Tuesday, March 2, 2021

An Introduction to SCADA

A successful electrical engineer, Dianoush Emami graduated from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Dianoush Emami has also performed a technical audit for the California Independent System Operator and reviewed the generation control of its Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system (SCADA).


SCADA is a data acquisition, monitoring, and system control solution that is particularly helpful for large geographical areas. It combines data acquisition and telemetry. For data collection, measurements are collected by remote terminal units and further conveyed to the SCADA central host computer for remote access.

Due to its efficient data collection capability, SCADA is a significant tool in power system operation. It also provides a flexible range of capabilities that include distribution network automation, monitoring, coordinating, control, and operating distribution components.

SCADA is a capable solution for various industries (electric, energy, water, oil and gas, and more). Instead of requiring employees to manually inspect the plant, pipeline, or grid for errors, SCADA accomplishes the inspection in an automated approach through programmed scripts. SCADA can also restrict outages when a problem is detected. In cases where an outage is slipped past, SCADA's database can help workers identify the source of the failure instantly. The automation system also increases the time of power restoration following an outage. Any authorized worker can reroute the power to unaffected sections from the control room at the press of a button once the faulty sections are detected.