Case studies: Northwind Midtown

Location: USA
Industry: Oil and Gas (Gas Treating Facility)
Project Type: SCADA System Design, Development, and Commissioning
Ignition Modules Used:
– OPC UA
– Vision
– Tag Historian
– Reporting
– Alarm Notification

Problem

The Titan Gas Treatment Facility project required a modern SCADA system to oversee the full operation of a Gas Treatment Facility, composed of multiple process units and controlled by Allen-Bradley PCS. The client needed an integrated platform to monitor, control, and archive system data for analysis and reporting. Also, the system needed to be connected to End-user Central Monitoring System for data collection, analysis and Enterprise Administration Management.

Solution

A full SCADA solution was developed using Ignition 8.1, leveraging the Vision module for high-performance operator interfaces and the EAM Agent for centralized administration. Advanced alarming and notification logic was implemented using the Alarm Notification Module, while long-term and short-term data was captured through the Tag Historian Module across multiple local and remote databases.

The system connects to:

Allen-Bradley PCS (1 Process Control System, 5 sub-units)
A dedicated Microsoft SQL Server for historical and reporting data
Central Ignition Server (EAM Manager) for central administration and audit

The architecture uses a standalone Ignition server, interfacing with Allen-Bradley PCS via native drivers and OPC UA, and with SQL Server via JDBC.

System Architecture

Platform: Ignition 8.1
User Interface: Vision
PLC Communication: Allen-Bradley via OPC UA
Database: Microsoft SQL Server
Deployment Model: On-premise, standalone Ignition server
Networking: Managed private air-gapped network with DMZ outbound connection to Enduser Central Monitoring System, and secured remote access.
Tag Count: ~30,000 tags
Historian Tags: ~5,000 tags

Results

Centralized monitoring and control of all Treatment Facility units from a single SCADA interface.
Seamless data acquisition and historization to Microsoft SQL Server, allowing accurate data analysis and reporting.
Scalable system design allowing future expansion and integration ofadditional modules and units.
Improved operational visibility and decision-making via custom reports and charts.