Challenge

SCADA systems play an important role in production processes. Over time, these systems can become unsupported or lack the same level of functionality of new SCADA systems. This was the challenge for a company specialized in environmental management services including water pollution. The company’s existing HMI software and server operating system were at its end-of-life status which impacted the visibility of their groundwater remediation processes. For example, the existing HMI application only allowed a single remote desktop session into the server through a legacy VPN solution, which was a challenge as many of their operators worked in remote offices or in the field. The company chose to migrate to Inductive Automation’s Ignition platform with the Perspective Module as its web-based interface would enable multiple operators to monitor and manage processes from any mobile device. E Tech Group was engaged to support the Ignition SCADA migration which consisted of upgrading the HMI software and servers, networking equipment, and VPN solution.

Solution

The first step was developing a plan that reduced migration risk and increased visualization flexibility. E Tech Group created a network diagram and planned for the customer’s operators to predominantly use the new HMI software and servers during the transition period. The legacy software was also available to reference if needed. The new networking solution included considerations to mitigate the facility’s frequent power outages and incorporated a new uninterruptible power supply (UPS) with network diagnostics in addition to Ignition Alarming functionality. This would alert operators of a power outage and automatically perform a controlled shutdown of the SCADA server, supporting a longer server lifespan and increased data protection.

The system was programmed to automatically restart and resume its operations once the power was restored without personnel needed to be on-site. As a custom solution, E Tech Group leveraged virtualized Windows-based servers for the operating system, Ignition Perspective for the SCADA platform, an open-source SQL database to house the historical process data, and an industrial grade VPN solution to support secure process monitoring and control for remote personnel.

Results

The design of the new SCADA platform was completed in a month, with two weeks of development for additional features as requested by the customer. The final design was a collaboration between the customer and E Tech Group who staffed the project with subject matter experts in the Ignition platform, server hardware and configuration, and SCADA programming. The new design enhanced the customer’s HMI features and supported mobile-optimized, real-time reports to control their environmentally conscious processes across the customer’s remote locations.