Data Modeling in the Oil & Gas Industry

The Oil and Gas Industry faces a number of new challenges in the coming years. From the obvious challenge of managing a finite resource to ever-changing environmental regulations and the consequent competitive pressures, it’s easy to understand why industry leaders are continually striving to find ways to optimize and improve operational efficiency.

The new digital landscape of the industry has led to a proliferation of data, with greater frequency, at every stage of the business lifecycle. This abundance of data has led to new ideas about how this data can best be managed to maximize its value. The standards introduced by PPDM 3.8 include 53 subject areas intended to give executives a model for a Master Data Management solution.

A data management model is necessary largely because of the separate data sets that must be monitored – such as location data, well data and production data – which have traditionally been grouped and viewed separately. Now, research is showing that the proliferation of these information “silos” and the lack of a unified view can lead to a number of undesirable consequences, including:

• Project delays
• Escalating costs
• Lack of regulatory compliance
• Inability to utilize full production capacity (missed revenue opportunities)

If an integrated data management system can increase efficiency and productivity, improve safety, ensure regulatory compliance, and reduce costs, it becomes obvious that data integration is well worth the investment.


Data Modeling Tools

The OPC Foundation first introduced the Unified Architecture specification in 2006, taking a major step toward a cross-platform service-oriented architecture for process control. The OPC UA information model provides a logical framework for an integrated data management system. Additionally, other software tools have been engineered to facilitate the transition toward a more integrated model.

Recently, SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) and HMI (Human Machine Interface) software has made progress toward allowing a fully integrated data visualization system that aligns with the needs and expectations of the modern oil and gas industry. Some of the ways that SCADA has embraced the notion of integration include:

• OPC UA Compatibility
  Many HMI/SCADA developers have embraced OPC Unified Architecture, giving their software the ability to communicate with hundreds of different devices. The enhanced security and multi-platform support of the latest OPC specification helps facilitate an integrated information management system.
• Data Modeling
  Although data modeling in an HMI/SCADA system is still quite rare, some innovative developers have developed software with integration in mind. Finding a powerful HMI/SCADA system that incorporates the concept of data modeling is an essential step toward creating a fully integrated data management system.
• Mobile Device Support
  Not quite as rare as data modeling, but still not fully embraced, several software developers or ISVs have added mobile device support to their product offerings. As the oil and gas industries begin transitioning toward a unified system of data visualization, the benefits of mobility become more apparent.

Using the right SCADA system can significantly reduce unplanned downtime or unexpected delays, while simultaneously improving efficiency and safety.

** B-Scada’s Status Enterprise HMI/SCADA software provides a perfect example of how a modern SCADA system can truly embrace the modern, data-driven industrial landscape. Learn more at http://scada.com.

Better HMIs for Better Decision-Making

Today’s workplace is much more automated than in the past, and work is increasingly done by computers and other machines. The role of the human worker has changed, with many relegated to operating the machines that do the work rather than doing the work themselves. It’s hard to argue that most production environments have become more efficient and more productive as a result of automation. Much research has been done to compare the value of using a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) and HMI (Human Machine Interface) system to the value of not using a SCADA/HMI system. What is often overlooked, however, is the cost of using a poorly designed HMI system compared to the cost of using a well-designed, user-centered HMI system.

A recent study by OSHA in Europe has compiled statistics on HMI-related errors in the workplace. Interestingly, research shows that the majority of problems are caused by human error, but not entirely because of mental and physical fatigue. More often, errors are caused by poor decision-making related to the way that information is processed.

Source: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

A certain amount of human error is to be expected, as is a certain amount of machine failure, but errors caused by a lack of information (i.e. common safety procedures, maintenance procedures and history, expected machine performance, etc.) should be nearly unheard of in today’s information-driven world. All of this information can and should be made available in real time to all operators and key decision makers. Poor HMI design may be acceptable when everything is working well and without any abnormal conditions, but when something abnormal or unexpected happens, the HMI needs to be as transparent as possible so human operators can see what they need to see to make quick decisions. Too often, the HMI serves as a barrier to problem-solving rather than an ally.

Learn more about the value of more intelligent HMIs at www.scada.com

Can your SCADA System Enhance your Asset Management?

Asset Management is an integral part of success in today's information driven enterprise.

In many industries, a key determining factor in maximizing profitability is the management of the health and performance of company assets. Assets age and require maintenance. Normal use will lead to decreases in efficiency and overall performance if certain key indicators are not tracked and properly analyzed. In order to increase operational efficiency and reduce unscheduled downtime, many companies have introduced EAM (Enterprise Asset Management) or ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems into their infrastructure. Key data drawn from operator inspections, rounds, general maintenance and service can be used to make important decisions about how assets should be used and how their performance can be maximized. One problem today’s businesses face, however, is that this asset data is managed by a system separate from the operational data, putting key decision makers at a disadvantage when it comes to making the most informed decisions possible.

But what if your HMI/SCADA system could provide some of these asset management capabilities? What if the real time data from a controlled and monitored system included all information available from that system? A modern SCADA system that would allow monitored assets to be associated in real time with maintenance records and service requests would give both operators and key decision-makers access to all of the data needed to perform their jobs at the highest level of efficiency.

A recent article from ARC Advisory Group* examined the advantages of APM (Asset Performance Management) and its relevance to supervisory control and data acquisition. Per the article: “Leading practitioners of APM are moving towards an integrated data model supported by a system where all information is aligned with its corresponding asset.”

In most cases today, there is a distinct separation between process control operators and the management personnel tasked with making the decisions that affect those processes. While a SCADA system cannot completely replace a robust Enterprise Asset Management system, it can certainly enhance and contribute to it. In fact, it is becoming increasingly obvious that finding a solution that allows operators to do their jobs safely and efficiently, while also allowing decision-makers to improve performance and increase asset reliability, will be a key to maintaining a competitive edge in today’s marketplace.

Today, businesses in any industry gather a tremendous amount of data from numerous sources: from instruments and sensors to manual inspections and general maintenance. There is plenty of data to make faster and better decisions than in the past, but is that what is happening? More often than not this data is not being maximized and used to its full potential.

ARC’s research led them to the same conclusion. Their determination was that businesses do not suffer from a lack of data; they suffer from an inability to “analyze and distill all the relevant data down to actionable information for measurable performance improvement”.

We have new tools to help us with our work, but our work proceeds largely unchanged. Without the ability to translate this abundance of data into useful information, it will never help us reach our full potential.

This process begins with finding and using the right tools for the job. For most of today's industries, there is no longer a question about how to get important data to where it is needed. The question has become about what to do with that data to make the most of it. Researchers inevitably arrived at the only sensible recommendation:

“ARC recommends investing in solutions engineered and designed to not only leverage existing data systems, but enhance its business value to the enterprise.”

Experts agree: the time has come to expect more from SCADA.

*Founded in 1986, ARC Advisory Group is the leading technology research and advisory firm for industry and infrastructure (http://www.arcweb.com)

HTML5 is Taking SCADA to New Places

For those web developers who keep up with the new standards in web development, HTML5 comes as no surprise. The internet has changed so much since the last iteration of HTML was standardized in 1999, new innovations were inevitable. With the widespread deployment of broadband internet connections and the prevalence of multimedia on today’s web, HTML5 was designed to bring HTML standards up to date. Some of the changes are staggering.

HTML5 introduces a number of new features to enhance web browsers’ abilities to create graphics, display multimedia content, and deploy web applications with ease. New elements and attributes have made the latest version of HTML much more robust and sophisticated, and CSS3 has introduced a number of new style elements that are certain to change the face of the worldwide web. As more and more browsers are coming to adopt the new standard, web pages and applications created in HTML5 will load and run more quickly and with fewer errors. This will allow for higher quality video and audio content, more detailed graphics, and more intelligent applications.

While not every browser had fully adopted the new features of HTML5, it won’t be long before the new standard changes the way we see the web. And, subsequently, it will change the way HMI/SCADA systems work as well. With most mobile browsers supporting HTML5 – including iOS, Android and Blackberry devices – the new technology will allow SCADA developers to design software that can be as mobile as today’s workers.

Control operators will no longer be chained to a workstation. Engineers in the field can view HMIs with real time data on their phones and tablets. Executives can use real time information to make important decisions from wherever they may be in the world. With SCADA becoming mobile, businesses can become more agile and responsive to key indicators. The gap between management and production will be all but eliminated. It is now possible to share live data across multiple channels spread all over the country or the world.

So, HTML5 is making SCADA systems more accessible than ever before. The next challenge is to find the best way to take advantage of these new capabilities and maximize the impact of mobility. Are you up to it?

Data Modeling – The Future of SCADA?

SCADA systems have undergone numerous evolutions since their inception many decades ago. Innovations in technology and control systems have led software developers to develop new SCADA software to keep up with the changing industrial workplace. Data Modeling is one of the many new features some of the pioneering SCADA developers are introducing. The idea is that the complexity of large systems with numerous assets can be reduced, making the entire systems more understandable and manageable using a data model.

Anyone involved in process automation has had the misfortune of trying to make sense out of many different types of data from many different sources. When HMI screens are bound directly to data coming from PLCs, there are several problems that can emerge:

• First of all, creating the screens and data bindings requires an intimate knowledge of the many memory addresses in each logic controller – this means there is usually only one individual or a small group capable of creating or modifying the screens.
• This also means that the PLCs have to be running and returning live data while the HMI screens are being set up – this can lead to unnecessary downtime and more complicated deployments.
• Any change in the process or processes requires a time significant investment in modifying the HMI displays to coordinate with the new data.

With a little imagination, I’m sure most people can think of several other drawbacks to binding HMI graphics directly to PLC memory addresses.

How Does Data Modeling Help?

In the world of SCADA, a data model is a logical representation of a real world system. A data model contains instances of all assets that are to be measured, along with properties of those assets (i.e. temperature, velocity, volume, etc.). When using a data model, HMI graphics are bound to properties of these assets rather than the actual data. The actual data is read to the model and the HMI updates accordingly.

Data modeling provides a number of advantages:

• Creating HMI screens and data bindings does not require knowledge of the specific memory addresses since the graphics are bound to the model – screens can be created quickly and easily
• HMI screens can be created independently of the PLCs – this means the entire SCADA system can be set up without having to take the process down.
• If assets are lost or changed – or new ones are added – simply update the data model and every instance of the asset can be modified simultaneously – this means HMI screens can be reused instead of recreated, saving countless hours of development and training time.
• A well-designed data model can give a unique overall perspective on a process that makes it easier to make plans and decisions about how the data can be used to make improvements.

Data modeling also allows new types of data to be monitored and controlled. Your data model can include work orders, purchase requests, human resources, supply chain data – in short your entire enterprise can now fall under the watchful eye of your SCADA system. This creates whole new possibilities for management and strategic planning.

Case in Point

Consider a recently developed SCADA application from B-Scada: Status Enterprise Edition. Status Enterprise allows users to create a logical model of their enterprise, including everything from equipment to users. Each type of equipment can be created with all associated properties, alarms and historical records. If there are 1000 instances of a particular asset, just create the type once and automatically generate 1000 instances of it. Assets can be grouped into collections, or one asset can be subordinated as a component of another (i.e a motor that has a cooling fan as a component). Work orders, maintenance records and troubleshooting guides can be created and associated with particular assets.

Aside from making data more manageable, modeling can also make creating HMI screens much easier. Imagine you have 1000 motors that each have a unique temperature value, a unique RPM value, a unique asset tag, etc. Since each of these motors is an instance of the same type, one screen template can be created for that type. That template can then be used to create 1000 unique screens for each instance of that type. This can save a tremendous amount of time (and money) in developing or updating a SCADA system.

Data modeling is not a new idea, but it is fairly new to the world of SCADA software, and it seems a safe bet to assume that it is not going anywhere. In fact, it’s likely that it will eventually be the way that all SCADA software operates. 

What’s Wrong with My Antique HMI? It’s a Classic!

You would think that if you plan to pay someone to sit in front of a screen (or a bunch of screens) all day every day, you would want those screens to be as effective and performance-oriented as possible. You would think that every possible effort would be employed to ensure that this employee was given all of tools available to assist him/her in performing his/her assigned duties. That’s what you would think.

Unfortunately, for many process control operators and technicians, this is not the case at all. They are relegated to using screens designed 20 years ago or more, using outdated graphics and without any concept of the HMI design best practices that have been developed over the last couple of decades.

You would think that the research on industrial accidents that has pointed unequivocally to poor HMI screen design as a primary contributing factor in process failures that have cost millions of dollars – even killed several people – would lead our captains of industry to recognize the hidden cost in employing outdated screens. You would think all kinds of things that are apparently not true if thinking is something that you’re into.

So, why is nobody upgrading their HMI displays? Money. The cost is too much when people are of the belief that what they have works just fine. The problem is that it is not easy to quantify the cost of what could be, and so people are left with just the cost of what is. And, frankly, what is isn’t good enough.
What makes a good HMI screen? There are different schools of thought on that, but there are some factors that most agree are necessary in a high performance display:

• Clarity - Graphics are easy to read and clearly show the process state and conditions. Graphics will display relevant information and not just data. Alarms and indicators of abnormal conditions are clear and prominent.
• Consistency - Graphics are standardized and consistently formatted. Interaction requires a minimum of keystrokes or pointer manipulations. Navigation is arranged in a logical, heirarchical manner.
• Feedback - Controls will function consistently in all situations. Important actions have confirmation mechanisms to prevent inadvertent activation. Design principles are employed to reduce user fatigue.

Of course, much more can be said on the subject, and much more has been written. There are numerous best practices and techniques that can be used to ensure your HMI screens are efficient and performance-oriented. Too few of them are.

It is a researched and verified fact that an improved HMI means fewer accidents, less downtime, less human error, greater efficiency, and greater anticipation and control of abnormal conditions.


The next time you consider how much it would cost to upgrade your HMI displays, do yourself a favor and consider how much not doing it is already costing you.

How SCADA Shapes the World (Part 1 – Water)

There was a time when hearing someone use terms like scum, sludge, or grit chamber would have made me think I was listening in on the creation of a new comic series or primetime TV drama. Now, when I hear these terms (which, incidentally, is not often) I know that I am actually listening in on a discussion about something much more significant. These are terms used in the waste water treatment industry. I know “waste water” is not really a hot buzzword with the kids today, but it is very important aspect of today’s efforts to conserve and sustain our precious resources. And does a resource get any more precious than water? I think not.

So, what does this blogger think he’s up to writing about waste water treatment on a blog that has been clearly dedicated to SCADA? Well, that’s about as good of a transition as I can muster.

The waste water treatment industry has become one of the largest consumers of SCADA software. It just so happens that the treatment process is one that lends itself quite nicely to the features of a SCADA deployment, and the success of such deployments has only accelerated the trend.

A powerful SCADA system has optimal tools for enhancing operational efficiency, from detecting leaks to controlling distribution. One immediate benefit facilities receive after implementing a visualization solution is that small leaks can be detected before they become larger and a major (more expensive) problem. By carefully monitoring the conditions through each stage of the treatment process, the slightest abnormality becomes immediately noticeable. Detecting small problems before they become larger can save facility operators and maintenance technicians a tremendous amount of time – and the facility itself will save money.

Before SCADA, technicians would have to go out in the field to manually inspect gauges on each individual tank. Pump stations would be visited daily. Now, all of these conditions can be monitored remotely, allowing technicians to focus on improving plant operations and increasing efficiency. All of this has led to an increase in the output of accountable water.

So, SCADA is helping water treatment facilities save time, money, hardware and – most importantly – water. No wonder more and more facilities are implementing SCADA systems. Water treatment is just another one of the many ways that SCADA is helping shape the world in which we live.
(For more information on SCADA in water treatment, or to view a case study, visit our website.)