Department of Electromechanical Engineering

Industrial Automation, HMI, SCADA

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Chapter-3: Components of Industrial Automation
1 Introduction to Industrial Automation
2 SCADA System
3 Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
4 Remot Control Unit (RTU) and PLC
5 Data Acquisition
6 Elements of data acquisition systems
Sensing Element
Signal Conditioning Element
Signal Processing Element
Data Presentation Element
7 SCADA System Components
Field Devices
PLCs and RTUs
Communication
Central Computers
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 Introduction to Industrial Automation

Introduction to Industrial Automation

Industrial automation is the use of control systems, such as com-
puters, robots, and information technologies for handling different
processes and machinery in an industry to replace a human being.

Automation is a set of technologies that results in operation of

machines and systems without significant human intervention and
achieves performance superior to manual operation

Advantages of Automated systems (Industry 4.0)

Increase productivity
Increase quality
Reduce cost
Flexibility
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 Introduction to Industrial Automation

Stages of Industrial Revolution

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 Introduction to Industrial Automation

Types of Industrial Automation

Fixed Automation System

Programmable Automation System
Flexible Automation System
Integrated Automation System

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 Introduction to Industrial Automation

Fixed Automation System

The series of operations that must be performed when the

raw material are fixed.
It is characterized by a high production rate, high efficiency,
and high initial cost and is suitable for manufacturing a large
volume of products that will have a low cost per product.
Examples of fixed automation systems are as follows:
Paint and coating automation process
Automatic assembly machines Bread production lines
Steel rolling mills
Papermills
Metal pressing/stamping machines in a vehicle assembly line in
the automobile industry

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 Introduction to Industrial Automation

Programmable Automation System

The machines involved can be used to manufacture different
styles of products. However, this requires reprogramming and
changeover for each new style of product, which takes time to
accomplish and creates downtime in production.
This is usually referred to as batch production. A long setup
time is required to modify the program for the new product
design or batch to be manufactured.
Industrial robot: This is a type of robot (programmed
machine) that’s used in the manufacturing industry. It
consists of a power supply, a controller, and a mechanical arm.
CNC machine: use geometric code (G code) and miscellaneous
code (M code) for basic program instructions for different
kinds of tasks. This type of machine can automate drilling,
milling, or 3D printing using a computer or controller.
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 Introduction to Industrial Automation

Flexible Automation System

It is an advanced form of programmable automation systems.
They also require reprogramming and changeover for each
new style of product without taking long time to accomplish
Automated guided vehicles (AGVs): AGVs are vehicles
without an onboard driver that are used mostly to transport
materials/goods in a factory or warehouse. They can navigate
along a pre-defined path using several guidance technologies,
which makes it easy for them to change routes and expand
the operation of the system in response to changes to a
scalable and flexible material handling solution.
Flexible Assembly System (FAS): A FAS is an assembly
system that can produce a variety of products in small to
medium batches with rapid changeover and reprogramming
for a new set of product designs or styles.
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 Introduction to Industrial Automation

Integrated Automation System

It integrates various machines and tools such as CAD, robots,
cranes, conveyors and other automated machineries to work
under a single control system to execute an automation
system of a production process. It allows the entire
manufacturing plant to be automated and controlled by
computers with less human intervention.
It uses computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) in which
computers control the entire production process with little
human intervention.
It can give room for the implementation of various advanced
technologies such as automated material handling systems,
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), barcode tracking
systems, Manufacturing Execution System (MES), Computer
Aided Process Planning (CAPP), automated conveyors and
cranes, and many others.
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 Introduction to Industrial Automation

Levels of Industrial Automation

Industrial automation is a complex system with several devices com-
municating and working with each other to provide the desired result.

Field level: This level can be referred to as the eyes and arms
(hands) of an industrial automation system
Control level
Supervisory and production level

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 SCADA System

SCADA System

SCADA is Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. The major

function of SCADA is for acquiring data from remote devices such
as valves, pumps, transmitters etc. and providing overall control
remotely from a SCADA Host software platform

SCADA systems are computer based control systems that monitor

and control industrial processes that exist in the physical world.

SCADA systems can be found in manufacturing facilities, oil pro-

duction and processing, pharmaceuticals, energy, water treatment
and distribution.

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SCADA System

They are the best control method for processes that have large
amounts of data that need gathering and analyzing, or are spread
over large distances, or require critical control in fast paced pro-
cesses.

SCADA provides process control locally so that these devices turn

on and off at the right time, supporting your control strategy and a
remote method of capturing data and events (alarms) for monitoring
these processes. SCADA Host platforms also provide functions for
graphical displays, alarming, trending and historical storage of data.

It is purely software package that is positioned on top of hardware

which is interfaced via PLCs/RTUs. The size of such plants range
from a few 1000 to several 100 K input/output (I/O) channels and
near to 1 M I/O channels currently under development

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SCADA System

The SCADA software processes, distributes, and displays the data,

helping operators and other employees analyze the data and make
important decisions.

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Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)

SCADA

SCADA is a system of software and hardware elements that allows

industrial organizations to:
Control industrial processes locally or at remote locations
Monitor, gather, and process real-time data
Directly interact with devices such as sensors, valves, pumps,
motors, and more through human-machine interface (HMI)
software
Record events into a log file

The basic SCADA architecture begins with Programmable Logic

Controllers (PLCs) or Remote Terminal Units (RTUs).

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 Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)

SCADA Architecture

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 Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)

SCADA example

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Remot Control Unit (RTU) and PLC

RTU
It is a microprocessor-controlled electronic device that interfaces ob-
jects in the physical world to a distributed control system or SCADA
system by transmitting telemetry data to a master system, and by
using messages from the master supervisory system to control con-
nected objects.

The RTU does not support control loops and control algorithms

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Remot Control Unit (RTU) and PLC

PLC
PLC is one of industrial automation device designed to replace relay
logic boards (high costs and inflexible) which accepts input from a
series of sensors and sends output to actuators.

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Remot Control Unit (RTU) and PLC

PLCs and RTUs are microcomputers that communicate with an ar-

ray of objects such as factory machines, HMIs, sensors, and end
devices, and then route the information from those objects to com-
puters with SCADA software.

RTUs are considered more suitable for wider geographical telemetry,

because RTUs use wireless communication; PLCs are more suitable
for local control, for example, for assembly lines in factories, light
fixtures, amusement rides, etc.

The SCADA system performs the following functions

Data Acquisitions
Data Communication
Information or data presentation
monitoring and control

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 Data Acquisition

Data Acquisition

Data acquisition refers to acquiring, or collecting, data. This data is

collected in the form of measured analog current or voltage values
or the open or closed status of contact points.

Acquired data can be used locally within the device collecting it,
sent to another device in a substation, or sent from the substation
to one or several databases to use by operators, engineers, planners,
and administration.

Data acquisition introduces the measurement principles and the

range of sensors and instruments that are used to measure phys-
ical variables.

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Data Acquisition

A Process is a system which generates information. Examples: mix-

ing process, water treatment.

Observer is a person (operator) who needs information from the

process.

The purpose of the data acquisition system is to link the observer

to the process.

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 Elements of data acquisition systems

Elements of data acquisition systems

Data acquisition system consists of four elements or blocks.
Sensing Element
Signal Conditioning Element
Signal Processing Element
Data Presentation Element

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 Elements of data acquisition systems
Sensing Element

Sensing Element

Sensing element is the first element in the measurement system.

It is in contact with, and draws energy from, the process or system

being measured.

The input to this element is the true value of the measured variable;
the output of the element depends on this value.

Examples:
Thermocouple where millivolt e.m.f. depends on temperature
Strain gauge where resistance depends on mechanical strain

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 Elements of data acquisition systems
Signal Conditioning Element

Signal Conditioning Element

Signal conditioning circuits are used to process the output signal
from sensors of a measurement system to be suitable for the next
stage of operation

The function of the signal conditioning circuits include the following

items:
Signal amplification (opamp)
Filtering (opamp): removing a certain band of frequencies
from a signal
Protection (Zener and photoisolation) from high current using
fuse
Current – voltage change circuits
Resistance change circuits (Wheatstone bridge), and
Error compensation
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 Elements of data acquisition systems
Signal Processing Element

Signal Processing Element

This takes the output of the conditioning element and converts it

into a form more suitable for presentation.

Analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) which converts a voltage into

a digital form for input to a computer.

ADC Involves converting the analogue signals into binary words.

The basic elements of ADC are:

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 Elements of data acquisition systems
Data Presentation Element

Data Presentation Element

This presents the measured value in a form which can be easily
recognized by the observer.

This element have been concerned with describing ways of produc-

ing high-quality, error-free data at the output of a data acquisition
system.

Examples are:
Visual display unit (VDU): a device for displaying input signals
as characters on a screen.
Simple pointer–scale indicator
Chart recorder
Alphanumeric display
Computer
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 SCADA System Components

SCADA system components

Looking at the overall structure of a SCADA system, there are four
distinct levels within SCADA, these being;
Field instrumentation
PLCs and / or RTUs
Communications networks and
SCADA host software

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 SCADA System Components
Field Devices

Field Devices

Those field devices are sensors and actuators which will communicate
based on the signal comes from the controller

It may be Discrete devices such as switches, push buttons and relay

contacts or Analog devices such as temperature sensor, speed sensor
and pressure sensor

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 SCADA System Components
PLCs and RTUs

PLCs and RTUs

Before 30 years, an RTU would ’relay’ the data from the instruments
to the SCADA host without any processing or control but had well-
developed communication interfaces or telemetry.

In the 1990s control programming was added to the RTU so it

operated more like a PLC. PLCs on the other hand could always do
the control program but lacked communication interfaces and data
logging capability, which has been added to some extent over the
past decade.

PLCs and RTUs have the same type of environmental and regula-
tory requirements. However, PLCs have traditionally not been as
environmentally compliant as RTUs. This is mainly due to the fact
that PLCs were designed to operate in factory floors, where the en-
vironment was already conditioned to some degree.
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 SCADA System Components
Communication

Communication
Protocols are the languages that the equipment uses to commu-
nicate. Just as people speak English, French, German, etc., so
have different protocols been developed by different manufacturers.
These different protocols are intended to maximize the hardware
benefits of their equipment.

Within SCADA systems multiple protocols are available for commu-

nication. Protocols are the methodology used to encapsulate data
for transmission between SCADA components. Designers just need
to select the method best suited for the system.

A recent trend in SCADA system has been the incorporation of video

cameras and still cameras to provide Operators real time images of
what is happening at remote sites. The need for increased security
was the driving force behind this trend
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SCADA System Components
Communication

Originally serial communications were conducted over special cables

with various protocols (Fieldbus, ControlNET, Modbus RTU, etc).
These were the standards for many years and they are still used
frequently.

One of the first steps in designing a SCADA system is to determine

which Communication Protocol will be used. The most common
protocols used are:
MODBUS RTU or MODBUS ASCII (original protocol used)
DEVICENET
CONTROLNET
Profibus
DNP3
Ethernet (MODBUS TCP, ETHERNET IP)

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 SCADA System Components
Central Computers

Central Computers
Another very important feature of SCADA HMI software is docu-
mentation for historical purposes. The data collected is achieved
and then distributed in various formats. This information helps with
maintenance as well as reporting to supervisory organizations.

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 SCADA System Components
Central Computers

HMI (Human Machine Interface

HMI (Human Machine Interface) is a device or software that
is used to communicate with the machines or groups of
machines in the plant or production area.
HMI directly connect the human with the machine just by
translating the huge amount of complex data into accessible
information via graphical representation on the monitor.
In this way, the operator has all the necessary tools to control
the process.
It is sometimes referred to as Man-Machine Interface (MMI),
Operator Interface Terminal (OIT), Local Operator Interface
(LOI), or Operator Terminal (OT).
HMI is mainly used for
To monitor or visualize the process
To control the process
To visualize trends, alarms, etc.
MI may come in the form of the built-in screen on machines 33 / 35
SCADA System Components
Central Computers

A programmable logic controller(PLC) is used to control the

process via a sequential user control logic.
PLC first scans the input stats then process it according to
the logic installed in it, after that it activates the outputs like
relays, coils, contactor, etc. via the signal from the output
card.
But PLC itself is incapable of showing all these data in an
easy graphical manner.
A person with access to a personal computer or appropriate
software to change the logic in the PLC program can see the
stats of inputs and outputs by putting the PLC in online
mode.
But this is not the practical way to monitor the inputs and
outputs stat and control logic for every other person.
To represent all this information, we need certain software
(HMI) that can connect with PLC memory and displaying all
the necessary information without giving access to change or
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 SCADA System Components
Central Computers

HMI vs SCADA
SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) does the
same thing as HMI, Although SCADA has some additional
functions that differ SCADA from HMI.
HMI can be a part of SCADA, but SCADA can’t be a part of
HMI.
HMI is usually installed at the field near the equipment, but
SCADA is generally located at the center of the plant from
where an operator can monitor or control the equipment of
the whole plant.
SCADA and HMI are closely related, both are used to
represent the plant information’s in a graphical user interface.
HMI is mainly used to represent the information in front of
the user in a graphical manner, SCADA also does the same,
but it has also gathered the data or have a database to collect
the historical information.
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