Expensive SCADA Based Pump Scheduler For Energy Savings

Site operators tend to look at other factors in a complex system than just energy savings.

Service life, general upkeep and associated labor costs, misc service costs and in many cases is the damn thing able to be adjusted by the average person in 5 minutes or less when an unexpected operating condition or fault occurs.

My point is putting in a $10,000 control system that saves $5000 a year in energy costs but adds more than $5000 in costs in other areas of the systems operation and upkeep is not a savings of any kind and that's where too many managers and non service people fail at this sort of justification of additional 'energy efficiency savings 'control devices.

SCADA is what you make it.

If your organization is run by bean counters, then control and reporting is as important as efficient operation.

If site operators overlook these, they can be replaced.

Instructions are easy to follow if the operators buy in to the routine, and own the process.

SCADA is not an end all, save all. It's just a tool!

The issue with total SCADA control is and always has been twofold.

1. Due to budget constraints and lack of technical hands-on knowledge, management often choose the lower cost, incomplete, and semi-functional version leaving operations with a system that sometimes maintains control that is acceptable but not optimal. This could be effective if the selection choice includes a detailed plan along with an adequate budget to expand the system in the future and also allow on-site tuning to improve the SCADA system through trial and error operational experience. (Fix the programming that is not correct and add what is needed.)

2. Lack of knowledgeable, competent operational and maintenance input during the drafting of equipment and SCADA control purchasing specifications. If the SCADA system programming is flawed and the operations personnel do not know how to operate the process system correctly in hand or cannot take control of the process way from automation then production, performance, and profit suffers.

I often see runaway conditions in our various processes that result in large production losses and/or equipment damage because the operators are totally dependent on the automation to control the process. If one of the instruments fail or get out of calibration the control loop is rendered non-functional and many of our operators do not understand the process system well enough or not at all so taking the control into "hand" operation usually does not work out well.

In our haste to maximize profit and reduce human error we have overlooked the simple fact that the dollars invested in proper selection and training of personnel pays back very high dividends over a long period of time.

As Lyn stated: "The SCADA is what you make of it."