International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, Volume 2, Issue 5, May 2012)

Development of Supervisory Control and Data

Acquisition system for Laboratory Based Mini Thermal
Power Plant using LabVIEW
Bindu Pillai1, Vishal Mehta2, Nilam Patel3
1, 2, 3
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Faculty of Technology & Engineering,
Charotar University of Science & Technology, Changa. (Gujarat).India
1
bindupillai.me@ecchanga.ac.in
2
mehtavishalr@yahoo.com
3
nilampatel.me@ecchanga.ac.in

Abstract— Supervisory control and data acquisition systems
(SCADA) are widely used in industry for supervisory control
and data acquisition of industrial processes. The process can be
industrial, infrastructure or facility. With the advances of
electronic and software technologies, the SCADA systems are
widely used in industrial plant automation. It provides an
efficient tool to monitor and control equipment in
manufacturing processes. This paper describes development of
SCADA system for laboratory based mini thermal power plant
setup using LabVIEW data logging and supervisory control
(DSC) module.
Keywords— Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
(SCADA), Data Logging and Supervisory Control (DSC),
Thermal Power Plant
I. INTRODUCTION
The conventional methods for plant monitoring may be
uneconomical if applied to power plant due to high cost, so
integrated automation and control has become the solution
for making it efficient and cost effective. Normally, an
automated system improves the system efficiency, plant
monitoring, productivity and the operation management of
the plant [1].
The main objective of a supervisory system is to give the
means to the human operator to control and to command a
highly automated process. So, the supervision of industrial
processes includes a set of tasks aimed at controlling a
process and supervising its operation [3].
SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition)
generally refers to industrial control systems, computer
systems that monitor and control industrial, laboratory,
infrastructure or facility-based processes [4].
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II. SCADA
SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data
Acquisition. As the name indicates, it is not a full control
system, but rather focuses on the supervisory level. As
such, it is a purely software package that is positioned on
top of hardware to which it is interfaced, in general via
Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), or other
commercial hardware modules [2].
SCADA systems are used to monitor and control a plant
or equipment in industries such as telecommunications,
water and waste control, energy, oil and gas refining and
transportation. These systems encompass the transfer of
data between a SCADA central host computer and a
number of Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) and/or
Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), and the central
host and the operator terminals [10].
A SCADA system consists of: field data interface
devices, a communication system, a central host computer,
human machine interface (HMI).
III. SCADA SIMULATION IN LABVIEW
A SCADA simulation of a laboratory based mini thermal
power plant developed using LabVIEW data logging and
supervisory control (DSC) module has capacity to
supervise the operation and data acquisition. A simulation
has capacity for supervising a plant operation. A simulation
has facility to acquire the value of temperature and pressure
which are sensed by a temperature sensor and pressure
sensor respectively. In this Simulation we can supervise
high and low level position of level sensor available at mini
thermal power plant setup. Measurement of previous
 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, Volume 2, Issue 5, May 2012)
process data can supervise in this simulation in the form of sensors are placed near the globe valve to sense the
graph plots. Simulation also facilitates alarms for any bad temperature of steam produced in boiler, at condenser inlet
condition or excess condition of an event. Supervisory and outlet to sense temperature of water. There is pressure
control of mini thermal power plant is shown in figure 1. transmitter available near globe valve to sense the steam
Data acquisition is also possible in this SCADA simulation. pressure.
Data are acquired from the various temperature sensor, B. Level Measurement: For the development of SCADA
pressure sensor and level sensor with the help of data system of laboratory based mini thermal power plant setup
acquisition hardware. two different level sensors available at water storage tank
and diesel storage tank to sense the water level and diesel
A. Temperature and Pressure measurement: The mini
level respectively.
thermal power plant setup consists of temperature sensors
(J type thermocouple) at various places. These temperature

FIGURE 1
SUPERVISORY CONTROL AND DATA ACQUISITION IN SCADA SIMULATION FOR LABORATORY BASED MINI THERMAL POWER PLANT

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 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, Volume 2, Issue 5, May 2012)

FIGURE 2
HISTORICAL DATA ACQUISITION IN SCADA SIMULATION FOR LABORATORY BASED MINI THERMAL POWER PLANT

C. Data logging for temperature and pressure
measurement: Developed SCADA simulation has
capability to log values of temperature sensed through
temperature sensor and acquired by data acquisition
system. Values of steam pressure also logged in this
simulation which is sensed through pressure sensor and
acquired through data acquisition hardware.
D. Measurement of historical data: SCADA simulation
has capability to log historical data for the data acquired
during Process. This simulation can log the values of
Temperature sensor and pressure sensor which was
acquired by data acquisition system. Data acquired by data
acquisition system can log and these values displays in the
plot of graphs. Historical data provides data logging for the
previous activities of the power plant. In historical data
logging previous data of particular event is shown in the
form of graphs. Acquisition of historical data in SCADA
simulation is shown in figure 2.

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 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, Volume 2, Issue 5, May 2012)

FIGURE 3
ALARM HANDLING IN SCADA SIMULATION

E. Alarm Handling: An alarm represents a specific, IV. CONCLUSION

abnormal condition associated with shared variable or with
a user-defined state. You can set and configure alarms for
shared variables. An alarm is the alarm information for the
specified shared variables. An event is a type of alarm that
occurs instantaneously. An event is virtually any
instantaneous activity, whereas an alarm typically denotes
an abnormal condition, occurs under certain specific
conditions, or must be acknowledged by the user or
configured for automatic acknowledgment. Alarms of an
event are acknowledged using this simulation as shown in
figure 3.
SCADA simulation for mini thermal power plant is used to
supervise mini thermal power plant operation. This
simulation has ability for data acquisition from the various
temperature sensor, pressure sensor and level sensor.
SCADA simulation can helps to supervise the position of
automatic valves and level sensor. Supervision of
Historical data of power plant and alarm indication for an
event can possible through this simulation. Data log of
temperature and pressure measurement is also possible in
this simulation.

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 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, Volume 2, Issue 5, May 2012)

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