10 Steps to Architecting a Sustainable SCADA System
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The document outlines a presentation on creating a sustainable SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system, focusing on challenges faced by water utilities and presenting ten key steps for achieving a sustainable architecture. Key themes include adopting open standards, leveraging edge devices, implementing server-centric architecture, and automating reporting processes to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort. The document also emphasizes the importance of balancing capital and operational expenditures to maintain long-term sustainability in SCADA systems.
10 Steps to Architecting a Sustainable SCADA System
- 2. Moderator Annie Wise Public Sector Development Coordinator, Inductive Automation
- 3. Agenda • Introduction to Ignition • Introduction to Presenter & Panelists • The 10 Steps to a Sustainable SCADA System • Closing Remarks • Q&A
- 4. About Inductive Automation • Founded in 2003 • HMI, SCADA, MES, and IIoT software • Installed in nearly 100 countries • Over 1,700 integrators • Used by 46% of Fortune 100 companies Learn more at: inductiveautomation.com/about
- 5. Used by Major Companies Worldwide
- 6. Ignition: Industrial Application Platform One Universal Platform for HMI/SCADA, MES & IIoT: • Unlimited licensing model • Cross-platform compatibility • Based on IT-standard technologies • Scalable server-client architecture • Web-based & web-managed • Web-launched on desktop or mobile • Modular configurability • Rapid development & deployment
- 7. Presenter Kent Melville Sales Engineer, Inductive Automation
- 8. Water Utilities Face Many Challenges Today Water Utility Challenges: • Economic issues • Aging systems • Tighter regulation • Technology obsolescence and changes • Better reporting tools are needed • Younger staff • Yesterday’s tools aren’t getting the job done Water System Challenges: • Public pressure to keep rates low • Water sales down due to conservation • Technology obsolescence • Need for active continuous improvement • Phasing in newer technology • Strategic planning • Insufficient resources (funding, staff) • SCADA choices matter
- 9. Panelists Henry Palechek Information & Process Control Supervisor, Water District in CA Jason Hamlin Plant Instrument Technician, City of Lynchburg (VA) Dept. of Water Resources
- 10. Use Case: Water District in CA • 106 MGD WTP / Ozone • 50-site distribution system • 50 square miles, 722 miles of pipeline • 268,000 population • Supplies three other districts • Using Ignition for 11 years
- 11. Use Case: Lynchburg (VA) Dept. of Water Resources • Water, wastewater & stormwater services • 80,000 population • Supports many local industries • 2 water sources: Pedlar Reservoir and James River • 2 filtration plants • 10+ active Ignition projects
- 13. The Usual, Non-Sustainable SCADA Approach • SCADA systems tend to lag behind other technology • Usually approached as a closed system with a specific lifespan • When requirements change, vendors apply “band-aids” until the whole system can be replaced
- 14. The Sustainable Approach to SCADA • Through open standards and a sustainable architecture, SCADA can adapt and grow with requirements and improve uptime & reliability • This methodology can improve technology adoption, and save time & money
- 15. Where to Start? Conventional thinking: “Obviously if I want to move to a new sustainable SCADA architecture, I need to rip everything out and start over again from the top down.”
- 16. Where to Start? Conventional thinking: “Obviously if I want to move to a new sustainable SCADA architecture, I need to rip everything out and start over again from the top down.” Wrong. Instead, start small and think about little changes that will go a long way.
- 17. Step 1: Hardware (PLCs) • Your system can easily get to the point where it includes hardware from many manufacturers and with many different protocols. • Maintaining support and connectivity to a wide variety of devices and protocols is not sustainable. • Therefore, the first step is to set a standard protocol for your system.
- 18. Step 1: Hardware (PLCs) • You don’t necessarily need to replace all your old equipment. • However, you need enforce the standard for new equipment. • This is easier if you choose an open protocol such as Modbus, OPC, or MQTT.
- 19. Step 2: Edge Devices Even with a standard protocol, data collection from remote sites can still be an issue: • Polling is limited by bandwidth & latency. • Losing a connection to a device means losing data.
- 20. Step 2: Edge Devices Install a device at the remote site to poll locally and report by exception: • Data only sent to the central location on change. • If the network goes down, the edge device can buffer data and forward it up when the connection is restored. • Some edge devices even provide a local HMI for visualization & control.
- 21. Step 2: Edge Devices Ignition Edge from Inductive Automation: • Can be installed on a small industrial PC to turn it into an edge device • Contains multiple drivers, store-and- forward data buffer, visualization, and email alarming
- 22. Step 3: Server-Centric Architecture (Redundancy) • The central SCADA system should have a server-centric architecture which only requires software installation on the central server. • Because all data collection & visualization goes through that server, implementing redundancy is key to maintaining uptime in the event of server failure.
- 23. Step 3: Server-Centric Architecture (Redundancy) • Server-centric architectures present new licensing possibilities. • Rather than charging per device, tag, or workstation, a true server-centric system would be licensed by the server and be unlimited for everything else. • Inductive Automation’s licensing includes unlimited tags, devices & clients.
- 24. Step 4: Cross-Platform • Traditionally, SCADA systems have been tied to specific versions of Windows. • This forces users to upgrade their SCADA with their OS – which gets costly.
- 25. Step 4: Cross-Platform • A fully cross-platform SCADA system can run on Linux or any version of Windows. • Both the OS and the SCADA should be independently upgradable. • Clients should be able to run on any OS.
- 26. Step 5: Web-Launched Clients • Historically, client screens had to be exported and installed on each client machine. • The same process had to be completed each time a change was made.
- 27. Step 5: Web-Launched Clients By having clients web-launched from the server: • No install is required at the client level • Changes are pushed out automatically • Increased scalability • Rapid rollout of necessary project updates
- 28. Step 6: Templates/UDTs • Now we have unlimited devices, unlimited tags, and an unlimited number of people wanting to see that data onscreen – but a finite number of people to configure devices and create screens. • Not sustainable: Having to define each data point, one at a time. • Sustainable: Implementing an object-oriented approach so data points can be grouped into types, defined once, and used throughout the project.
- 29. Step 6: Templates/UDTs • Example: Motors • Each motor likely has similar values, you can create a User Defined Type (UDT) of a motor with shared tags. • Define history or alarms on the UDT. • Once a UDT is defined, create an instance for each motor, passing in parameters to make it point to the correct device.
- 30. Step 6: Templates/UDTs • Once the UDT instances are created, you can build out how they’ll be displayed on screen. • Visualization templates are reusable graphics populated by UDT values. • Once the UDT and Template are both defined, adding additional motors is simple.
- 31. Step 7: Remote Alarm Notifications • It’s not realistic to have someone monitoring your new screens and templates 24x7 – which is where remote alarm notifications come into play. • Part of a sustainable approach is taking care of what you have. When something goes wrong, you must be able to respond quickly.
- 32. Step 7: Remote Alarm Notifications • Good: A flashing light on a screen • Better: an email • Best: a text or phone call
- 33. Step 8: Automatic Reporting • Another part of sustainability is efficiency of digital resources and manual labor. • Reporting is often the lowest-hanging fruit for reducing manual effort.
- 34. Step 8: Automatic Reporting • A server-centric unlimited architecture with standard protocols allows you to connect all these devices to SCADA and automatically create reports. • Many people don’t trust machines to provide accurate data. However, the process of manual data collection & entry is ripe with opportunities for human error.
- 35. Step 8: Automatic Reporting • Accuracy increases dramatically when you automate the process. • If manual checks are truly required, forms can be developed as client screens and rendered on a tablet. • Then, data can be entered once and automatically entered into the system.
- 36. Step 9: IIoT and MQTT • Contrary to popular belief, the IIoT can play a big role in water/wastewater. • IIoT is all about how you get your data. • Getting large amounts of data from remote sites connected over radio, satellite, or cellular requires a lightweight protocol. Enter MQTT. Now let’s expand beyond SCADA and talk about the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) ...
- 37. Step 9: IIoT and MQTT • Edge devices use standard protocols (Modbus, Ethernet/IP, etc.) to poll the devices. • With the right type of edge device, that data can then be published using MQTT.
- 38. Step 9: IIoT and MQTT MQTT features: • Ultralight protocol • Two-byte overhead • Very secure • Pub/Sub protocol that publishes by exception • Uses Sparkplug specification for store-and-forward & auto- discovery of tags
- 39. Step 9: IIoT and MQTT • Centrally, it requires an MQTT Broker where data is published and then line-of- business applications (including SCADA) can subscribe to it. • Data can also be pushed securely into Microsoft Azure or Amazon AWS for analytics tools and functionality. • If you’re interested in learning more about how IIoT could benefit your system, view our IIoT webinars at: inductiveautomation.com
- 40. Step 10: Capital Expenditure vs. Operational Expenditure So how does all of this affect my bottom line? • Add devices & tags without getting knocked into the next tier of pricing. • Develop new screens and easily push them out to all clients. • Upgrade software anytime, not tied to a specific OS, redundancy allows upgrades without downtime.
- 41. Step 10: Capital Expenditure vs. Operational Expenditure • All of those capabilities keep the software humming along for no additional cost. • Getting new devices will normally fit into the Operational budget. • You can train the people who used to work in Excel all day into SCADA screen developers, which will limit your reliance on contractors when little changes need to be made.
- 42. Step 10: Capital Expenditure vs. Operational Expenditure Now you can use your cap-ex to: • Upgrade your hardware • Upgrade your network • Fix leaky pipes • Get water monitoring software • Get any other items on your “nice to have” list A sustainable SCADA architecture enables you to focus your attention elsewhere.
- 43. Sustainable SCADA 1. Hardware (PLCs) 2. Edge devices 3. Server-centric architecture (redundancy) 4. Cross-platform 5. Web-launched clients 6. Templates/UDTs 7. Remote alarm notifications 8. Automatic reporting 9. IIoT and MQTT 10.Cap-ex vs. op-ex
- 44. Panel Discussion Any closing thoughts about these 10 steps or any other ways that Ignition has made it easier to build a sustainable SCADA system? How do you plan on expanding your SCADA system in the future?
- 47. Sept. 17-19, 2018 Early-bird tickets on sale through July 31st at: icc.inductiveautomation.com
- 48. Questions & Comments Jim Meisler x227 Vannessa Garcia x231 Vivian Mudge x253 Account Executives: Myron Hoertling x224 Shane Miller x218 Ramin Rofagha x251 Maria Chinappi x264 Lester Ares x214 Call us at: 800-266-7798 Director of Sales: Melanie Hottman x247 Kristen Azure x260