Skip to content

System Overview

What Is ESP-GUARDX?

ESP-GUARDX is an embedded monitoring and control system designed for Electric Submersible Pump (ESP) installations in oil and gas fields. It runs on a dedicated industrial touchscreen device and provides:

  • Real-time electrical and mechanical parameter monitoring
  • Automatic fault detection and event recording
  • Pump performance analysis and optimization
  • Motor health assessment
  • Well production tracking
  • Remote access via network

System Architecture

The system consists of three main layers:

1. Data Acquisition Layer

ESP-GUARDX samples electrical signals at up to 40 MHz through a high-speed SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) bus. The ADC captures 8 channels simultaneously:

  • 3 voltage channels (Phase A, B, C)
  • 3 current channels (Phase A, B, C)
  • 2 auxiliary channels (configurable)

Each data packet contains:

Data Type Samples per Packet
Waveform (graph) data 4,096 samples
Harmonic data 808 values
Power measurements 24 parameters

Data packets are processed at a rate of 5--10 Hz (every 100--200 ms), providing continuous real-time updates.

2. Processing Layer

The processing layer runs on an ARM Cortex-A processor (Toradex iMX6/iMX8) and handles:

  • Signal Processing -- RMS calculation, harmonic decomposition, phasor analysis
  • Event Detection -- Real-time threshold comparison against user-defined warn and trip levels
  • Data Logging -- SQLite database storage and binary event file recording
  • Pump Calculations -- Affinity law computations, polynomial curve fitting
  • Motor Analysis -- Load factor, efficiency, power factor interpolation

3. Display Layer

The QML-based touchscreen interface provides:

  • Interactive dashboard with live gauges and indicators
  • 8-channel oscilloscope waveform display at 60 FPS
  • Pump performance curve charts
  • Motor efficiency plots
  • Event list and waveform replay
  • Settings and configuration screens

Supported Communication Protocols

Protocol Use Case
SPI High-speed ADC data acquisition (40 MHz)
UART Serial sensor communication (9600 baud)
Modbus RTU Industrial device communication over RS-485
Modbus TCP Industrial device communication over Ethernet
Wi-Fi Wireless network access and remote monitoring
Ethernet Wired network access
Bluetooth Short-range wireless communication

Software Stack

Component Technology
Language C++17, QML, JavaScript
Framework Qt 6.x
Database SQLite
OS Embedded Linux (Boot2Qt)
Build System CMake 3.16+