents processed data to a human operator, and through
this, the human operator monitors and interacts with the process.
The HMI is a client that requests data from a data acquisition
server.
A Historian is a software service which accumulates time-stamped
data, Boolean events, and Boolean alarms in a database which can
be queried or used to populate graphic trends in the HMI. The
historian is a client that requests data from a data acquisition
server.
A supervisory (computer) system, gathering (acquiring) data on the
process and sending commands (control) to the SCADA system.
Communication infrastructure connecting the supervisory system
to the remote terminal units.
Various process and analytical instrumentation.

SCADA system concepts

The term SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) usually refers to
centralized systems which monitor and control entire sites, or complexes of
systems spread out over large areas (anything from an industrial plant to a
nation). Most control actions are performed automatically by RTUs or by PLCs.
Host control functions are usually restricted to basic overriding or supervisory
level intervention. For example, a PLC may control the flow of cooling water
through part of an industrial process, but the SCADA system may allow
operators to change the set points for the flow, and enable alarm conditions,
such as loss of flow and high temperature, to be displayed and recorded. The
feedback control loop passes through the RTU or PLC, while the SCADA
system monitors the overall performance of the loop.

Fig2: A SCADAs schematic overview

Data acquisition begins at the RTU or PLC level and includes meter readings
and equipment status reports that are communicated to SCADA as required.
Data is then compiled and formatted in such a way that a control room operator
using the HMI can make supervisory decisions to adjust or override normal
RTU (PLC) controls. Data may also be fed to a Historian, often built on a
commodity Database Management System, to allow trending and other
analytical auditing.
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SCADA systems typically implement a distributed database, commonly referred

to as a tag database, which contains data elements called tags or points. A point
represents a single input or output value monitored or controlled by the system.
Points can be either "hard" or "soft". A hard point represents an actual input or
output within the system, while a soft point results from logic and math
operations applied to other points. (Most implementations conceptually remove
the distinction by making every property a "soft" point expression, which may,
in the simplest case, equal a single hard point.) Points are normally stored as
value-timestamp pairs: a value, and the timestamp when it was recorded or
calculated. A series of value-timestamp pairs gives the history of that point. It is
also common to store additional metadata with tags, such as the path to a field
device or PLC register, design time comments, and alarm information.

Functions of a SCADA System

1. A SCADA system performs four functions:

1.1 Data Acquisition:
SCADA system needs to monitor hundreds or thousands of sensors.
Sensors measure:
1. Inputs and outputs e.g. water flowing into a reservoir (input), valve
pressure as water is released from the reservoir (output).
2. Discrete inputs (or digital input) e.g. whether equipment is on or off, or
tripwire alarms, like a power failure at a critical facility.
3. Analog inputs where exact measurement is important e.g. to detect
continuous changes in a voltage or current input, to track fluid levels in
tanks, voltage levels in batteries, temperature and other factors that can be
measured in a continuous range of input.
For most analogue factors, there is a normal range defined by a bottom
and top level e.g. temperature in a server room between 15 and 25
degrees Centigrade. If the temperature goes outside this range, it will
trigger a threshold alarm.
In more advanced systems, there are four threshold alarms for analogue
sensors, defining Major Under, Minor Under, Minor Over and Major
Over alarms.

1.2 Networked Data Communication:

A communications network is required to monitor multiple systems from a
central location.
TREND: Put SCADA data on Ethernet and IP over SONET.
SECURITY: Keeping data on closed LAN/WANs without exposing
sensitive data to the open Internet.
Encode data in protocol format (use open, standard protocols and
protocol mediation)
Sensors and control relays cant generate or interpret protocol
communication - a remote telemetry unit (RTU) is needed to provide an
interface between the sensors and the SCADA network.
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RTU encodes sensor inputs into protocol format and forwards them to
the SCADA master.
RTU receives control commands in protocol format from the master and
transmits electrical signals to the appropriate control relays.

1.3 Data Presentation

SCADA systems report to human operators over a master station, HMI
(Human-Machine Interface) or HCI (Human-Computer Interface).
SCADA master station has several different functions:

Continuously monitors all sensors and alerts the operator when there is
an alarm.
Presents a comprehensive view of the entire managed system.
Presents more detail in response to user requests.
Performs data processing on information gathered from sensors.
Maintains report logs and summarizes historical trends.

1.4 Control
The control mechanism in a SCADA system is handled by a number of
equipments such as the Remote Terminal Units (RTU), Programmable Logic
Controllers (PLC), switchgears, etc. which work autonomously by means of a
dedicated communication network such as LAN or WAN that carries signals toand-from these devices. The LAN and WAN form the backbone of the control
system. The SCADA master station computer system plays an important role in
this context. It channelizes the signals between the administrator and the various
field components in real-time and displays the inputs and outputs generated
through a human-machine interface (HMI).
An important part of most SCADA control implementations is alarm handling.
The system monitors whether certain alarm conditions are satisfied, to
determine when an alarm event has occurred. Once an alarm event has been
detected, one or more actions are taken (such as the activation of one or more
alarm indicators, and perhaps the generation of email or text messages so that
management or remote SCADA operators are informed). In many cases, a
SCADA operator may have to acknowledge the alarm event; this may
deactivate some alarm indicators, whereas other indicators remain active until
the alarm conditions are cleared. Alarm conditions can be explicitfor
example, an alarm point is a digital status point that has either the value
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NORMAL or ALARM that is calculated by a formula based on the values in

other analogue and digital pointsor implicit: the SCADA system might
automatically monitor whether the value in an analogue point lies outside high
and low- limit values associated with that point. Examples of alarm indicators
include a siren, a pop-up box on a screen, or a coloured or flashing area on a
screen (that might act in a similar way to the "fuel tank empty" light in a car); in
each case, the role of the alarm indicator is to draw the operator's attention to
the part of the system 'in alarm' so that appropriate action can be taken.

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Elements of SCADA system

1. SCADA Master Station Computer Systems:

Fig3: SCADA master station computer system

It is the repository of the real-time or near real-time reported data collected
from the remote terminal units connected to it. The back end SCADA
software must be able to repeatedly poll the RTUs for data values, should
have software for their retrieval, storage and processing. The processing may
include unit conversion, cataloguing into tables etc.

2. Human-Machine Interface:

Fig4: A typical human-machine interface

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This is the part on the host station. The values that have been stored in the
host computers are presented to the human operator in an understandable and
comprehensible form using HMIs.
These may provide trending, diagnostic or management information and
detailed schematics and animations representing the current states of the
machines under its control. Pictorial representation being more
understandable to humans is the preferred form in SCADA HMIs.

3. Remote Terminal Units (RTUs):

Fig5: A remote terminal unit

An RTU is a normally a transducer or a sensor which allows the electrical

circuitry to interface with the process instrumentation and control
equipment. The physical parameter like pressure, temperature etc. are
measured through a change in electrical property of some component in
the transducer which is indicative of the physical change.
A single RTU may measure many different types of parameters.
Depending on the values of the measurements, the input/output circuitry
of a RTU can be Analog or digital.
Analog corresponds to measurements with a numeric range of continuous
values which are later converted using an ADC, like a temperature scale,
while digital have limited number of states (generally two) mainly used
for flagging. Specific signals can be generated to control process
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equipment. These days, RTUs are microprocessor based devices and

these conversions are primarily internal to them.

4. Programmable Logic Controllers:

Fig6: Programmable logic controller

The use of microprocessors on RTUs has helped RTUs become smarter
with increased functionality. PLCs have been built around the philosophy
of automation.
Re-programmability being the biggest asset, PLC based RTUs can be
debugged and fixed on the field itself along with adding new features like
support for multiple polling, exception reporting, time-tagging etc.
This also enables them to execute simple logical processes without
involving the master station.
Standardization of protocols and languages for RTUs too, for example the
standardized control programming language, IEC 61131-3.These
languages require very less training and are based on intuitive approach
unlike procedural languages like C and FORTRAN.

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5. SCADA Communication

Fig7: SCADA communication system

The conveying of data from an RTU to the master station and commands
from the host to the RTU need to be done over a communication system
since a SCADA system might not be localized to just a single plant.
The vastness of the network also has to be catered to along with speed,
accuracy, security and performance being among other important issues.
SCADA systems have also embraced LANs and WANs for seamless
integration with everyday office computer networks. This has an
advantage for the corporate users that they would not need a separate
parallel network for SCADA systems.

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Evolution of SCADA systems

The SCADA system evolution can be classified into 4 generations.
First generation : Monolithic SCADA

Fig8: Monolithic SCADA system

Early SCADA system computing was done by large minicomputers.
Common network services did not exist at the time SCADA was
developed. Thus SCADA systems were independent systems with no
connectivity to other systems. The communication protocols used were
strictly proprietary at that time. The first-generation SCADA system
redundancy was achieved using a back-up mainframe system connected
to all the Remote Terminal Unit sites and was used in the event of failure
of the primary mainframe system.

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 Second generation : Distributed SCADA

Fig9: Distributed SCADA system

SCADA information and command processing was distributed across multiple
stations which were connected through a LAN. Information was shared in near
real time. Each station was responsible for a particular task thus making the size
and cost of each station less than the one used in First Generation. The network
protocols used were still not standardized. Since the protocols were proprietary,
very few people beyond the developers knew enough to determine how secure a
SCADA installation was. Security of the SCADA installation was usually
overlooked.

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 Third generation : Networked SCADA

Fig10: Networked SCADA system

Similar to a distributed architecture, any complex SCADA can be reduced to
simplest components and connected through communication protocols. In the
case of a networked design, the system may be spread across more than one
LAN network called a process control network (PCN) and separated
geographically. Several distributed architecture SCADAs running in parallel,
with a single supervisor and historian, could be considered a network
architecture. This allows for a more cost effective solution in very large scale
systems.

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 Fourth generation : Cloud-based SCADA

Fig11: Cloud-based SCADA system

With the commercial availability of cloud computing, SCADA systems have
increasingly adopted Internet of Things technology to significantly reduce
infrastructure costs and increase ease of maintenance and integration. As a
result SCADA systems can now report state in near real-time and use the
horizontal scale available in cloud environments to implement more complex
control algorithms than are practically feasible to implement on traditional
programmable logic controllers. Further, the use of open network protocols
such as TLS inherent in the Internet of Things technology, provides a more
readily comprehensible and manageable security boundary than the
heterogeneous mix of proprietary network protocols typical of many
decentralized SCADA implementations. One such example of this
technology is an innovative approach to rainwater harvesting through the
implementation of real time controls (RTC).

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SCADA Communication Protocols

The communication protocols used in SCADA systems operate at different
layers as shown in the figure:

Typical features of the SCADA networking protocols are:

SCADA protocols are designed to be very compact. Many are designed to
send information only when the master station polls the RTU.
Typical legacy SCADA protocols include Modbus RTU, RP-570,
Profibus and Conitel. These communication protocols are all SCADAvendor specific but are widely adopted and used. Standard protocols are
IEC 60870-5-101 or 104, IEC 61850 and DNP3.
These communication protocols are standardized and recognized by all
major SCADA vendors. Many of these protocols now contain extensions
to operate over TCP/IP.

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Deploying SCADA systems: Communication media

The various communication media used in SCADA systems are:
1. Twisted-Pair Metallic Cable:

Fig12: Twisted-pair cable

2. Coaxial Metallic Cable:

Fig13: Coaxial cable

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3. Fiber Optic Cable:

Fig14: Fiber-optic cable

4. Power Line Carrier:

Fig15: Power cable

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5. Satellites

Fig16: Satellite Link

6. Leased Telephone Lines

Fig17: Leased telephone line

7. Very High Frequency Radio

8. Ultra High Frequency Radio

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Security Concerns of SCADA system

SCADA systems that tie together decentralized facilities such as power,
oil, and gas pipelines and water distribution and wastewater collection
systems were designed to be open, robust, and easily operated and
repaired, but not necessarily secure. The security of these SCADA
systems is important because compromise or destruction of these systems
would impact multiple areas of society far removed from the original
compromise. For example, a blackout caused by a compromised electrical
SCADA system would cause financial losses to all the customers that
received electricity from that source.
The move from proprietary technologies to more standardized and open
solutions together with the increased number of connections between
SCADA systems, office networks, and the Internet has made them more
vulnerable to types of network attacks that are relatively common in
computer security.
For example, United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team
(US-CERT) released a vulnerability advisory that allowed
unauthenticated users to download sensitive configuration
information including password hashes on an Inductive
Automation Ignition system utilizing a standard attack type
leveraging access to the Tomcat Embedded Web server.
In June 2010, anti-virus security company VirusBlokAda reported
the first detection of malware that attacks SCADA systems
(Siemens' WinCC/PCS 7 systems) running on Windows
operating systems. The malware is called Stuxnet and uses four
zero-day attacks to install a rootkit which in turn logs into the
SCADA's database and steals design and control files. The
malware is also capable of changing the control system and hiding
those changes. The malware was found on 14 systems, the majority
of which were located in Iran.
In October 2013 National Geographic released a docudrama titled,
"American Blackout" which dealt with a large-scale cyber-attack
on SCADA and the United States' electrical grid.

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Advantages & Disadvantages of SCADA systems

Increased efficiency

Maximized safety

Advantages

Maximized profitability

Vulnerable to cyber threats

such as hacking and cyberterrorism.
Disadvantages
Vulnerable to EMP
(electro-magnetic pulse)

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CONCLUSION
SCADA is a step towards automation of the modern day industries
irrespective of its domain, whereby the need for human supervision
and interference will be minimum. Moreover, the vital key factors
such as safety, profitability and efficiency can be enhanced, thereby
reducing lags and losses caused due to human errors. SCADA will
lead to the diversification of the modern industries in terms of goods,
services and geographical aspects with an ability of real-time
troubleshooting, analysis and control.
Security being the major concern of the modern SCADA systems,
many vendors of SCADA and control products have begun to address
the risks posed by unauthorized access by developing lines of
specialized industrial firewall and VPN solutions for TCP/IP-based
SCADA networks as well as external SCADA monitoring and
recording equipment. The International Society of Automation
(ISA) started formalizing SCADA security requirements in 2007 with
a working group, WG4. WG4 "deals specifically with unique
technical requirements, measurements, and other features required to
evaluate and assure security resilience and performance of industrial
automation and control systems devices".
Hence, the future of SCADA systems is towards a safer and reliable
deployment of operations with the exploitation of trending services
such as cloud services which are yet to be explored to its fullest.

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REFERENCES

Wikipedia page on SCADA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCADA

SCADA systems: April 2014
(http://www.engineersgarage.com/article/scada-systems)
Introduction to Industrial Control Networks
(http://www.rfidblog.org.uk/Preprint-Galloway-HanckeIndustrialControlSurvey.pdf)
Basic SCADA Animations
(http://www.integraxor.com/screens.html?utm_content=en&utm_sou
rce=wk)

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