Seamless PLC Integration via OPC UA

Chemical plants represent decades of infrastructure investment. When we talk to plant engineers about intelligent control, we consistently hear the same concern: "We can't rip and replace our PLCs." They shouldn't have to.

From day one, we designed Acaysia to integrate seamlessly with existing control infrastructure. We don't replace your PLCs—we enhance them.

Why OPC UA?

OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) has become the de facto standard for industrial communication. Originally developed by the OPC Foundation in 2008, it's now supported by every major PLC vendor and is mandated by Industry 4.0 initiatives worldwide.

For Acaysia, OPC UA provides several critical capabilities:

• Vendor neutrality: Connect to PLCs from any manufacturer without vendor-specific adapters or protocols
• Built-in security: End-to-end encryption and authentication that meets industrial cybersecurity standards
• Information modeling: Rich data types and semantic context, not just raw tag values
• Scalability: From single PLCs to plant-wide deployments with consistent architecture

Our Integration Architecture

Acaysia operates as a supervisory layer, sitting alongside your existing control hierarchy rather than replacing any part of it:

1. Your PLCs keep running: Existing PID loops, safety systems, and operator interfaces continue to function exactly as before
2. Acaysia reads process data: We subscribe to process variables via OPC UA—temperatures, pressures, flows, compositions
3. Intelligent optimization: Our models calculate optimal setpoints based on current conditions and objectives
4. Setpoints written back: Optimized setpoints flow back to your existing PID controllers, which execute the actual control

This architecture is deliberately conservative. Your PLCs remain the execution layer. If Acaysia ever goes offline, your plant continues to operate exactly as it did before deployment.

What Integration Looks Like

The technical process involves a few key steps:

1. OPC UA Server Configuration

Most modern PLC systems include built-in OPC UA servers, or you can use gateway software. We help you configure secure communication with appropriate authentication and encryption.

2. Tag Mapping

We work with your engineering team to identify the relevant process variables and control points. Our configuration wizard can automatically discover available tags and suggest mappings based on naming conventions.

3. Validation

Before enabling any control, we thoroughly validate the integration in shadow mode. We compare our readings against your HMI, verify write operations in manual mode, and test failsafe behavior.

4. Phased Deployment

Integration moves through our standard deployment phases: shadow mode (observe only), advisory mode (recommendations without control), and finally closed-loop control—only when your team is confident.

Supported Platforms

We've validated integration with all major industrial control platforms:

• Allen-Bradley / Rockwell Automation (ControlLogix, CompactLogix)
• Siemens (S7-1500, S7-1200)
• ABB (AC500, AC800M)
• Schneider Electric (Modicon M580, M340)
• Honeywell (Experion PKS)
• Emerson DeltaV

If your PLC supports OPC UA—and virtually all modern systems do—Acaysia can integrate with it.

Beyond OPC UA

While OPC UA is our recommended and most common integration method, we also support:

• EtherNet/IP: For applications requiring faster update rates or direct tag access
• Modbus TCP: For legacy systems that don't support OPC UA
• MQTT: For edge deployments and cloud connectivity

Security Considerations

Industrial cybersecurity is non-negotiable. Our integration approach incorporates several security layers:

• Network segmentation: Acaysia typically runs on the process control network, isolated from business networks
• Encrypted communication: All OPC UA connections use TLS 1.3 with certificate-based authentication
• Least privilege: Acaysia only accesses the specific tags required for optimization—nothing more
• Audit logging: All read and write operations are logged for compliance and troubleshooting

Getting Started

Integration typically takes days, not months. Our standard process:

• Day 1: Network assessment and OPC UA server configuration
• Day 2-3: Tag mapping and connection validation
• Week 1-2: Shadow mode data collection and model training
• Week 3+: Phased deployment to advisory and closed-loop modes

If you're curious whether Acaysia can integrate with your specific infrastructure, we're happy to discuss. Most likely, the answer is yes.