What are the Differences between DCS and SCADA?

[@realpars]

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[@RemixProf]

I will start a new job in automation using plc and scada, thank you for sharing this knowledge. I am truly grateful.

[@realpars]

That is amazing! You are very welcome. Best of luck on your new job!

[@sivakumarss7979]

Did you start your career in plc and scada?

[@RemixProf]

@@sivakumarss7979 yes i did, 2 years ago :) I have done many scada and dcs projects with different brands of plcs

[@joshuajavier5158]

@@RemixProf In your experience Sir what is the main difference of Dcs and Scada..

[@ardentdfender4116]

I’m no expert and far from it, but I happen to work in Industrial Automations Controls Systems and work for an OEM who supplies major Plant Package Water Systems to Energy Sector clients, mostly Power Plants. The difference between both SCADA & DCS used to confuse me a lot. So much so I use them interchangeably. Yet, I kinda knew some differences just harder to explain and in that SCADA was more like a mishmash of systems all controlling everything unlike a DCS with an overall unified control system. Still even when a plant has a DCS, it still has SCADA systems of sorts that operate in the field with a server and maybe the other client workstation in the DCS Room but not connected to their actual DCS. Sometimes it’s connected, sometimes it’s not from our PP customers. So customers kinda have both. It required more work though to Modbus connect it all data wise to their DCS. However, I now understand some real differences via the video. Weintek I think it’s called is another cheaper HMI similar to Redlion. Good stuff though. RealPars rules. Jabs at needing more Allen Bradley content here and on the RealPars site.

[@realpars]

Hi Ardent, Thanks for your comment and sharing your experiences! It is amazing to hear that our video has been able to clear those confusions for you. I will also surely forward your suggestion for some more Allen Bradley content to our creator team. Thanks again for sharing and happy learning!

[@Techwem]

For more videos related to DeltaV, Honeywell, Yokogawa or ABB DCS, Visit our Channel and Subscribe.

[@willnewcomer2125]

More Allen Bradley please

[@jsrrrmg]

Seems like if you have multiple independent process working unified for a goal (example a poultry processing facility using Ishida, Sandiacre, Modicon, Allen Bradley which all have an equal hierarchy of control) a SCADA system is the way to go. Verses, if you have a facility that uses mainly one control system ( a power plant that has one system with main hierarchy, while able to utilize subsystems with lower hierarchies ), a DCS is they way to go.

[@AlevtinaKulikova]

You really knows how to set up this indicators. Good work

[@realpars]

Thank you!

[@jaymehta8484]

You're not building knowledge to today's youth but you're building thier future👍

[@realpars]

Thanks a lot for your kind compliment, Jay!

[@tennisgigi1626]

Good explanation. This tutorial is very useful to support discussion with a non specialist of SW/HW.

[@realpars]

Thanks a lot!

[@QuestionableAdviser_]

Easy to understand, easy to get. Thanks for the video

[@realpars]

Glad you liked it!

[@Haithem0007]

Thank you for your attention and the huge amount of information 🙏

[@realpars]

You are very welcome, Haithem! Thanks for your support.

[@julionavas5626]

Also there is an aspect regarding the geographical area of the process to supervise and control. SCADA philosophy is more appropiate for macro control of a process distribuited geographically, like a Power Utility System, where generation, tramsmission and distribution facilities needs to be managed and cordinated as a whole.

[@realpars]

Thanks for adding that, Julio!

[@_stardust__]

Such a useful channel. Love your work! Keep going. Animations & overall presentation of the video is superb.

[@realpars]

Hey Dipankar! Thanks a lot for your kind compliment! We are always extremely happy to hear such positive feedback! If you ever have any questions, feel free to reach out to us. Happy learning!

[@abdelwahabkara8019]

The best channel!!! Thanks a million dear

[@realpars]

Great! Thanks a lot!

[@vannrodriguez5162]

this video tutorial so pretty awesome... i understand very well

[@realpars]

Glad you liked it!

[@steffenpo]

Very good tutorial, unfortunately not all aspects of a DCS system are mentioned. An PLC system is likely used for a dedicated application where the DCS is more used for controlling a whole plant. In most of the plants they use both at the same time, connected together (SCADA, Hardwired, OPC, Modbus...). Where the DCS is on top of the PLS system. And if the installation was good they can still work independed in case the PLC or the DCS got a problem. Thats why most PLS even they are connected to a DCS have got an HMI panel.

[@realpars]

Thanks for your comment, and sharing your knowledge with us!

[@_Iokanaan_Marusidze_]

Thanks 👍

[@mohamedfaroukzmw]

Expected to mention the redundancy capability for the dcs as the main advantage for safety

[@plchacker]

Redundancy is available with AB CLX (ControlLogix.) In fact CLX offers many of the same features that the video points out as DCS specific. This focused on Siemens which in my personal opinion is far behind in technology. Siemens uses slower 16 bit processors, slower networks and their on-line capability is very limited. The programming style is very different and uses extremely limited timer functions among other irritating restrictions. If you move to Honeywell, ABB or Delta-V DCS, then certainly the differences start to appear. True DCS (Delta-V for example) is far more robust with many added safety features not found in the PLC world. One example is intrinsically safe I/O systems. Another is the built in database functionality. Safety PLC's are a different world altogether. They have comparably simple tasks and are very redundant. They are also often used in conjunction with DCS systems to provide an extra layer of safety. The differences between Allen Bradley and Siemens is rooted in the initial goals of design. Allen Bradley gets its roots from the original PLC team (Modicon) and kept the idea that electricians should be able to troubleshoot systems easily. The Siemens folks decided that this should be restricted to engineers and dedicated programmers. Initially, Siemens was focused on statement list programming, which is faster on the keyboard, but troublesome when you get online. Allen Bradley perfected ladder logic right from the beginning. They also focused on online capability and memory management. Both are very capable and will solve most manufacturing controls issues. I have lived and worked in both worlds. DCS is primarily for process controls. While it does have discrete capability, it is slow and not as flexible in the discrete world. For analog signals though DCS is difficult to beat. Even with the advanced capabilities of AB CLX, DCS still shines in the petrol-chemical and power generation worlds.

[@renatooviedopecho5828]

Friend, I really love you, you are the best explaining your videos

[@realpars]

Thanks for your support! :)

[@zeealpal]

Love your videos, very interesting. There are circumstances where the cost of a DCS software such as PCS7 will cost more than Step7/WinCC to perform the same tasks, (at Siemens) I was working on the data analytics side helping an integrator who had installed a brewery control system, the decision (by the integrator) to go with S7-1500 + ET200s was based on software cost rather than anything else. They did already have their own libraries to run this however. I believe that in TIA at least, PLC tags can easily be dragged across onto a HMI, and easily searched/selected if needed. No need to manually export and import the tag lists that is handled automatically.

[@realpars]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with us, we always appreciate that!

[@sreeram5217]

Do xssvv

[@eliosgreek8028]

It's a great video. please make video on power system automation.

[@realpars]

Hi Ellios, Thanks for your comment and your suggestion. I will pass this on to our course developers! Thanks for sharing and happy learning!

[@Techwem]

For more videos related to DeltaV, Honeywell, Yokogawa or ABB DCS, Visit our Channel and Subscribe.

[@shivamRudram]

Can we describe SCADA as networked PLC's ? Where as the DCS being single or multiple controllers for entire plant

[@soumitrabarman3638]

Can you please tutorial Videos on safety elements like safety relay, safety contactor and different protection levels like protection level 3, 4 etc.

[@realpars]

Hey Soumitra! Thanks for your comment and your suggestion. I will pass this on to our course developers! Thanks for sharing and happy learning!

[@subramanianpalaniappan9475]

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[@kevintam3525]

No

[@rammilanthakur9363]

Very good and supportable videos.. Like it..👍👍

[@realpars]

Thank you!

[@tinmyint1158]

Love your videos, very interesting

[@realpars]

Glad you think so! Thank you for sharing

[@obeydaalmuhaisen5863]

Good illustration for both systems thank you

[@realpars]

Hi Obeyda, Happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing.

[@ramzyaboudaya3484]

Thanks for sharing, but as far as I know dcs have a faster processing time than scada due to its use in real time fast processes but here you said scada has faster processing times. Can you elaborate please.

[@realpars]

This was the case in the early 2000s, but with the introduction of bigger and faster processors, there is little difference in speed between DCS, PLC, and the supervisory SCADA systems. In reality speeds of processors are faster than the requirements for data updates. Most DCS systems update values from 4 to 10 times per second. This is on par with modern SCADA systems, so the differences are less pronounced than 10 - 15 years ago.

[@sherifeissa6709]

Great effort RealPars, best wishes to you

[@realpars]

Thanks a lot, Sherif!

[@WansHD]

Maybe there is another parameter that missing, how about data acquisition at SCADA and DCS? This is really important, but i hope you could make another video about this :)

[@realpars]

Hey! Thanks for your feedback! I will definitely forward this to our creator team, hopefully they can create a course video about that. Thanks for sharing and happy learning!

[@ericramey6503]

No you don't.

[@shahabuddinshaikh1274]

Thanks a lot Sir

[@realpars]

Most welcome!

[@ChaseMyles]

You guys left out Omron! One software for both PLC and HMI, as well as global variables that when created in one pop up in the other. Super easy and quick for programming.

[@sakmee6808]

Thanks for your information.

[@realpars]

You're more than welcome!

[@adelabdul-aziz8066]

Thank you

[@realpars]

You're very welcome!

[@kunli275]

Thanks. Very good training tutorial. Can I ask do we have comparison between IoT and Scada?

[@realpars]

Thanks for your kind comment! That would make for a great topic suggestion. I will be happy to pass this on to our team for a possible future video course.

[@sohailjanjua123]

Hi, I like your lecture. Thanks

[@realpars]

You are welcome!

[@hanhkhong2468]

Hello RealPars, Can you please elaborate why the DCS has more advantage in safety? What component or functionality of DCS make it more preferable? Thanks,

[@realpars]

Thanks for the topic suggestion, I will definitely go ahead and forward this to our creator team. Happy learning!

[@johanburger4454]

Can HMIs still be utilised in a DCS system? This graphical interface that is mentioned that is integrated into the system, does it contain HMIs or is it similar hardware with touch screen capabilities?

[@realpars]

HMI, referring to the terminal used to display operator graphics, is used in DCS, SCADA, PLC, and hybrid systems. For DCS systems, the software used to generate screens and execute them is typically integrated into the DCS system, and likely is part of a single software suite. For the other systems, the HMI configuration and server applications may be stand-alone, with communication connections to the controllers to access process data.

[@johanburger4454]

@@realpars perfect! thanks for the that👌

[@bourun790]

Thanksអគុណ👏

[@laithjawad9208]

Thanks- could you please gave some videos about Delta V

[@realpars]

Hi Laith! Thanks for your comment and your suggestion. I will pass this on to our course developers! Thanks for sharing and happy learning!

[@Logixcontrol]

Need more substation RTU programming, possibly GE-D20 conversion to Novatech LX+.

[@filimniko]

Great Thanks for Your Job!

[@realpars]

Thanks for your support, Nikolai!

[@sameersalem1827]

Great work I really enjoyed it.

[@realpars]

Thanks for your support, Sameer!

[@ericramey6503]

No you didnt.

[@amilisgenderov6675]

Just great 👍

[@realpars]

Thank you!

[@kevinwikram1245]

great video thank you

[@realpars]

You're very welcome!

[@mahmoudhossamel-deen2559]

Very good, Thank you.

[@realpars]

Our pleasure!

[@sadarksoul]

SCADA is centralized and DCS is distributed, one of the main things in the video is wrong 😑 SCADA systems are highly distributed systems used to control geographically dispersed assets, often scattered over thousands of square kilometers, where centralized data acquisition and control are critical to system operation. They are used in distribution systems such as water distribution and wastewater collection systems, oil and natural gas pipelines, electrical power grids, and railway transportation systems. A SCADA control center performs centralized monitoring and control for field sites over long- distance communications networks, including monitoring alarms and processing status data. Based on information received from remote stations, automated or operator-driven supervisory commands can be pushed to remote station control devices, which are often referred to as field devices. Field devices control local operations such as opening and closing valves and breakers, collecting data from sensor systems, and monitoring the local environment for alarm conditions. DCS are used to control industrial processes such as electric power generation, oil refineries, water and wastewater treatment, and chemical, food, and automotive production. DCS are integrated as a control architecture containing a supervisory level of control overseeing multiple, integrated sub-systems that are responsible for controlling the details of a localized process. Product and process control are usually achieved by deploying feed back or feed forward control loops whereby key product and/or process conditions are automatically maintained around a desired set point. To accomplish the desired product and/or process tolerance around a specified set point, specific PLCs are employed in the field and proportional, integral, and/or derivative settings on the PLC are tuned to provide the desired tolerance as well as the rate of self-correction during process upsets. DCS are used extensively in process-based industries.

[@realpars]

Thank you for your comments. The point about distributed components was made clear from 1:00 to 1:30 in the video and SCADA clearly is designed to operate across multiple locations. To be honest, the terms SCADA DCS are becoming "worn", as many hybrid systems have com onto the market that look and act a little like each type of system. Originally, the "D" in DCS, or distributed, referred to the separation of I/O and controller hardware within the same local system. Per the "classic" definition, the video is correct. Both types of systems are becoming closer in function, as explained in the video, and also in hardware. The true differences lie in two areas: DCS systems still have more of a reliance on a single vendor for hardware, and DCS systems tend to be configured from common component libraries and tag databases that are shared among components in the system.

[@sadarksoul]

@@realpars thanks for replying

[@Jin-iq6gg]

may I ask for an explanation of the "W@de RTU w320e" working system for running a 3 phase electric motor

[@realpars]

Hi Arief! Thanks for your comment and your suggestion. I will pass this on to our course developers! Thanks for sharing and happy learning!

[@seyiotuks8680]

I got a lead Engineer interview which asks me to have advanced knowledge of SCADA/DCS systems. What sort of questions might they ask me that would trip me up?

[@Techwem]

For more videos related to DeltaV, Honeywell, Yokogawa or ABB DCS, Visit our Channel and Subscribe.

[@elliot1784]

How’d it go?

[@mohdaqib2978]

If in a interview it is asked what is the difference between SCADA and DCS what i should answer as they look almost same from this video..😅

[@joshuajavier5158]

Do you know the answer already it is confusing actually..

[@fajarrukmo]

when you say nowadays PLC and DCS become similiar, why big company still release PLC and DCS Separately. Like S7 1500 and PCS7 would be great if you make video about that.

[@realpars]

Hi Fajar! Thanks for your comment and that is indeed a great topic suggestion. I will happily pass this on to our course developers! Thanks for sharing and happy learning!

[@arafatrahman4476]

Hi Realpars Great the video to learn about DCS and ASCDA. Can you please help to get wincc software.

[@realpars]

Thanks for your support, Arafat! Yes, we sell a variety of software, including WinCC software over at our online store bit.ly/2WJOxd3 Feel free to reach out to us over at [e-mail], if you have any questions.

[@maliklao8917]

what is the differences between wincc flexible scada and pcs7

[@realpars]

Hi Malik, Great question! This would actually make for a very good video course. I will pass this on to our course developers as a topic suggestion for a future video course. Thanks for sharing!

[@tennisgigi1626]

In my opinion wincc flexible is not a real Scada, not all functions and features present in Wincc 7.x are on board. I don't suggest Flexible for large number of tag or plants.

[@kevinblacksmith2705]

By subscribing to your courses would there be an HMI programming course available to me?

[@realpars]

Hi Kevin, Thanks for your comment! Sure, you will obtain full access to our complete course library (400+ video courses) by subscribing to either our monthly package for €22.12 a month or our yearly package for €159.28 We currently have the following video courses covering HMI, feel free to check them out learn.realpars.com/search?q=hmi I hope this helps- please let me know if you have any other questions, and I'll do my best to assist.

[@kevinblacksmith2705]

@@realpars Thank you for your reply, will you have some courses on the systems other than Siemens such as Allen Bradley, Emerson, GE, or Schnider?

[@Techwem]

For more videos related to DeltaV, Honeywell, Yokogawa or ABB DCS, Visit our Channel and Subscribe.

[@tonyz6672]

thank you!

[@realpars]

You're welcome!

[@MrSidra2009]

Awesome

[@realpars]

Thanks!

[@yahyamazlomyar7099]

same always great videoes

[@realpars]

That's amazing! Thanks for your positive feedback!

[@MD-cd7em]

THANKYOU

[@realpars]

You are very welcome!

[@APatriarch]

Let me save you a video. DCS is one OEM products. SCADA system, is many OEM products that need scada s/w to synchronise them.

[@001prk]

HI Can you throw some light on Ground Protection System

[@realpars]

Hi Prakash, Thanks for the topic suggestion, I will make sure to forward this to our creator team. Thanks for sharing and happy learning!

[@001prk]

@@realpars Hi thanks for your reply. At the outset i would like to thanks you for videos, as coming from Mechanical Engineering your videos are very well designed for basic understanding and as I have to look the control part of Marine Machinery. So, thanks and keep uploading

[@farabielec]

Thanks 👍

[@realpars]

You are very welcome!

[@ezenwadiwe7514]

Good job

[@realpars]

Thank you, Eze! Happy learning!

[@gene_Code]

Seems the same to me. 🤷 Also scada has Secure Auth protocols these days and SIL ratings.

[@trentbergen7100]

After 15 years in control systems. Odysseus has no safer than SIL 3 rated PLC. In fact with the lag time of a DCS I would say it's less safe.

[@sidraali5159]

is DCS programming the same as PLC programming?

[@realpars]

No. DCS systems are partially configured and partially "programmed". The tags, I/O, loops and alarms are typically all configured using wizards, tables, and menus. Device and control loop logic is typically provided as pre-configured internal blocks where the "programmer" simply makes connections between the tag table and these blocks. In PLC programming, more choices are available for creating logic, such as ladder logic, structured text and function blocks. While there are many items like tag tables that are configured much the same as in a DCS, there is more "programming" effort in the PLC environment, but there is somewhat more flexibility as well compared to a DCS. DCS systems are more efficient for process that are heavy in analog inputs and outputs. PLC systems are more efficient for process that are heavy in digital inputs and outputs.

[@automationpk6720]

You must add Mitsubishi

[@kdgr]

👍

[@Vetiverv]

hi, you have forgotten, some dcs systems completely open to all forms of communication, but above all in a ring with intersected servers, with an intuitive man-machine interface, giving the company the possibility to remain active and productive 365 days a year, the ABB system six system and the new one, but not least the yokogawa system, with modular redundancies, which can take on parts of the ring out of use without causing the system to stop, keeping it ALWAYS efficient and above all PRODUCTIVE THE SITE, unlike an independent system without redundancy, like the SCADA

[@realpars]

Hi Marco, Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. We appreciate that!

[@Roslinification]

So basically. DCS = Apple SCADA = Android

[@abdelrahmanzaki2219]

تغاصيل

[@_Iokanaan_Marusidze_]

Thanks 👍

[@realpars]

You're very welcome!

[@ekkapanrattanazoot6079]

Thanks!