An OPC UA Client/Gateway-Based Digital Twin Architecture of a SCADA System with Embedded System Connections

A Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system employed to monitor system processes became one of the fundamental components of factory automation. With the emergence of digital twin concepts in Industry 4.0, this paper proposes an architecture to merge SCADA systems with key facets of digital twin with a proof-of-concept demonstration on a FESTO MPS processing station. We propose an OPC UA client-based architecture that employs Ignition software, which has built-in OPC UA modules, in order to create a digital twin of the station’s sensors and actuators. Monitoring and controlling of the system was enhanced by connecting mobile devices to the network and adding a Raspberry Pi controller connected with traditional microcontrollers. The demonstrated implementation shows that the proposed client-based architecture for digital twins and devices is feasible. Interoperability allows to connect devices of interest with low-latency, low CPU overhead utilization, and minimal added hardware and software extensions.