Phoenix IIoT Demonstrator

Completed

Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research

Applied Research and Development

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Computer Science and Informatics)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
SGN - Scotland

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

01 October 2021

31 October 2022

ENA months

£423,978

Energy

Scotland

Network Innovation Allowance

Project Contact, SGN - Scotland

Project Contact, SGN

At present the industry uses traditional standalone industrial control system from a mix of companies, making good data quality very challenging. Attempts have been made to overlay IoT solutions, which creates more complexity and management of the digital asset and often leads to cyber security issues or makes the asset more vulnerable.The project centres on an experimental concept and use trusted technologies which combines advanced real-time control, with cloud technology. The solution will be developed to allow a full sensor to cloud approach, reducing the human operator oversight at each facility.This demonstrator project will help to ensure the future safety and resilience of our network as it is today, by investing in our infrastructure to keep our assets safe from cyber-attacks, whilst maintaining supply of gas and reducing consumer vulnerability across the network. The project will run over 12 months and will include the demonstration and validation of the combined software solution in a test environment, followed by deploying two further physical demonstrators at SGN facilities to provide data, evidence and learning in support of the IUK DEFGID project that aligns to Network Information System Directive (NISD) compliance.The project aims to deliver operational capabilities which facilitate the following productivity increases across the Network: Reduction in manual intervention (travel and on-site time)Improvement in process optimisation delivering energy efficiencyData driven, preventative to predictive maintenanceLower replacement costs RTU/ Process controlReduced overheads for testing, commissioning, maintenance, and asset managementBespoke software on devices will not become obsolete once replaced or upgradedLower power requirements for operationSmaller site footprintsCyber Security Resilience through Unified cyber security protocolsAbility to progress away vendor lock-insNISD Compliance Key objectives for the demonstrator are as follows:Establishing industry-specific Sensor to Cloud connectivity within SGN facilitiesDelivering CNI-grade secure communication on a public/ untrusted WANAchieving software-defined functionality which can be centralised onto a single scalable hub/hardware platform, rather than on individual devices.Reducing the electrical power consumption and footprint of edge gateway Following outcome will be targeted:Lower replacement costsReduced overheads for testing, commissioning, maintenance, and asset managementUnified cyber security protocolsMitigation against obsolescence of bespoke software on devicesVendor-independence of entire edge to cloud stackLower power requirements for operationSmaller site footprintsLower carbon footprint

At present the industry uses traditional standalone industrial control system from a mix of companies, making good data quality very challenging. Attempts have been made to overlay IoT solutions, which creates more complexity and management of the digital asset and often leads to cyber security issues or makes the asset more vulnerable.The project centres on an experimental concept and use trusted technologies which combines advanced real-time control, with cloud technology. The solution will be developed to allow a full sensor to cloud approach, reducing the human operator oversight at each facility.This demonstrator project will help to ensure the future safety and resilience of our network as it is today, by investing in our infrastructure to keep our assets safe from cyber-attacks, whilst maintaining supply of gas and reducing consumer vulnerability across the network.

19/10/22