Industrial Automation Magazine India

SCADA in the Industrial Scenario

Published on : Tuesday 30-11--0001

1.What is SCADA and how long has it been in use?

SCADA: Supervisory control and Data Acquisition. It is more in all process industries for operation for example oil & gas, pharma, Power systems etc application

2.How does SCADA work in a power system?

In power system to monitor remotely data central location & power loads at different location in schematic modes & logs as well as in reporting Purpose

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) is an industrial control system which is used in many modern industries like energy, manufacturing, power, water transportation, etc. SCADA systems organize multiple technologies that allows to process, gather and monitor data at the same time to send instructions to those points that transmit data. In today’s world, almost anywhere you can observe SCADA systems

The functions of SCADA in power generation include

• Continuous monitoring of Speed and Frequency
• Geographical monitoring of coal delivery and water treatment processes
• Supervising the status of circuit breakers, protective relays and other safety related operations
• Generation operations planning
• Active and reactive power control
• Turbine protection
• Load scheduling
• Historical data processing of all generation related parameters

 

3.Can a SCADA system work without PLC?

PLC is used for control operation using digital IO as well as analog IO or fetching the data from different devices which supports modbus/profibus protocols. SCADA is graphical representation of system & generating reports on computer so without PLC, SCADA system will not work or not useful

4.What are Mozek panels in scada systems?

It is generally installed by Siemens with Control system consist of Power control section& system section with Siemens PLC & Siemens SCADA.

5.How do SCADA systems work within asset management software systems?

We can interface SCADA with SAP using some VB scripting

6.Is Lazarus good for developing scada applications?

There are many brands available in market if have good knowledge it can be used

7.What is the difference between SCADA system and DCS?

DCS is the acronym for Distributed control systems;

SCADA is the acronym for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition

DCS is process oriented; SCADA is data-gathering oriented.

DCS is process state driven; SCADA system is event driven.

A DCS is a process control system that uses a network to interconnect sensors, controllers, operator terminals and actuators. A DCS typically contains one or more computers for control and mostly use both proprietary interconnections and protocols for communications.

SCADA may be called Human-Machine Interface (HMI). SCADA systems are used to monitor or to control chemical, physical or transport processes. Distributed Control System (DCS) consists of one or more controllers used to implement advanced process control techniques.

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems cannot carry out advanced process control techniques.

DCS is more integrated and can do more higher-end stuff, but SCADA systems are more flexible.

8.Will SAP Cloud offer good job opportunities in the future?

Yes there   are good job opportunities in the future

9.What is the best SCADA system for power generation? What are some systematic approaches to security in SCADA systems?

Most Probable Siemens & ABB are very famous in power generation with secured data facility is advantage.

10.What are typical challenges you encounter when establishing a SCADA system?

If inputs are not clear & if not aware of different communication protocols then very difficult to design the system. SCADA graphics can prepare anyone but important know interfacing technique.

11.What unusual problems have you encountered and how were they resolved?

Many times to interface SCADA with different PLCs & communication protocols and address mapping are unusual problem encountered. They are solved with proper study & best practices

12.What are the benefits of a SCADA system? More specifically, how does SCADA help municipalities manage their water use more efficiently? Where is SCADA technology going?

A SCADA system is a common industrial process automation system which is used to collect data from instruments and sensors located at remote sites and to transmit data at a central site for either monitoring or controlling purpose. The collected data from sensors and instruments is usually viewed on one or more SCADA host computers that are located at the central site. Based on the information received from the remote stations, automated or operator-driven supervisory commands can be pushed to remote station control devices, which are often referred to as field devices.