SCADA helps keep road tunnel traffic safe and free flowing

Traffic flow and safety have been enhanced in one of Italy's most important motorway tunnels by the
commissioning of a new control system based on Products4Automation's Movicon 11 SCADA technology.

Because of the country's mountainous landscape, road tunnels are an important part of Italy's transport
infrastructure. Each tunnel has its own unique traffic management system to handle the safety and
security requirements involved with their operation. Because of the ever growing usage volumes as the
number of cars on the road increase each system needs to be regularly maintained and developed.
Bespoke control solutions are usually specified for each tunnel; programmed for the unique challenges
each one presents.

When engineers for the Spogliamonaco Tunnel on the Lauria–Lagonegro motorway in Basilicata were
looking to renew their control system, they wanted to develop a system which allowed for both local, on-
site control and remote control from head office. They identified a bus architecture and SCADA software
as the optimum solution and also wanted an open system so that they could mix and match hardware from
different manufacturers – a critical requirement for a system that could be operating for decades.

The architecture the engineers developed consisted of a central PC acting as the overall supervision and
control unit. The decision was made early on to design out other local controllers such as PLCs or CPUs,
as the simplicity of the system would help contain initial costs and ensure maintenance was
straightforward. Instead they ran a single bus the whole 1500m length of the tunnel, with all the I/O nodes
distributed along it.

When it came to selecting the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) software many options
were considered before eventually deciding that the Movicon 11 system was most appropriate to their
needs. Movicon 11 is XML-based and combines SCADA with an HMI (human machine interface), which
means it offers an all-in-one development environment for managing HMI, SCADA, soft-logic and analysis
of operating data. It is also open and highly flexible, and attractive feature in an application where constant
design evolution is to be expected.

The I/O control is based on Windows XP, which is freely available, well supported and low cost. Windows
XP is not deterministic (able to absolutely guarantee the sequence and speed of signal processing); but
this is not a requirement in tunnel control systems, as no instructions are completely time critical. Instead a
LonWorks card fitted in the PC handles all the data traffic from the 110 I/O nodes on the bus.

LonWorks is an open networking platform that is used worldwide in a range of automation applications,
including many in building automation and HVAC environments, as well as in other tunnel control systems.
There are a great many brands and models of hardware products available that are compatible with
LonWorks including high power lamps, emergency lighting, ventilation fans and water pumps.

Date: 20/11/2012 P4A39 page 1 / 3

In the Spogliamonaco Tunnel installation, the Movicon SCADA system constantly monitors all the data
produced on the bus for alarms, such as failed lamps, and trending towards critical conditions such as
rising carbon dioxide levels. It is also able to monitor other parameters such as dangerous vibrations (e.g.
earthquakes and rock falls), reduced visibility due to excessive exhaust, wind speed and direction,
ventilation extraction rate, CCTV and several other functions.

Many functions are automated by the Movicon system, freeing the staff in the control room from routine
duties so that they can concentrate on higher level activities. From the supervision stations, situated both
in the local control stations and in the main control centre, operators can monitor the full length of the
tunnel as well as facilities at each end, using screen pages that display both current and logged data.

All the commands can be easily and intuitively set by mouse-clicking on the on-screen graphics. For
example, the traffic lights that control vehicle movements are normally run automatically by the Movicon
logic control function, but users can assume manual override should the situation require it. The same is
true of the ventilators and other critical equipment.

All operating data is logged by the SCADA software, and can be analysed for alarms, trends etc. This
leads to optimisation of operations and helps to maintain efficiency and smooth traffic flow.

The engineers have also programmed the Movicon SCADA to provide enhanced management of the
maintenance programmes. Optimising the work schedules for the maintenance technicians can be
complicated because some equipment - such as the lamps - is maintained to regular time schedules while
other equipment – such as the fan – is maintained based on usage. Added to this there is the need to
attend failures and breakdowns. By working this out automatically equipment is better maintained and
people's time and resources are used to the best advantage.

The Spogliamonaco Tunnel has always been fitted with landline telephones, giving personnel a
straightforward and effective means of communication. These landlines have been integrated into the
SCADA system so that their use is logged alongside the rest of the operating data. The SCADA also has
the capacity to send text messages and pre-recorded mobile phone messages to staff who are 'on-call'.

In summary, Movicon has provided an innovative tunnel control solution that facilitates rapid development
at low cost, yet which still functions at a high level and with simplicity.

About P4A
Products4Automation (P4A) is a specialist supplier of new and innovative software and hardware solutions
to the UK market. Product ranges available from P4A include the latest touch-screen HMI's and flat panel
PCs, SCADA software and plug-ins, a wide range of SCADA enabled hardware, Alarm plug-in software for
large automation systems, and a full range of Production Intelligence software solutions.

Date: 20/11/2012 P4A39 page 2 / 3

Editor Contact
DMA Europa Ltd. : Selina Price

Tel: +44 (0)1562 751436

Fax: +44 (0)1562 745315
Web: www.dmaeuropa.com
Email: admin@dmaeuropa.com

Company Contact
Products4Automation : Paul Hurst

Tel: +44 (0)845 077 3858

Web: www.products4automation.com
Email: paul.hurst@products4automation.com

Date: 20/11/2012 P4A39 page 3 / 3