Features

Modbus is a standard communication protocol that is supported by many devices. All ETC plunger lift controllers use COM1 as a Modbus Slave port that will receive commands from a Master device located on a centralized server. Enable Modbus To enable Modbus on the controller or simulator, follow these steps:…

ALiEn2 plunger lift controllers contain software that actively monitors the attached battery to determine when to go into a low battery shutdown to ensure the controller can perform critical operations and safely shut down. Battery Monitor Operation Low Battery If 6 successive battery samples are below 5.5 V, the controller…

Once an ALiEn2 controller is installed in the field and hooked up to the solar panel through the charger built into the controller, it will be automatically maintained. If however spare batteries or controllers with batteries are stored for more than a few months, the batteries should be charged periodically.

Autosol has taken their standard Modbus driver and created a version specific to the ALiEn2 that helps to retrieve both the Daily Production Log and Cycle Logs. You can see their help below for setup instructions. The sections below give more detail on how the driver works with the ALiEn2….

ETC controllers that support Modbus have multiple options for storing date/time as well as elapsed time. This allows you to configure our products to work best with your Modbus drivers and SCADA system. Elapsed Time Values Elapsed time values are used for timers or settings that do not contain a…

While the ALiEn2 was designed as a plunger lift controller, the Expert level model does have additional valves that can be used to open and close gas injection at different portions during the plunger lift cycle. GAPL SOftware A special build of software has been created to be used on…

The purpose of Adaptive Seeking Velocity Optimization is adjust the Afterflow Time and/or Close Time to influence the plunger to arrive at a given velocity/time. This helps to both ensure consistent runs and provide a means to autonomously adjust to changing well conditions. Patents Velocity/Time Optimizations Basics Timing of Adjustments…

The Cyclops uses Geomagnetic Sensing to read the Earth’s magnetic field and then look for changes in the field to indicate the arrival of a plunger. This single eye allows you to see what is happening inside the well. ARRIVAL DETECTION The Cyclops by default will take magnetic readings and…

The Sasquatch uses the same Geomagnetic Sensing Technology that is found in the Cyclops. Instead of having a single eye, Sasquatch has 2 eyes and a bigger footprint (Get it… Bigfoot…. Sasquatch). Patents Arrival Detection The Sasquatch by default will take magnetic readings and apply a filter to remove the…

What you Need Before starting, you should make sure you have: A PC with Vision Device Management software A Link Device Connection (This provides both communication and power) with USB drivers installed Changing Modbus Settings Connect to Sasquatch using Vision and Link Device Connection, ensure Sasquatch is in Normal mode. Click here for…

The ALiEn2 line of plunger controllers has a feature called Non-Arrival to deal with plungers that do not arrive within the specified Rise Time. Non-Arrival Event When the controller determines that a plunger arrival has been missed, it records a Non-Arrival, shuts the Sales Valve, and enters the Non-Arrival Close…

The AliEn2 Expert comes with 2 analog inputs that are used to connect pressure transducers. These by default are used for Line Pressure and Casing Pressure. While you can decide to use Tubing Pressure instead of Line Pressure, you will need both if you wish to use Load Factor. You…

The Sasquatch calculates the surface velocity of the plunger on each arrival event. This is stored in a log with the latest value being available at the head of the log. As new arrivals come in, older entries are all pushed down. When the log is full, the oldest entry…

All pressure inputs work generally the same way. This article discusses how to install, enable, and configure pressure switches or sensors. WHAT YOU NEED Before getting started, make sure you have: ALiEn2 or ALiEn2 Expert Plunger Lift Controller Pressure Transducer or Pressure Switch Install Pressure Device Pressure Switch Connections A…

Many companies will often sell an electronic product that appears to be certified and allow you to assume it is. In many cases, these products were never tested or certified, or might still be in process. This can pose a safety hazard and introduce unnecessary liability and risk. You can…

ETC Sensors have a unique technology embedded in them called Geomagnetic Sensing that monitors the Earth’s magnetic field in real time and then reacts to anomalies caused by ferrous metals found in plungers. By connecting Vision, we can see the changes to the magnetic field in real time. What You…

The ALiEn2 and ALiEn2 Expert has a set of built in features that can be used to track the wear and tear on our plungers. This tracks both the number of arrivals and the distance travelled. Plunger Statistics Log Number of Arrivals Each time that a plunger arrival is detected,…

Load factor is a built in feature that allows you to open the well based on it’s ability to lift the fluid at the bottom of the well bore. What is Load Factor? Load Factor is the ratio of Fluid Pressure to Lift Pressure which is used to determine when…

Overview Using the Sasquatch with the ALiEn2 Expert controller allows the surface velocity to be read each cycle and be used for safety and/or optimization. This article explains the steps required to connect, configure, and troubleshoot this setup. Installation There are several steps to installing the Sasquatch as well as…

ETC controllers are equipped with one or more digital outputs. These digital outputs can be turned on and off to signal to other systems, provide power to external devices, or run relays to turn higher power devices on and off.

The simulator is based on the same software as the controller and therefore supports all of the same features. If you wish to use Modbus to interact with the simulator, you must enable the Modbus Server and turn on Modbus in the controller menus. What You Need Before planning to…

Vision Device Management can connect to a physical controller using a serial port or to the simulator using TCP. The pre-configured SCADA Server allows a user to interact with the controller by reading or writing settings. What You Need Before planning to interact using Modbus, you should make sure you…

There is a lot of technical information on a certification label that helps to identify the area and conditions in which an electronic product can be used. Training Course All of the information below is covered in a training course called “Understanding Hazardous Locations Basics” which is available on our…

Geomagnetic sensing is a technology that uses a magnetometer and a microprocessor to read the Earth’s magnetic field and look for changes in the field over time to detect an event. This technology is used in both the Cyclops and Sasquatch sensors. Video Overview Benefits of geomagnetic sensing There are…

The Cyclops IS and Cyclops ExP are the same product, but are designed and certified with different protection methods. The following information will help you to identify which product to use with your setup. Overview CycloPS IS The Cyclops IS is certified as Intrinsically Safe (IS), which means that it…

The ALiEn2 line of controllers will work with any SCADA system that supports standard Modbus. You can choose to implement your own solution using our Modbus map or work with one of the many pre-integrated solutions. Pre-Integrated Solutions A number of on premise and web based tools and systems have…

The ALiEn2 line of controllers are designed to be ultra low powered, which does restrict the type of pressure transducer that can be powered and read. Please see the sections below for more details. Single Pressure Transducer A single pressure transducer is used for reading casing, line, or tubing pressure….

All of the certification certificates and control drawings for ETC products can be found on their product page. Click on the links below to go to the appropriate page:

Whether you are using Vision or another piece of software or device, there are several things that have to be setup correctly in order to communicate via modbus. Ensure that the COM settings for Sasquatch and the Modbus Master match Click here to find/change the Sasquatch settings Ensure that Sasquatch…

There are a number of common problems that can happen when trying to use Modbus with the ALiEn2 or Sasquatch. Please check each of the sections below. Is Modbus enabled? For the ALiEn2, Modbus is diabled by default to save power. Press install Navigate down to Modbus and press select.

A lot of design effort, testing, and cost goes into creating a certified product. This often makes a product more expensive, but can guarantee that a product is safe. There are several different contributors to the cost of a certified product. Here are a few of them: Additional design and…

The Cyclops may not work properly with a very long cable run. The maximum cable length depends on a number of factors such as: Supply voltage Cable resistance/capacitance Controller input sensitivity Causes There are a number of potential issues that are caused by long cables that may be happening.

Overview Sasquatch works by watching a ferrous plunger go by in real time, correlating multiple key points on two separate waveforms. Detection Issues If the plunger is not ferrous, no waveforms are seen leading to a zero velocity being reported. While an arrival may be detected from moving parts at…