SCADA

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition

 Table of Contents
1.What is SCADA ? 7. SCADA Operational Philosophy
2.SCADA Systems Concepts 8. Communication Methods and
3.Human Machine Interface Infrastructure
4.SCADA Hardware 9. SCADA Architectures
5. Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) 10. SCADA Trends
6.Supervisory Station 11. SCADA Security Issues
12 APPLICATIONS OF SCADA
What is SCADA ?
• SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition but it is a
term often used for data collection and presentation.
• SCADA is normally a software package designed to display
information, log data and show alarms.
• This can be graphical and tabular and can involve words and pictures
(or mimics)
What is SCADA ?
• SCADA can be used to monitor and control
plant or equipment. The control may be
automatic, or initiated by operator
commands.The data acquisition is
accomplished firstly by the RTU’s (remote
Terminal Units).
• The central host will scan the RTU’s or the RTU’s will report in Data can be
of three main types.
1. Analogue data (i.e. real numbers) will be trended (ie placed in graphs).
2. Digital data (on/off) may have alarms attached to one state or the other.
3. Pulse data (e.g. counting revolutions of a meter) is normally accumulated or
counted
What is SCADA ?
The following subsystems are usually present in SCADA systems:

1. The apparatus used by a human operator; all the processed data are
presented to the operator.
2. A supervisory system that gathers all the required data about the process.
3. Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) connected to the sensors of the process,
which helps to convert the sensor signals to the digital data and send the
data to supervisory stream.
4. Programmable Logic Controller (PLCs) used as field devices.
5. Communication infrastructure connects the Remote Terminal Units to
supervisory system.
SCADA Systems Concepts
• SCADA refers to the centralized systems that control and monitor the
entire sites, or they are the complex systems spread out over large
areas.
• Nearly all the control actions are automatically performed by the remote
terminal units (RTUs) or by the programmable logic controllers (PLCs).
• The restrictions to the host control functions are supervisory level
intervention or basic overriding.
• For example, the PLC (in an industrial process) controls the flow of
cooling water, the SCADA system allows any changes related to the
alarm conditions and set points for the flow (such as high temperature,
loss of flow, etc) to be recorded and displayed.
SCADA Systems Concepts

• Data acquisition starts at the PLC or RTU level, which

includes the equipment status reports, and meter readings.
Data is then formatted in such way that the operator of the
control room can make the supervisory decisions to override
or adjust normal PLC (RTU) controls, by using the HMI.
SCADA Systems Concepts
• SCADA systems mostly implement the distributed databases known as
tag databases, containing data elements called points or tags. A point
is a single output or input value controlled or monitored by the
system. Points are either ‘soft’ or ‘hard’.
• The actual output or input of a system is represented by a hard point,
whereas the soft point is a result of different math and logic
operations applied to other points.
 Human Machine Interface (HMI)
• The HMI is an apparatus that gives the processed
data to the human operator. A human operator
uses HMI to control processes.
• The HMI is linked to the SCADA system’s databases,
to provide the diagnostic data, management
information and trending information such as
logistic information, detailed schematics for a
certain machine or sensor, maintenance procedures
and troubleshooting guides.
 Human Machine Interface (HMI)

• The information provided by the HMI to the

operating personnel is graphical, in the form of
mimic diagrams.
• This means the schematic representation of the
plant that is being controlled is available to the
operator.
SCADA Hardware
• SCADA system may have the components of the Distributed
Control System. Execution of easy logic processes without
involving the master computer is possible because ‘smart’
PLCs or RTUs.
• IEC61131-39(Ladder Logic) is used.
SCADA Hardware
• The SCADA system engineers can perform implementation and design of
programs being executed on PLC or RTU.
• The compact controller, Programmable automation controller (PAC),
combines the capabilities and features of a PC-based control system with a
typical PLC.
• ’Distributed RTUs’, in various electrical substation SCADA applications, use
station computers or information processors for communicating with PACs,
protective relays, and other I/O devices.
Remote Terminal Unit (RTU)
• The RTU is connected to the physical equipment. Often, the RTU
converts all electrical signals coming from the equipment into digital
values like the status- open/closed – from a valve or switch, or the
measurements like flow, pressure, current or voltage.
• By converting and sending the electrical signals to the equipment,
RTU may control the equipment, like closing or opening a valve or a
switch, or setting the speed of the pump.
Supervisory Station
• A ‘supervisory Station’ refers to the software and servers responsible
for communication with the field equipment (PLCs, RTUs etc), and
after that, to HMI software running on the workstations in the control
room, or somewhere else.
• A master station can be composed of only one PC (in small SCADA
systems). Master station can have multiple servers, disaster recovery
sites and distributed software applications in larger SCADA systems.
Supervisory Station
SCADA Operational Philosophy
• The costs resulting from control system failures are very high.
Even lives may be lost. For a few SCADA systems, hardware is
ruggedized, to withstand temperature, voltage and vibration
extremes, and reliability is increased, in many critical installations,
by including communications channels and redundant hardware.
• A part which is failing can be identified and the functionality
taken over automatically through backup hardware. It can be
replaced without any interruption of the process.
SCADA Architectures
1. Monolithic: The First Generation
• In the first generation, mainframe systems were used for
computing. At the time SCADA was developed, networks did not
exist.
• Therefore, the SCADA systems did not have any connectivity to
other systems, meaning they were independent systems. Later
on, RTU vendors designed the Wide Area Networks that helped
in communication with RTU.
• The usage of communication protocols at that time was
proprietary. If the mainframe system failed, there was a back-up
mainframe, connected at the bus level.
SCADA Architectures
2. Distributed: The Second Generation
• The information between multiple stations was shared in real
time through LAN and the processing was distributed
between various multiple stations.
• The cost and size of the stations were reduced in comparison
to the ones used in the first generation. The protocols used
for the networks were still proprietary, which caused many
security issues for SCADA systems.
• Due to the proprietary nature of the protocols, very few
people actually knew how secure the SCADA installation was.
SCADA Architectures
3. Networked: The Third Generation
• The SCADA system used today belong to this generation. The
communication between the system and the master station is
done through the WAN protocols like the Internet Protocols (IP).
• Since the standard protocols used and the networked SCADA
systems can be accessed through the internet, the vulnerability
of the system is increased.
• However, the usage of security techniques and standard
protocols means that security improvements can be applied in
SCADA systems.
APPLICATIONS OF SCADA:
• 1)Application In Power Plants:
• A group of Hydro and Gas generation plants when the load
demand exceeds the generating capacity, These plants are
considered as peak load plants because these plants can
start in no time and deliver power to the grid.
• These plants are located in the romote locations. These
plants are controlled by opening and closing the valves of
turbines so that they can deliver the power in peak
conditions and can be kept on standby during normal load
conditions.
APPLICATIONS OF SCADA:
• 2)Application In Oil & Gas Plants:
• Many process control parameters, motors, pumps,
valves are spread over the wide area in the field.
• Control and monitoring applications include turning
on and off motors, pumps, valves and gathering
information of process parameters(like flow rate,
pressure, temperature) continuously and taking
certain decisions can be done through SCADA
systems.
APPLICATIONS OF SCADA:
3)Applications In Pipelines:
• Pipelines carrying oil, gas, chemicals and water which are
located at varying distances from the plant needs continuous
monitoring and control.
• Control includes opening and closing the valves, starting and
stopping the pumps. Monitoring the flowrate and other
parameters to avoid leakage in the pipelines by acquiring the
data and carrying out suitable controls is done through SCADA
systems.
APPLICATIONS OF SCADA:

4)Applications In Power Transmission:

• Electrical power transmission which is spread over thousands
of kilometers can be controlled by opening and closing the
circuit breakers and other functions, This is done in master
control substation which can control the other substations
through SCADA systems.
APPLICATIONS OF SCADA:
5)Applications In Irrigation Systems:
• Irrigation systems which are spread over wide area
can be controlled by closing and opening the valves,
gathering the meter values of amount of water
supplied and taking the control actions can be done
through SCADA systems.