A Standardised Modular Approach for Site SCADA Applications within a Water Utility

Abstract

Any large water treatment/production utility that employs autonomous plant as part of its processes will utilise supervisory control and data acquisition systems. These systems will generally be isolated from each other and will exist solely to serve the site they control and visualise. More often, they are delivered and developed organically through cost driven maintenance regimes, that prioritise on process risk rather than asset lifecycles. In some cases, this has led to variations in installed software and hardware applications, not only across a business enterprise, but also down to a site level. This is usually based on favoured products at the time of supply, and in turn requires a broader range of engineering skills to maintain and update. The previous adoption of a ‘fit and forget’ model has also led to large areas of unsupported computer assets within an organisation that further introduces ‘data risk’. As regulatory bodies start to impose stricter compliance measures on the water industry, so to the suppliers become more reliant upon their process data. This paper presents how a water utility has employed a modular approach and has set to standardise its SCADA assets across all business sectors. It reviews the hardware the systems are installed on, the software applications used to deliver the integration, and discusses how the software devices have been modelled and tagged in search of a common information model. All in line with their respective field assets. It also discusses some of the human factors surrounding the replacement of control systems.