SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)

SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is the integrated hardware-and-software system that collects real-time process data from sensors and field instruments across an industrial plant, presents it to operators on graphical Human-Machine Interface (HMI) screens, logs historical trends in a database, and enables remote control of valves, pumps, motors, and other actuators through Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). For Indian CBG, recycling, and pyrolysis plants, a basic SCADA system is now standard practice — and a regulatory expectation for SPCB Consent to Operate in many states.

A typical 10 TPD CBG plant SCADA architecture has three layers. The field layer comprises 100–200 instruments — temperature, pressure, flow, pH, methane, hydrogen sulphide, ammonia, level sensors — wired to one or two PLCs. The control layer runs the real-time control loops (typically 50–80 PID loops for digester temperature, gas flow, mixing speed, pumping rates) and safety interlocks (gas leak detection, over-pressure shutdown, low-level cutout). The supervisory layer runs HMI screens for the control room operator, logs data at 1-second to 1-minute granularity, and pushes summary KPIs to plant management dashboards. Common SCADA platforms in Indian deployments include Siemens WinCC, Rockwell FactoryTalk, Wonderware InTouch, and increasingly cloud-native systems like Ignition and AVEVA Connect.

The business case for SCADA rests on four levers. Process optimisation through trend analysis identifies 5–15% improvements in biogas yield and 10–25% reductions in parasitic power load. Predictive maintenance based on sensor data cuts unplanned downtime by 30–50%. Regulatory compliance — particularly continuous emission monitoring data reporting to CPCB's CARE-Air portal — is mandatory for plants above defined thresholds, and SCADA is the natural data backbone. Remote operations enable single-operator coverage during night shifts and centralised multi-plant management for SATAT developers running portfolios. Capex for a basic CBG plant SCADA runs ₹15–40 lakh; full multi-plant cloud-integrated systems run ₹80 lakh–2 crore. Annual maintenance and licensing add 8–12% of capex.

• Integrated system for plant data acquisition, supervisory control, and operator interface.
• Three layers: field sensors, PLC control, HMI/historian supervisory software.
• Common Indian platforms: WinCC, FactoryTalk, Wonderware, Ignition, AVEVA.
• Capex ₹15 lakh–2 crore; payback through yield optimisation, predictive maintenance, and compliance.