SCADA

1. What is SCADA?
Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition or SCADA is a system used to monitor and
control a plant form a central location. This is not frequently used because of the control
override possibility. SCADA itself changes the control set points quite frequently. It is
widely used in water treatment plants and lately it has been used chlorination and
pumping stations.
2. Mention the major elements present in the SCADA.
SCADA system is composed of 3 main elements.
 RTU (Remote Telemetry Unit)
 HMI (Human Machine Interface)
 Communications
3. What is RTU?
The function of an RTU is to collect the onsite information and this information is sent to
a central location with the help of the communication element. If system wants to send
information back to the RTU then this communication element take it back too.
4. What is HMI?
The function of the HMI element is to display the information received in an easy to
understand graphical way and also archive all the data received. It is usually a high end
computer system capable of displaying high quality graphics and running advanced and
complex software.
5. What is Communication in SCADA?
Communication happens through various means. It will happen via data cable within a
plant or through a fiber optic. The communication may happen via radio between
different regions.
6. Why is SCADA Popular?
The major reason of its popularity in the manufacturing industry is that it significantly
reduces the labor costs and improves the performance of the plant. Management can save
time as well because the information is gathered by SCADA at a central location so the
personnel do not have to go and wander about on site.
Another feature of this system which is seldom appreciated is its capability of
displaying the trends. When information gathered is displayed graphically, the system
shows the developing problems and helps the management in taking the corrective
measures. The SCADA system may be difficult to configure at first but it is extremely
user friendly and easy to use.