UNIT IV

INTRODUCTION OF SCADA
Introduction to DCS and SCADA - Block diagram – function of each
component – Security objective – Operation and engineering station
interface – Communication requirements.

Dr.R.Vijayarani, Assistant Professor 1

INTRODUCTION
DISTRIBUTED CONTROL SYSTEM (DCS)
• DCS is a control system for a plant or process, where the control
elements are distributed throughout the system.
• It is in contrast to non-distributed systems, that uses a single
controller at a central location.
• In a DCS, a hierarchy of controllers are connected by communication
networks for command and for monitoring.
• To command and to monitor a hierarchy of controllers is connected
by communications networks.

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INTRODUCTION
SCADA
• SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition;
• it is an industrial computer-based control system employed to gather
• analyze the real-time data to keep track, monitor and control
industrial equipment in different types of industries.

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SCADA
• Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) is a control system
architecture that uses computers, networked data communications
and graphical user interfaces for high—level process supervisory
management, but uses other peripheral devices such as
programmable logic controller (PLC) and discrete PID controllers to
interface with the process plant or machinery

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WHY SCADA???
• Saves Time and Money
• Less traveling for workers (e.g. helicopter ride)
• Reduces man-power needs
• Increases production efficiency of a company
• Cost effective for power systems
• Saves energy
• Reliable
• Supervisory control over a particular system

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Objectives of SCADA
1. Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of the parameters of voltage,
current, etc..
2. Measurement: Measurement of variables for processing.
3. Data Acquisition: Frequent acquisition of data from RTUs and Data
Loggers / Phasor data Concentrators (PDC)..
4. Data Communication: Transmission andreceiving of large amounts
of data from fieldto control centre’s.
5. Control: Online real time control for closed loop and open loop
processes.
6. Automation: Automatic tasks of switching of transmission lines,
CBs, etc.
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Functions of SCADA
• Data Acquisition
• Information Display
• Supervisory Control
• Alarm Processing
• Information Storage and Reports
• Sequence of Event Acquisition
• Data Calculation
• Special RTU Processing/Control
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SCADA and PLC Overview

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Process Control System (PCS) Safety System

Source: www.clcert.cl/seminario/
US-CERT_Chile_2007-FINALv2.ppt
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BLOCK DIAGRAM OF SCADA

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Dr.R.Vijayarani, Assistant Professor 11
Human-machine Interface (HMI)
• It is an input-output device that presents the process data to be
controlled by a human operator.
• It is used by linking to the SCADA system’s software programs and
databases for providing the management information
• including the
• scheduled maintenance procedures,
• detailed schematics,
• logistic information,
• trending and diagnostic data for a specific sensor or machine.
• HMI systems facilitate the operating personnel to see the information
graphically.

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Supervisory System

• Supervisory system is used as server for communicating between the

equipment of the SCADA system such as RTUs, PLCs and sensors, etc.,
and the HMI software used in the control room workstations.
• Master station or supervisory station comprises a single PC in smaller
SCADA systems
• In case of larger SCADA systems, supervisory system comprises
distributed software applications, disaster recovery sites and multiple
servers

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Remote Terminal Units
• Physical objects in the SCADA systems are interfaced with the
microprocessor controlled electronic devices called as Remote
Terminal Units (RTUs).
• These units are used to transmit telemetry data to the supervisory
system and receive the messages from the master system for
controlling the connected objects.
• Hence, these are also called as Remote Telemetry Units

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Programmable Logic Controllers
• In SCADA systems, PLCs are connected to the sensors for collecting
the sensor output signals in order to convert the sensor signals into
digital data.
• PLCs are used instead of RTUs because of the advantages of PLCs
like flexibility, configuration, versatile and affordability compared
to RTUs.

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Communication Infrastructure
• Generally the combination of radio and direct wired connections is
used for SCADA systems
• For large systems like power stations and railways SONET/SDH are
frequently used.
• Among the very compact SCADA protocols used in SCADA systems –
a few communication protocols, which are standardized and
recognized by SCADA vendors
• send information only when the supervisory station polls the RTUs.

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SCADA Programming
• SCADA programming in a master or HMI is used for creating maps and
diagrams which will give an important situational information in case
of an event failure or process failure.
• Standard interfaces are used for programming most commercial
SCADA systems.
• SCADA programming can be done using derived programming
language or C language.

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SCADA ARCHITECTURE

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Usage of SCADA

• Electric power generation, transmission and distribution: Electric

utilities use SCADA systems to detect current flow and line voltage, to
monitor the operation of circuit breakers, and to take sections of the
power grid online or offline.
• Water and sewage: State and municipal water utilities use SCADA to
monitor and regulate water flow, reservoir levels, pipe pressure and
other factors.
• Buildings, facilities and environments: Facility managers use SCADA
to control HVAC, refrigeration units, lighting and entry systems.

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• Manufacturing: SCADA systems manage parts inventories for just—
in—time manufacturing, regulate industrial automation and robots,
and monitor process and quality control.
• Mass transit: Transit authorities use SCADA to regulate electricity to
subways, trams and trolley buses; to automate traffic signals for rail
systems; to track and locate trains and buses; and to control railroad
crossing gates.
• Traffic signals: SCADA regulates traffic lights, controls traffic flow and
detects out—of— order signals.

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Types of SCADA systems

• First generation:
• Monolithic or Early SCADA systems
• Second generation:
• Distributed SCADA systems
• Third generation:
• Networked SCADA systems
• Fourth generation:
• Internet of Things technology, SCADA sytems

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DISTRIBUTED CONTROL SYSTEM(DCS)

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• A distributed control system (DCS) is a computerised control system
for a process or plant usually with a large number of control loops
• autonomous controllers are distributed throughout the system, but
there is central operator supervisory control.
• In contrast to systems that use centralized controllers; either discrete
controllers located at a central control room or within a central
computer.
• The DCS concept increases reliability and reduces installation costs by
localizing control functions near the process plant, with remote
monitoring and supervision
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Advantages of DCS
• Access a large amount of current information from the data highway.
• Monitoring trends of past process conditions.
• Readily install new on—line measurements together with local
computers.
• quickly among standard control strategies and read just controller
parameters in software.
• flexibility of the framework to implement his latest
• controller design ideas on the host computer.

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Security Objective
• Cyber security attacks that cause authorization violation,
eavesdropping, information leakage, interception or alteration of the
messages, replaying a message at inappropriate times, and denial of
service by choking the channel.
• Encryption is the method that can be effective to handle many of the
attacks , which is inbuilt in the OSI reference model, in layers
of network or above.
• IP security (IPsec) protocol inserted at the IP level is an example.

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Security threat points in a SCADA network

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COMMUNICATION REQUIREMENTS
• supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) communication
refers to the communication channels employed between the field
equipment and the master station
• access the field data in real time for assessing the state of the
system, the voltage and current vectors from buses, the loading on
the system, or circuit breaker and isolator positions.

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SCADA communication requirements

• Communication traffic flows must be identifed

• The quantity of data to be transferred, the source of data, and the destination
where the data are to be transferred.
• The identification of end system locations is also important.
• System topology—ring, star, mesh, or hybrid–is important.
• The capabilities of the devices used for communication at both ends
and the processor capabilities are noted.
• The communication session and dialogue characteristics need to be
explored during the design phase.

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• Communication traffic characteristics are very important due to the time critical data
transfer requirements of the power systems.
• Performance requirements of the communication system must be known.
• Reliability of the communication system, backup system, and failover is critical.
• Timing of the communications is significant.
• Application data format and the application service requirements are important.
• Electromagnetic interference must withstand capability qualifications.
• Operational requirements such as directory, security, and management of

the network are important.

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Smart grid communication infrastructure

• Distribution systems were minimally automated

• monitoring was performed at substations for sending the data to
higher hierarchies.
• So when a simple distribution system is strengthened with
communication and control capabilities, in addition to monitoring,
it migrates to a smart grid.

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Expansion of two-way communication to distribution system including
customers.

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Requirements of smart grid communication

• Quality of services (QoS)

• Interoperability
• Scalability
• Security
• Standardization
• IEEE P2030 is the standard group created by IEEE,
• This group mainly focuses on three fields: power engineering technology,
• communication, and information technology

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SCADA communication topologies
• Point-to-point and multipoint links.

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• Bus topology

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 • Star topology • Ring topology

• Mesh topology
• Data flow: Simplex and duplex

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SCADA data communication techniques
• Master-slave
• Peer-to-peer
• Multi-peer (broadcast and multicast)

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