A flexible data acquisition system for energy information

This paper proposes a system for the monitoring and data acquisition of information that are associated with the energy consumed by an equipment or facility. The acquired data are stored in a relational database and can be retrieved for further processing and analysis by the energy management personnel. Various scheduler functions can be carried out to ease the tasks of energy management for the facility. The proposed system is integrated with a programmable logic controller for the monitoring and control of equipment. The status of the equipment are displayed through a SCADA platform to provide a visual interface for the operator. Through the mobile phone´s Short Message Service (SMS) function, an online condition-based maintenance monitoring alert function is provided. Alarm signals from faulty equipment or plant malfunctions and command signals as SMS messages sent by the user is routed through the system and the PLC, thereby allowing remote communications among the equipment and the user.