SCADA Maintenance tasks checklists

There are a number of tasks that should be regularly undertaken to ensure that the complete telemetry system remains operational and performs up to the required standard. Whether the maintenance tasks are to be undertaken internally by your company or outsourced to a maintenance contractor, it is vital that there is a comprehensive and planned approach to maintenance.

The following are a list of key ideas and requirements when setting up a maintenance program.

• Produce a complete and thorough inventory of every piece of equipment in the telemetry system. This should include all single items of equipment. It should be the responsibility of the maintenance personnel to keep this current on a computer database.

• Define goals for system and equipment item working availability. Depending on the size and quality of the system:
• System availability of between 99.5% and 99.9% over 12 months.

• Individual equipment item availability of between 95% and 98% over 12 months.
• Set up a direct line of communications from the maintenance personnel to the company representative in charge of the telemetry system. All problems and potential problems should be directly and immediately relayed to that person.

• Maintenance activities should be clearly defined in terms of daily, weekly, monthly and annual activities. These should include:
• Daily
• Repair of any immediate system faults.
• A check from the central site computer monitoring facilities that there are no system problems.
• Continued repair of faulty equipment items.

• Weekly
• Produce a short weekly report of the system performance and problems encountered.
• Perform functional checks of each piece of equipment in the system to ensure it is operating.

• Monthly
• Visit each RTU and master site and carry out a thorough visual check of each equipment item. Then give the site a functional check.
• Clean each site of dust and vermin.
• Carry out a number of telemetry operations in conjunction with the central and master sites.

• Annual
• Carry out a complete and thorough audit of the entire system.
• Test and measure the main operating parameters of every piece of equipment. This should include voltages, currents, frequencies, inputs, outputs, levels, noise, etc.
• A comprehensive report of the status of the equipment should be produced at the end of the audit.
• Every RTU and master site should have a separate maintenance logbook, which should be filled in every time a maintenance person visits the site.
• Monthly and annual meetings should be carried out to discuss maintenance problems and establish future objectives.
• A complete and up-to-date inventory of spare parts should be kept so that stocks can be replenished when they get low.
• A complete and up-to-date database of radio frequency licenses should be kept so that they can be paid for on an annual basis.
• If a contractor is carrying out the maintenance, always ensure that they have sufficient personnel to carry out the work (in particular during annual leave periods).
• Make sure all changes to the system are fully documented and drawings are updated.