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Video: A New Type of Process Data The Benefits of Visualizing Remote Assets Remaining consistently aware of your process, equipment function and system effectiveness presents challenges in manpower, efficiency and cost. Adding to this challenge, remote locations are difficult to access both physically and virtually, and can be in hazardous environments. Accessing critical process information and controlling your remote systems can be a daunting task. Key elements of a comprehensive remote monitoring system should include: • • • • •
Remote diagnosis of equipment and process problems Security and Surveillance Preparation for onsite maintenance visits Providing as much detail as possible to develop a big picture view Where necessary, have equipment in place that is rated for hazardous environments
There has been much advancement in recent years in hardware and software technologies enabling more choices for specialized instrumentation to be utilized in remote process monitoring. However, this equipment only provides you with data. This data must be interpreted into practical information in order to be an effective monitoring, control and automation tool. There remains a gap between the data that is being delivered and deduction of what this data is actually telling you about your process. A comprehensive remote video system designed to integrate into your process control system can bridge this gap. An advanced video system can deliver critical data that has already been interpreted into meaningful information about your process. Video data is already deciphered: • • • •
Reducing operator error Allowing for quick action to events and alarms More knowledge at the operator’s fingertips Immune to malfunctioning sensors and system components
Although the video by itself is useful, video that is correlated and integrated into your SCADA system would be even more powerful. The ideal remote video monitoring system utilizes a camera as a sensor, delivering vital data about your process. A remote video recording device would be connected to the camera and have a direct interface to the PLC or RTU, continually processing and storing video data from the camera. At the head end, in the control room, video management software seamlessly integrates the remote video data into the SCADA system giving control engineers more information about their process and allowing them to make efficient and cost effective decisions faster. A typical video and alarming solution would consist of: • •
Industrial and Hazardous Area Cameras Networking Components such as Power over Ethernet and wireless devices.
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Video Historians – Video Recording and Processing appliances. SCADA Integration Software - OPC and MODBUS TCP servers for bi-directional communication. HMI video windows with built in camera control and ability to overlay process data. A web based and mobile viewing application for viewing video and alarming.
Bridging the Gap Video is becoming a standard type of data that process control systems are utilizing for more information about what’s happening with their process, assets, and personnel in the field. Pushing the envelope further, more advanced video management systems seamlessly integrate into the process control system with the following capabilities: •
Communicate directly to your PLC/RTU in the field. A video historian appliance (video recorder) is connected directly to the cameras in the field, continuously storing and processing video data. An integrated MODBUS TCP Server on the video historian device creates a bi-directional interface with remote PLC/RTU devices. The MODBUS TCP Server can send camera initiated alarms directly to the PLC/RTU allowing for integration of video alarming directly into the control system. This truly allows the camera to act as a sensor. The important part is that the integration is done at the edge where the sensors and control of your remote site should be done. Furthermore, the video historian’s MODBUS TCP Server can accept incoming signals from the remote PLC/RTU and perform actions such as: o o o o
Starting/stopping video recording. Arming/Disarming of the system. Moving a camera to a specific location. Creating video snippet surrounding an event.
This allows for complete control of your video system and cameras by the SCADA system. •
Utilize your existing network to transmit video. Remote sites typically make use of dedicated radio networks to transmit process data back to the control room. Network bandwidth can vary from 9600 baud serial radios to higher bandwidth TCP/IP radios. An advanced video management system has the capability to transmit video over any network as well as encapsulate the video into the existing PLC protocols being used. For example, this system should be able to transmit video over an existing serial MODBUS network by encapsulating the video in the MODBUS protocol. In this case the video historian device at the remote site looks just like another PLC or RTU on the network.
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Integrate video directly into the SCADA/HMI screens. The video management system’s user interface can provide video viewing directly into the operator HMI screens. This is feasible even on systems that don’t support ActiveX control technologies.
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Integrate video alarms into your existing alarm summary. The video management system should contain an OPC Server that creates a bi-directional interface with the SCADA system to insert video system alarms into the existing alarm summary. Control of the video system would also take place via OPC commands. This interface allows operators to move cameras, turn recording on and off and create video snippets all through OPC commands from the SCADA side.
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Overlay process data directly on the video image. An advanced video management system should allow you to “burn” data values directly on the video stream you are viewing. This will allow users to place the important data directly on the video image giving operators more information about the scene they are viewing.
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Correlating SCADA system events with video. The advanced video system should allow you to simply click on an alarm or event in your system and automatically bring up the video that occurred at that time. Essentially bookmarking the recorded video with important alarms an events that have occurred on the SCADA system.
Safeguarding Against Network or Equipment Outages An advanced video monitoring system should continuously record video at the edge. At the edge means “where the cameras are.” All of the real time, high resolution video storage and processing can be done in a distributed fashion which mirrors a PLC or RTU type of network. This system architecture does not rely on a continuous network connection for the recording of video. The network is only used when an operator wants to see live video or the system detects an alarm condition and creates a video event clip. The Most Efficient Use of Your Existing Network In this distributed video architecture, high resolution video is stored at the edge, where the cameras and equipment reside. The video that is transported over the network (live video and video snippets on alarm) can be tailored to the network bandwidth available. Having the ability to use higher resolution video for high speed TCP/IP networks or lower resolution for serial based networks allows for a more flexible, efficient system. Along with bandwidth management, the video management system should use your existing control network without interfering with important process data. Mechanisms in such a system should prevent video data from obstructing control system messages. This effectively acts as a type of control system QoS (quality of service), making sure the most important data transmissions are prioritized first. Control Room Integration In the Central Control Room, the control center software for the video system is installed. The video control center acts as a portal for viewing and sharing video and alarming with other systems. It utilizes OPC and MODBUS TCP technologies to share video alarms and insert them directly into the alarm
system of the SCADA/HMI. Video windows are inserted along with alarms into the operator interface screens allowing the ability to review video on the same system being used for control and automation. An advance video management system gives operators the ability to view remote assets in real-time or go back in time to any point to see what occurred. This gives operators the ability to troubleshoot issues efficiently and effectively reducing frequent site visits and the man power that’s needed. By using the camera as a sensor, the video system delivers ready-to-use information providing quick and accurate reaction to alarms and events. What follows are examples of how such an advanced video management system was implemented to solve specific remote monitoring problems. Case 1: Securing and Monitoring a Crude Oil Pipeline In January of 2011, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, PHSMA, invoked a requirement for Chevron to secure and monitor their remote block valve sites for pipeline leaks. PHMSA, is a U.S. Department of Transportation agency that develops and enforces regulations for the safe, reliable, and environmentally sound operation of the nation's 2.6 million mile pipeline transportation system and the nearly 1 million daily shipments of hazardous materials by land, sea, and air. Pipeline leaks can have a devastating cost in terms of lost production and cleanup effort, not to mention environmental impact. Chevron began investigating the options for security, monitoring and leak detection. Their initial investigation included technologies ranging from 24-hour manned surveillance to radioactive isotope tracers for leak detection. After the evaluation, they decided on a remote video monitoring solution that included advanced video management software and a new hazardous area thermal sensor. Chevron utilized a sophisticated video solution that included the following system components: • • •
Control Room: Video control center software for integration of video into operator SCADA/HMI screens. Remote Site: Remote video recording appliance or video historian, for on-site recording, alarming, and direct communication to the PLC. Cameras: o Thermal Imaging camera for pipeline leak detection o Pan-tilt-zoom Camera for overall site surveillance
A New Type of Sensor The solution that was utilized integrates a thermal imaging camera used to detect hydrocarbon leaks and spills. The camera is optimized for persistent, 24 hour leak detection in locations where pipes rise above ground. The camera is employed to detect thermal anomalies present when fluid or high-pressure gaseous leaks occur. Normal thermal imaging devices create colorful images encompassing the entire range of the thermal spectrum. This sensor is tuned to only colorize the substance to be detected. This method minimizes false alarms and clearly detects very minuscule leaks. The is a clear example of using a camera as a new type of sensor.
Smarter and Faster Alarm Verification When the thermal camera senses a leak detection event, it immediately alerts the video historian device which in turn communicates directly to the PLC at the remote site via MODBUS TCP. The PLC will then send a prioritized alarm message back to the control center. The video historian appliance simultaneously records a short video snippet surrounding the leak event. This snippet of video is sent over the control network back to the operator’s console. The operator now has a new alarm on his screen along with a new type of pre-deciphered data, a video recording. The video recording allows the operator to quickly understand the circumstances surrounding the alarm and react to it appropriately. He has the ability to pinpoint where the problem has occurred and direct field technicians to the proper location or, in some cases, relay information on what locations to avoid if dangerous.
Case 2: More Data at Your Fingertips CONSOL Energy, a publicly owned Pittsburgh-based producer of coal and natural gas, is one of the leading diversified energy companies in the United States of America. Due to their various operations, they have a vastly distributed control system network. Multiple remote SCADA/HMI branches connect back to a main control center in Claypool Hills, Virginia. Due to blind spots inherent in a distributed architecture, productivity and the ability to react quickly to incidents was affected. There were many areas of their process control system they did not have vision into. This included the operator’s HMI screens at any number of their remote stations. Visual Confirmation of Operator Activity Consol Energy decided to implement a video management system that included the capability to record operator consoles. A plug-in to their existing camera recording system, the new software module enabled automatic recording of their HMI or SCADA operator’s console display. With this tool, the video system archives exactly what the operator was seeing, because it records the video as it’s being sent to the monitor. Playing back what the operator was seeing proved to be a very valuable method for troubleshooting, training, and process improvement. The recorder software provides access to live and recorded video of the operator’s screens. In this way, the control room in Virginia can have access to exactly what the remote operator’s screens look like at any given point in time. Managers can view their operator’s screens live or go back in time to any point to see what the screen looked like in the past. The operator’s console should be looked upon as an asset, just like an important piece of equipment or part of your process. Consol Energy is now able to troubleshoot issues real-time or find out why an operator didn’t acknowledge an alarm. Was it due to operator error or did the HMI screen malfunction? Remote Emergency Management Using the same video system, Class I Division 2 cameras were put in place to monitor critical, potentially hazardous areas of their manufacturing process. When emergency situations arise, there is a need to determine the whereabouts of site personnel and also establish which
part of the plant is affected. The Class I Division 2 pan-tilt-zoom cameras deployed provide remote “eyes” necessary to accurately assess process control events. Consol Energy now has complete vision into their remote applications. The advanced video management system deployed provides video from operator screens along with video from hazardous area cameras that can be viewed anywhere on their network.
In Summary Software and hardware technologies are now available to create a comprehensive remote video monitoring solution. Advanced video management software technologies now provide: • • • • •
Integration of live video into operator SCADA HMI screens Correlation of saved video clips of process operation with historical and event based SCADA data High resolution/high frame rate recording at the site even when the remote communication is lost Recording of operator consoles for correlation with other saved process video for incident investigation or operator training Transmission of live video streams back to central control room over low-bandwidth or bandwidth –constrained connections including over field protocols such as MODBUS
The software described above allows you to view a camera as just another sensor, delivering far more information that a few points of data. This combined with the advanced industrial camera technologies now available provide for powerful remote monitoring solutions that enhance personnel safety, site security, and process productivity. About the author Greg Santos is the Principal Engineer for Industrial Video and Control’s Longwatch product. His responsibilities include project management and engineering along with product development. Greg brings his considerable industrial automation experience to the project engineering and applications of IVC products in the water/wastewater, energy, petrochemical and manufacturing market sectors. He works closely with customers to define solutions based on the IVC product line that also may include complimentary technologies from third parties. As the primary Engineering liaison, Greg shapes the Longwatch product with feedback from customers and new technologies available in the marketplace. Greg has over 12 years experience in the process automation industry. He has held technical sales, training and applications engineering roles for SCADA/HMI solutions in multiple industries. Greg holds a BS in Management Information Systems from the University of Arizona. He is also a certified Six Sigma Green Belt.
