Enhancing DPDC SCADA communication system

Abstract

SCADA is an acronym that stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. It is a decentralized control system used extensively in power industry for monitoring and controlling plant equipment, processes as well as resources in industry such as energy, water/wastewater, petrochemical and manufacturing. To assist in the management and control of the country’s critical infrastructures SCADA were developed and implemented–complete with remote communications. SCADA communication plays a vital role in the functioning of this supervisory control system. Reliability of SCADA system is therefore much dependent on the SCADA communication sector. As such a communication technology should be used that the reliability of SCADA system does not need to be compromised. SCADA had been in use in Dhaka Power Distribution Company since 1998. It was then developed by ABB. Ever since its introduction the communication sector of DPDC hardly went any improvement. At present the SCADA Communication sector is facing many problems that are rendering the whole structure obsolete. The communication structure is based on microwave links and this paper intends to propose a new communication technology named Free Space optical Communication to enhance system reliability. Free Space Optics (FSO) or Optical Wireless, refers to the transmission of modulated visible or infrared (IR) beams through the air to obtain optical communications. Like fiber, Free Space Optics (FSO) uses lasers to transmit data, but instead of enclosing the data stream in a glass fiber, it is transmitted through the air. It is a secure, cost-effective alternative to other wireless connectivity options.