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.
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.
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 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.
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 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 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.
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Transcript
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0:04 the SCADA acronym stands for supervisory control and data acquisition when considering this term you can conjure varying images and you should before we get started on today's video if you love our videos be sure to click the like button below then make sure to click Subscribe and the little bell to receive notifications of new real Parrs videos this way you never miss another one a SCADA system is a collection of both
0:51 software and hardware components that allow supervision and control of plants both locally and remotely the SCADA also examines collects and processes data in real-time human machine interface or HMI software facilitates interaction with field devices such as pumps valves motors sensors etc within the SCADA software is the ability to log data for historical purposes the structural design of a standard SCADA system starts with remote terminal units or RT use and/or programmable logic controllers or PLC's as you know our tea use and plcs or
1:40 micro processors that communicate and interact with field devices such as valves pumps and HMIS that communication data is routed from the processors to the SCADA computers where the software interprets and displays the data allowing for operators to analyze and react to system events before SCADA plant personnel had to monitor and control industrial processes via selector switches push buttons and dials for analog signals this meant that plants had to maintain personnel on site during production in order to control the processes as manufacturing grew and sites became more remote to nature relays and timers
2:27 were used to assist in the supervision and control of processes with these devices employed fewer plant personnel were required to be on-site in order to oversee and control operations while relays and timers did provide some level of automation the panels required for these devices took up valuable real estate troubleshooting was a nightmare and reconfiguring was difficult at best these issues in conjunction with the need to grow even larger industrial plants helped to facilitate the birth of automation as you may know from previous videos controlling industrial plants via processors became a reality in the 1950s
3:14 gas and oil utilities and manufacturing were major users of these new technologies and supervisory control about a decade later telemetry came on the scene to offer even more remote capabilities with automated communication and data transmission to remote monitoring locations another decade later the term SCADA was used to describe systems with PLC's and micro processors that were being used for the monitoring and control of automated processes on an even greater scale than ever before SCADA back then was anything but practical there were colossal machines mainframes really and since networking was not yet in the
4:00 picture they were standalone units in the next couple of decades the 80s and 90s with computer systems getting smaller the advent of local area networking or LAN and HMI software SCADA systems were able to connect to related systems unfortunately though the communications were typically proprietary which meant that connections outside of the particular vendor of the SCADA system were not allowed this early SCADA was coined distributed SCADA systems later in the 90s and 2000's SCADA began to implement open system architectures with communication protocols that were not vendor specific as you can imagine this opened up skaters ability to
4:47 connect with varying vendors this newer more improved SCADA was then called a networked SCADA system newer and improved skate up unfortunately didn't last long with computer technology growing rapidly IT development quickly gathered steam the default database for IT became structured query language or SQL databases SCADA developers didn't implement these standard databases so SCADA became out-of-date rather quickly when other technologies so rapidly changed current-day SCADA systems have adapted to the changing technologies and have a great advantage over the older SCADA systems with the adoption of modern IT standards such as SQL and web-based
5:34 applications today SCADA allows for real-time plant information to be accessed from anywhere around the world having this data the operators fingertips facilitates improved plant operations allowing for responses to skate a system cues based on field collected data and system analysis these operator interactions can be from a computer right on the plant floor to an office building in some other region in the world advancing technologies have indeed made the world seem like a very small place relatively speaking and because the current SCADA system software is typically adopted the SQL database model historical collection of data may be logged and used in trending applications
6:21 to further improve plant processes as well as creating mandated record-keeping for some of the industries out there essentially SCADA is a collection of hardware and software components this collection of components begins with real-time data collected from plant floor devices such as pumps valves and transmitters these components don't have to be from a particular vendor they just need to have a communication protocol that the processor can utilize data collected from the field devices is then passed to the processors such as PLC's from the processor the data is distributed to a system of network devices these devices may be HMIS and
7:10 user computers and servers on the HMI and end-user computer graphical representations of the operations exist for operator interactions such as running pumps and opening valves this data may also be analyzed and used to enhance plant production and troubleshoot problems want to learn PLC programming in an easy-to-understand format and take your career to the next level head on over to real parse com [Music]
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