How Edge Computing Enhances HMI/SCADA Solutions

Editor’s Note: This article is adapted from the white paper, “Edge Computing Creates Better HMI/SCADA Solutions.” Download the full paper to learn what an improved and fortified industrial control system architecture looks like; the advantages of edge computing for resolving persistent challenges; and three case studies of oil platform, ship and chemical plant control systems that transitioned to a single edge platform, modern DCS and historian software.

Traditional human-machine interface (HMI) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) architectures have served industry well for mission-critical automation control, but there is always room for improvement. With digitalization comes an edge-computing-based approach that redefines what “good” looks like in a monitoring and control system architecture.

Modern edge computing platforms solve many common challenges faced by engineers when deploying or operating HMI and SCADA in their automation and control systems.

We know that edge computing is a distributed computing framework where information is collected, processed, and stored close to the edge — where it is produced or consumed — rather than in a centralized server or data center.

Adopting edge computing within your enterprise benefits automation control, specifically HMI and SCADA design, by improving your ability to protect mission-critical operations. A single edge platform bolsters operational excellence through extensive engineering, operations and maintenance efficiencies along with critical reliability, safety and security improvements.

Production Challenges

Some of the most pressing challenges with typical automation and control architectures include demand for digitalization, disparate islands of automation and downtime. Edge computing tackles these challenges by design, modernizing the infrastructure by allowing users to consolidate multiple software solutions and individual computers into a single edge platform.

Normally, HMI/SCADA software and advanced applications such as historians, manufacturing execution systems (MESs), batch, asset performance, engineering and programming software are installed in multiple computers, but edge computing with built-in virtualization avoids this complexity and cost.

In addition, a single fault-tolerant edge platform mitigates performance slowdowns caused by bandwidth and latency issues, and reduces maintenance complexities common with an otherwise rou­tinely expanding pool of hardware and software assets.

Also, edge platforms with built-in redundancy protect against unplanned downtime and support operational resilience. This is because downsizing to a single redundant device where all the automation and control software is installed increases reliability and simplifies security management, thus minimizing the risk of costly operational disruptions. Built-in redundancy and preconfigured virtualization are especially important when the SCADA or HMI is installed in a remote or hazardous environment.

Real-World Example of Benefits

Let’s look at how a London-based chemical company benefitted from implementing an edge solution.

Synthomer transitioned to a fault-tolerant edge computing platform to centralize and optimize operations at a production plant in Italy and protect against failures and downtime. Eliminating islands of automation and standardizing the entire facility on the same system improved operational safety, resilience and analytics.

The system included:

• Stratus ftServer to protect the modernized operation and house all the software used to engineer, program, operate and maintain the distributed control system (DCS).
• Rockwell Automation PlantPAx^® DCS.
• Rockwell Automation Allen-Bradley^® ControlLogix^® programmable automation controllers (PACs) replacing the plant’s previous disparate, multibranded programmable logic controllers (PLCs).
• System integration performed by Progecta.

Modernizing Traditional Architectures

The depth of edge computing advantages underscores the reasons to modernize traditional automation control architectures. For mission-critical operations especially, benefits such as workload consolidation, operational resilience, downtime protection and standardization help users achieve a more powerful, efficient and secure HMI/SCADA solution.

Stratus Technologies, based in Maynard, Massachusetts, is a Global Technology Partner in the Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork^TM program. The company provides the continuous availability of business-critical applications by delivering zero-touch edge computing platforms that are simple to deploy and maintain, protected from interruptions and threats. Stratus serves companies ranging from global Fortune 500 companies to small-to-medium sized businesses.

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