A Cloud-based Monitoring System for Performance Assessment of Industrial Plants

The paper presents the realization of a control loop performance monitoring system operating in cloud as single unity for a global supervision of data coming from various industrial plants located in different areas. This is a desirable solution for many companies owing to costs of local installations (systems, human resources and their maintenance and upgrading) and is made possible by available Industry 4.0 technologies, even though some aspects are worth of deeper investigation depending on specific industrial realities. The monitoring system (PCU – Plant Check Up) is described in its basic components and its evolution towards the cloud-based configuration. The whole architecture, as well as the solutions adopted for data acquisition from the field, transmission to the cloud and web app features which allow a full remote monitoring, are illustrated. Technical details about the application on a pilotscale plant are given and results for significant cases and different types of loop and actuator status a...