Brief Summary
This video explains what SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems are, how they evolved, and their current functionalities. It highlights the transition from manual control to automated systems, the development of SCADA through different eras (distributed and networked), and the adoption of modern IT standards like SQL databases. The video emphasizes the importance of SCADA in enabling real-time data access, improved plant operations, and historical data logging for analysis and record-keeping.
- SCADA systems consist of software and hardware for plant supervision and control.
- Early systems used relays and timers, which evolved into processor-based controls.
- Modern SCADA systems use open architectures and IT standards for better connectivity and data analysis.
Introduction to SCADA Systems
SCADA, which stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, involves both software and hardware components that enable the supervision and control of industrial plants locally and remotely. These systems examine, collect, and process data in real-time. Human Machine Interface (HMI) software allows operators to interact with field devices like pumps, valves, motors, and sensors. SCADA software also logs data for historical analysis.
The Evolution of SCADA
Initially, plant personnel monitored and controlled industrial processes using selector switches, push buttons, and dials. As manufacturing expanded, relays and timers were introduced to aid in supervision and control, reducing the need for on-site personnel. However, these relay and timer-based systems required extensive panels, were difficult to troubleshoot, and were hard to reconfigure.
The Birth of Automation
The need for larger industrial plants facilitated the rise of automation. In the 1950s, processors began to control industrial plants, with gas, oil, and manufacturing industries being early adopters. Telemetry emerged a decade later, offering remote capabilities through automated communication and data transmission. By the following decade, the term SCADA described systems using PLCs and microprocessors for monitoring and controlling automated processes on a larger scale.
SCADA Through the Decades
Early SCADA systems consisted of colossal, standalone mainframe units due to the absence of networking. In the 1980s and 1990s, with smaller computer systems, LAN, and HMI software, SCADA systems connected to related systems. However, communications were proprietary, limiting connections to the specific vendor's system; this was known as distributed SCADA systems. Later, in the 1990s and 2000s, SCADA began using open system architectures with non-vendor-specific communication protocols, allowing connections with various vendors, leading to networked SCADA systems.
Modern SCADA Systems
Modern SCADA systems have adapted to changing technologies by adopting IT standards like SQL and web-based applications. This allows real-time plant information to be accessed globally, improving plant operations through data-driven responses. Operators can interact with the system from anywhere, and historical data is logged for trending applications and mandated record-keeping.
SCADA Components and Functionality
SCADA systems consist of hardware and software components, starting with real-time data collected from plant floor devices like pumps, valves, and transmitters. These components, regardless of the vendor, must have a communication protocol that the processor can use. Data is passed to processors like PLCs and then distributed to network devices such as HMIs, user computers, and servers. Graphical representations on HMIs and end-user computers allow operators to interact with the system, and the data is analyzed to enhance plant production and troubleshoot problems.
