Layer 1 · Sense
Field I/O
Wellhead, annulus and header pressure transducers, magnetic flow meters, tank level and temperature, VFD drive feedback. Values arrive on a sub-second scan.
Technology
OI ingests live sensor data at the panel, evaluates it against a hardened knowledge base every scan cycle, and either corrects the process itself or escalates to an operator with the reason attached.
Wellhead, annulus and header pressure transducers, magnetic flow meters, tank level and temperature, VFD drive feedback. Values arrive on a sub-second scan.
An edge compute node runs the knowledge base and pump-curve mathematics, keeps rolling trend history, and enforces a cooldown per alert type so operators are not flooded.
A Siemens S7-1200 class PLC owns the safety interlocks and the drives. OI writes setpoints — pump speed, valve position, isolation — inside limits the PLC will not let it exceed.
Knowledge Base
Seven diagnostic classes cover the failure modes that actually shut a disposal facility down. Each rule carries a severity, a cooldown, and either an automatic corrective action or a human escalation.
| Rule | Condition | Diagnosis | OI response |
|---|---|---|---|
| KB-1 | Wellhead pressure ≥ 90% of permitted maximum | Approaching permit limit | Warn; trim VFD speed to hold below the limit |
| KB-2 | WHP rising trend sustained over many scan cycles | Formation plugging | Alarm; flag well for filtration review and rate reduction |
| KB-3 | Annulus pressure rising | Packer or casing integrity issue | Critical; isolate the well and escalate — human required |
| KB-4 | Low flow combined with high wellhead pressure | Near-wellbore damage | Alarm; reduce rate, schedule stimulation review |
| KB-5 | Valve commanded open, zero flow measured | Pump failure or stuck check valve | Critical; stop the pump, close the header, escalate |
| KB-6 | Facility running at capacity within permit | Headroom available | Maximize throughput up to the permitted band |
| PC-1 | Actual head deviates from the affinity-scaled pump curve | Pump-curve deviation | Classify and correct — see below |
PC-1 · Pump-curve analysis
OI scales the manufacturer performance curve to whatever the VFD is actually doing using the pump affinity laws — flow scales with speed, head with the square of speed — then measures how far the real pump has drifted from where it should be.
Actual head collapses well below the scaled curve at normal flow — suction starvation. OI reduces speed and flags suction-side restriction (filter pot, strainer, tank level).
Head runs above curve while flow falls short — the formation is pushing back. OI holds pressure under permit and raises the plugging trend for KB-2.
Sustained shortfall in both head and efficiency across the operating band — wear rings, impeller or seal degradation. OI logs the trend for maintenance planning.
Well Model
OI stores the real completion record for every well it controls, so a diagnosis is made against the mechanical reality of that wellbore rather than a generic threshold.
From formation permeability, OI derives the largest particle the formation will accept before it begins to plug:
Micron = √md × 0.33
That number drives filter-pot mesh selection and feeds the KB-2 plugging trend, so filtration is matched to the formation instead of guessed at.
The dashboard runs the same rule set against a live simulation.