Oana Chenaru

Towards cloud integration for industrial wireless sensor network systems

The paper discusses the advantages and challenges for a cloud-based system architecture for process monitoring and statistical analysis of network performance. The focus is on integrating industrial wireless sensor networks (IWSN), composed of low-power wireless field devices for sensing and actuation, with cloud infrastructures, enabling remote access over secure real-time communication channels. The proposed cloud integration solution implements RESTful services at a coordinator node level of the WSN, allowing the implementation of a scalable and more performant communication infrastructure. The overall system allows functionality for visualization, data storage and processing and distributed algorithms that can run across heterogeneous multi-level monitoring and control systems. We present a modeling and simulation approach for scalable IPv6-based industrial wireless sensor networks, highlight effective mechanisms for cloud interoperability and argument the feasibility of the proposed system.

Open cloud solution for integrating advanced process control in plant operation

This paper presents a model for integrating an advanced process control library in a cloud-based environment. The aim is to lower the development times, to reduce maintenance effort and decrease the complexity of process control applications by adopting a modular approach consisting of generic, reusable control strategies following an IEC 61499 representation. The solution uses open cloud technologies based on Heroku for the deployment in a public cloud structure and Docker for increased portability of the designed solution. The conceptual architecture of the system is presented, as well as the details of the execution module.

Modeling Complex Industrial Systems Using Cloud Services

The large computational and storage capabilities of a cloud platform offer challenging opportunities to address advanced process control techniques and algorithms. This paper presents a cloud framework for a library of advanced control sequences and algorithms. This library can be used for online or offline model identification. The work presents the basic concepts of cloud computing and how they can be applied in the industrial process modeling using a modular structure based on open technologies. Details on how to apply the proposed architecture for plant model identification are also provided.

A Fractal Model for Power Smart Grids

Smart grid technology is the future of electricity ordered by computers. This article presents the characteristics of the new technological developments in this area and reveals the fractal nature of this architecture, leading to a holonic structure which presents smart grid as a system bottom-up organized from autonomous entities that are recursively clustered at various aggregation layers. Taking into account the novelty of the subject, this paper should bring new opportunities to explore and develop this domain.

Communication Technologies for Complex Industrial Systems

In case of industrial sites located in isolated geographical areas, access to wired internet connection can be a challenge. This paper presents an evaluation of possible configurations for a remote monitoring and control of a wastewater plant. The plant does not have a public IP and the internet is acquired using a mobile connection on a router directly connected to the plant PLC. Two possible solutions are presented, using a VPN router and through an OPC tunnel.

A service oriented system of reusable algorithms for distributed control of petroleum facilities in onshore oilfields

Oil and Gas operations across the value chain are fraught with challenges in maximizing margins while mitigating risks of owning and operating critical infrastructure. The need for Integrated Operations is increasing and Industry 4.0 paradigm acts like a lighthouse. Holonic approach, Multi-Agent Systems and IEC 61499 may be used to address the required intelligence of petroleum production systems. This paper introduces a service oriented system of reusable algorithms using Multi-Agent System framework for a distributed control based on IEC 61499 software architecture.

Improving operational security for web-based distributed control systems in wastewater management

Traditional industrial systems have been designed to ne intrinsically safe by isolating their monitoring and control network. Considering the possible impact of a security attack, many plants today still choose to use this method to ensure maximum protection. At the same time, a separate trend observed in highly distributed applications like water management systems, is to centralize more local SCADA sites, into a Regional Control Center (RCC). This allows more efficient operation of existing resources and even integration with high level applications like water network modelling and simulation tools. Typical network include Ethernet and GSM communication. In order to benefit most from the implementation of plant-wide applications with reduced operating costs, increased flexibility and availability we need to address correctly the security aspects. This paper presents a methodology for improving operational security in a wastewater treatment plant and exemplifies its implementation in a specific application.

A practical approach to IEC 61850 standard for automation, protection and control of substations

This article discusses the new IEC61850 Standard for Substation Automation, considering its functionalities, requirements, and definitions. It provides an application-oriented approach through the capabilities that the new tools and Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) allow. The work highlights the importance of modern IEDs, emphasizing the main characteristics that these components must possess to meet the requirements of IEC 61850. Based on the new possibilities that the development of the norm has brought, the work presents the potential functionalities discussed in recent articles in the main events of the community, and highlights how to perform these tasks and use the resources now available. Through the implementation of Logical Nodes (LNs), GOOSE messages (Generic Object-Oriented Substation Event) and other tools, the authors approach the logical schemes of interlocking, and transfers or locks execution. All features, functionalities and data presented in the article are based on results obtained in a real application from the 110/ 20kV Babadag 1 Wind Farm.

Performance and load analysis for remote plant connectivity using GSM communication

The trend of SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) is to centralize more regional sites into one Main Control Center (MCC), in order to increase the efficiency. Due to the geographical distribution of the sites locations, the most common communication method with MCC is GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) network. Predicting network performance over a GSM network depends on the type of the transmitted data, the amount of data send, the transmission type (cyclic or event-based) as well as bandwidth and protocol characteristics. This paper presents a real-time comparison of the latency involved in the transmission of different loads of process data from a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) to the MCC, using the OPC (Open Platform Communications) protocol.

Practical fault management using real-time decision tree analysis

Risk evaluation and management are important stages in the design and maintenance of all industrial plants, especially in the oil and gas, power or nuclear fields. As current methods only address the design phase, the maintenance or the need of an emergency shutdown, our method provides a solution for a practical implementation of a fault management strategy that is able to detect abnormal process behavior, identify erroneous variable and react for the minimization of possible unwanted consequences.