Definition
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) monitors and enables supervisory control of equipment and processes (often spread across a wide geographic area such as a pipeline, water network, or power grid) collecting real-time data and allowing operators to issue high-level commands from a central interface, without necessarily performing the detailed, distributed closed-loop control a DCS handles.
Key facts
- Commonly monitors and supervises assets spread across a wide geographic area, distinct from a DCS's typical single-plant deployment.
- Provides supervisory-level commands and monitoring, generally at a higher level than tight, continuous closed-loop control.
- Collects real-time data from remote terminal units or PLCs at each site back to a central control room.
- A key data source for condition monitoring and diagnostic codes where equipment spans multiple, dispersed locations.
How does Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition work in maintenance?
SCADA works by collecting real-time data from remote sensors, PLCs, or terminal units at multiple, often widely dispersed sites, transmitting it back to a central control room where operators can monitor status and issue supervisory-level commands, without necessarily performing the tight, continuous control loops a local controller handles directly.
What does Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition require?
A DCS distributes detailed, continuous control logic across networked controllers typically within one plant managing complex interconnected processes. SCADA is more commonly associated with supervising and monitoring assets spread across a wider geographic area, issuing higher-level commands rather than performing the fine-grained closed-loop control a DCS or local PLC handles.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What monitoring and data-acquisition task does SCADA perform?
SCADA monitors equipment and processes, often spread across a wide geographic area, collecting real-time data and enabling supervisory-level control commands from a central interface, distinct from a DCS's tighter, distributed process control.
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