EE 288

Electrical Measurement
&Instrumentation

Daniel Opoku (PhD)

Jan 2014

[email protected]//0553604143
 OVERVIEW
• Definitions
• What is SCADA ?
• What is Telemetry ?
• What is Data Acquisition ?
• Components of SCADA Systems
• Typical System Configurations
HMI and Example HMI Screens
• Maintenance of Your System
• Component Selection
Definition - SCADA
•What is SCADA ?
• SCADA: Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition
• SCADA system is a combination of telemetry and
data acquisition.
• Collecting information,
• Transferring it back to a central site,
• Carrying out necessary analysis and control,
• Displaying this data on a number of operator screens.
• The SCADA system is used to monitor and control a
plant or equipment.
•Control may be automatic or can be initiated by operator
Electric power generation, transmission and Buildings, facilities and environments:
distribution: Electric utilities detect current Facility managers use SCADA to control
flow and line voltage, to monitor the HVAC, refrigeration units, lighting and entry
operation of circuit breakers, and to take systems.
sections of the power grid online or offline.

Manufacturing: manage parts inventories

for just-in-time manufacturing, regulate
industrial automation and robots, and
monitor process and quality control.

Mass transit: regulate electricity to subways, trams Traffic signals: regulates traffic lights, controls Water and sewage: State and
and trolley buses; to automate traffic signals for rail traffic flow and detects out-of-order signals. municipal water utilities use SCADA
systems; to track and locate trains and buses; and to to monitor and regulate water flow,
control railroad crossing gates. reservoir levels, pipe pressure and
other factors.
 Components of SCADA System
POWER
A SCADA system performs four DISTRIBUTION
SYSTEM
functions:
• Data acquisition
• Networked data
Remote Telemetry Unit (RTU)
communication WATER
• Data presentation DISTRIBUTION
SYSTEM
• Control

Main Components/Units SCADA MASTER UNITS

HUMAN COMPUTER INTERFACE

• Remote Station/Remote
telemetry units Remote Telemetry Unit (RTU)

• Communications Network
• Central Monitoring Station
(CMS)/SCADA master units
• Field
PROCESS
Instrumentation/Sensors PLANT

5 TRANSPORT SYSTEM PETROCHEMICAL PLANT

 These functions are performed by four kinds of SCADA
components:
1.Sensors (either digital or analogue) and control relays that
directly interface with the managed system.
2.Remote telemetry units (RTUs): These are small
computerized units deployed in the field at specific sites and
locations. RTUs serve as local collection points for gathering
reports from sensors and delivering commands to control relays.
3.SCADA master units: These are larger computer consoles that
serve as the central processor for the SCADA system. Master
units provide a human interface to the system and automatically
regulate the managed system in response to sensor inputs.
4.The communications network that connects the SCADA
master unit to the RTUs in the field.
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Data Acquisition

•What is data acquisition?

•Data acquisition refers to the method used to access and
control information or data from the equipment being
controlled and monitored.

•The data accessed are then forwarded onto a telemetry

system ready for transfer to the different sites.

•They can be analogue and digital information gathered by

sensors, such as flow-meter, ammeter, etc.
Field Instrumentation
• Field Instrumentation refers to the devices that are connected to
the equipment or machines being controlled and monitored by the
SCADA System
• These are sensors for monitoring certain parameters; and actuators
for controlling certain modules of the system
• Field instruments are usually either discrete or analogue, but
sometimes are digital in type
Field Instrumentation (Analogue Devices)
• These instruments convert physical
parameters (i.e., fluid flow, velocity,
fluid level, etc.) to electrical signals
(i.e., voltage or current)

• Some of the industry standard analogue

outputs of these sensors are 0 to 5
volts, 0 to 10 volts, 4 to 20 mA and 0 to
20 mA
Liquid Level Sensor
Field Instrumentation (Discrete Device)
• Digital inputs and outputs are used to differentiate the discrete
status of the equipment
• Usually, binary 1, is used to mean EQUIPMENT ON and binary 0, for
EQUIPMENT OFF status.
• This may also mean 1 for FULL or 0 for EMPTY
• Discrete signals can either be AC or DC type
Field Instrumentation (Smart Devices)
• Instruments that provide more than one variable on one pair of
wires (Humidity, Temperature, Pressure, pH, etc.)
• Usually wired on a bus network
• Saves installation cost in wiring
• Provides diagnostic information of instruments
 Telemetry
•Telemetry is usually associated with SCADA systems.
•It is a technique used in transmitting and receiving information
or data over a medium.
•The information can be measurements, such as voltage,
temperature, humidity, speed or flow.
•These data are transmitted to another location through a
medium such as cable, telephone or radio.
•Information may come from multiple locations.
•A way of addressing these different sites is incorporated in
the system.
 Remote Telemetry Units/Remote Terminal Units
•RTU are geographically distributed over a large area.
•RTU has necessary hardware to perform
•Arithmetic and Logic functions
•Interfacing of I/Os with sensors (variety of sensors).
•Real time control of system by using simple standalone
control protocols.
•Reporting to operators Systems Control Center by way
of suitable communication.
 RTU
RTU ("Remote Terminal Unit" or "Remote Telemetry Unit") monitors and
reports events occurring at a remote site.
• This allows the operator, to manage the network more effectively, keeping
service flowing to your customers/users and protecting your revenue
stream.
• Some RTUs are also capable of remotely controlling remote site gear using
control relay contacts or protocol-based commands.
• Some RTUs can only report remote events to you.
• The operator however must physically travel to the monitored location if a
change must be made.
• An RTU that includes remote control capability reduces this (often multi-
hour) travel to a simple mouse click (or even a fully automated response).
 RTU
• RTUs collect information from their local environments in several
ways.
• The gear that forms the backbone of your network will generally
report problems as they occur.
• These reports take the form of discrete contact closure alarms or
more-detailed protocol messages.
• RTU may have onboard and external sensors that measure levels
like temperature and humidity.
• Also, important technical values like battery and tank levels and
power voltages may be monitored.
Remote Station
•Field instrumentation connected to the plant or equipment being monitored and
controlled are interfaced to the remote station to allow process manipulation at a
remote site.
•It is also used to gather data from the equipment and transfer them to the central
SCADA system.
•The remote station may either be an RTU (Remote Terminal Unit) or a PLC
(Programmable Logic Controller).
 Selection of RTU’s
RTUs need to:
• communicate with all on-site equipment
• survive an industrial environment. Rugged construction and ability
to withstand extremes of temperature and humidity (it needs to
be the most reliable element in your facility).
• have sufficient capacity to support the equipment at a site (though
should support expected growth over a reasonable period of
time).
• have a secure, redundant power supply for 24/7 working, support
battery power and, ideally, two power inputs.
Selection of RTU’s
RTUs need to:
•have redundant communication ports e.g. secondary serial port or
internal modem to keep the RTU online even if the LAN fails (multiple
communication ports easily support a LAN migration strategy)
• have non-volatile memory (NVRAM) for storing software and/or
firmware. New firmware downloadable over LAN to keep RTU capabilities
up to date without excessive site visits
• control local systems by themselves (Intelligent control) according to
programmed responses to sensor inputs
• have a real-time clock to accurately date/time stamp reports
• have a watchdog timer to ensure that the RTU restarts after a power
failure.
Communications Network
•The Communication Network refers to the communication
equipment needed to transfer data to and from different sites.
•There are many mediums such as cable, telephone, radio,
microwave, fibre optic and satellite.
•Remote sites are usually not accessible by telephone lines.
•The use of radio offers an economical solution.
•Radio modems are used to connect the remote sites to the host.
•An on-line operation can also be implemented on the radio system.
•For locations wherein a direct radio link cannot be established, a radio
repeater is used to link these sites.
•In Ghana, most of the places use Ethernet communication over
Fibre-Optic Cables.
 Communications Network
• Data Communication
• A communications network is required to monitor multiple systems from a
central location.
• TREND: put SCADA data on Ethernet and IP over SONET.
• SECURITY: Keep data on closed LAN/WANs without exposing sensitive data
to the open Internet.
• Encode data in protocol format (use open, standard protocols and protocol
mediation).
• Sensors and control relays can’t generate or interpret protocol
communication - a remote telemetry unit (RTU) is needed to provide an
interface between the sensors and the SCADA network.
• RTU encodes sensor inputs into protocol format (e.g. IEC 101) and forwards
them to the SCADA master;
• RTU receives control commands in protocol format from the master and
20 transmits electrical signals to the appropriate control relays.
Central Monitoring Station (CMS)
The Central Monitoring Station (CMS) is the master unit of the SCADA system.
•It is in charge of collecting information gathered by the remote stations and of
generating necessary action for any event detected.
•The CMS can have a single computer configuration or it can be networked to
workstations to allow sharing of information from the SCADA system.
•Maintenance reports can be generated from the CMS
Data Presentation
• SCADA systems report to human operators over a master station,
HMI (Human-Machine Interface) or HCI (Human-Computer
Interface).
• SCADA master station has several different functions:
• continuously monitors all sensors and alerts the operator when
there is an “alarm”
• presents a comprehensive view of the entire managed system,
• presents more detail in response to user requests
• performs data processing on information gathered from
sensors
• maintains report logs and summarizes historical trends.
SCADA HMI - Remote Station
• The Human Machine Interface, is the display and control of the
various SCADA components.
• Some components have their own individual keypad and displays
to alter settings locally or within a workshop. `
SCADA HMI – CMS
Some examples over various Central Management Stations screens.
SCADA HMI – CMS
Some examples over various Central Management Stations screens.
SCADA HMI – CMS
Some examples over various Central Management Stations screens.
 • When operation is performed from Master Station, the first to do
is confirm that the equipment selected is appropriate, followed
by the selection of the operation to be performed.
• Master Station Operators in the action based on a procedure
called the method "select before execute (SBXC)", as shown
below:
• Dispatchers at Master Station choose RTU.
• Dispatchers choose the equipment that will be operated.
• Dispatchers sends the command.
• Remote Terminal Units to know the equipment to be operated.
• Remote Terminal Units perform the operation and send a signal back
to the Master Station indicated by:
• E.g. color changes on the VDU(Video Display Unit) screen
• printing a message on the printer logging.
• etc
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 • If there is an interruption in the RTU, message will be
sent from RTU that is misbehaving earlier to the
Master Station, and the normal scan will be delayed
long enough for Master Station prioritize messages
and nuisance alarms turned on in order operators
can take the necessary action as soon as possible.

• At other times, in most cases, the status of all

equipment on the RTU can be monitored every 2
seconds, giving information system condition which
is going on at the operator control center (RCC).
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Selection of SCADA Master

A SCADA master should display information in the most useful ways

to human operators and intelligently regulate managed systems. It
should :
• have flexible, programmable soft controls to respond to sensor
inputs
• allow programming for soft alarms (reports of complex events that
track combinations of sensor inputs and date/time statements).
• automatically page or email directly to repair technicians and
provide detailed information display in plain language, with a
complete description of what activity is happening and how to
manage it.
Selection of SCADA Master

SCADA Master need to:

• have tools to filter out nuisance alarms (to prevents operators
from loosing confidence and stop responding even to critical
alarms)
• support multiple backup masters, in separate locations
(primary SCADA master fails, a second master on the network
automatically takes over, with no interruption of monitoring
and control functions)
• support multiple open protocols to safeguard the SCADA
system against unplanned obsolescence.
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SCADA - Advantage
• SCADA systems other advantage is the ability to limit the
amount of data transferred between Master Station and RTU.
• This is done through a procedure known as exception
reporting where specific data is sent only when the data
changes that exceed the limit setting,
• E.g. frequency value can only be changed if there is a change of
0.05 Hertz.
• If there is a change whose value is very small, there will be no
change in frequency.
• This is to anticipate the Noise/Errors (e.g. hysteresis) properties of
the system so that the actual frequency value can be read clearly.

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 INTO THE
FUTURE …

32
 33

Phasor Measurement Unit

•A Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU):

• Device which Measures the electrical
waves/signals on an electrical grid.
• It measures the wave using a common time
source for synchronization.
• The measurements are called
synchrophasor.
• The time synchronization allows
synchronized real-time measurements of
multiple remote measurement points on the
grid.
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 34

Phasor Measurement Unit

•PMUs are considered to be one of the

most important measuring devices in
the future of power systems.
•A PMU can be:
• dedicated device
• incorporated into a protective relay or
other device.
•Increasing complexity of power grids
due to growth of more distribution
energy resources.
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 35

Phasor Measurement Unit

•Monitoring of power flow on such complex

grids demands more observability and
control.
•Current grids comprise of more complex
network of generation and loads.
•This necessitate the continuous
observation and control of the electrical
conditions of transmission and distribution
networks through advanced sensor
technology
35 •PMUs serve this purpose.
 References
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCADA
• http://www.powersystem.org/scada
• http://nrldc.org/docs/documents/Articles/SCA
DAinIndianPowerSystem_PKA.pdf
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_generatio
n

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 Thank You

For any concerns, please contact

[email protected]
[email protected]
0322 191132
Jan 2014