Technological Advances in Hydraulic Fracturing

I have recently come across some very interesting facts that could become very important for the energy industry. Hydraulic fracturing has become more and more common in the world today as a method to create an oil or gas well. There is much effort that goes into creating just one of these wells. So companies that have multiple fleets to produce these wells have a hard time keeping track of all the sites and the information produced from them. These companies are becoming more and more reliant on the data that is compiled from these locations.

Fracking fleet. Photo by Kansas Geological Survey.

One fleet is usually composed of multiple trucks. Some of these trucks house multiple pieces of equipment including engines to run this equipment. That’s a lot of data to keep track of; which is why there is a separate vehicle called a data van that has the sole purpose of keeping track of the data. There are not many companies that take advantage of collecting this data. It gives a company the opportunity to speed up the production of the well and also save time and money. 

The benefits that come from collecting this data are great. Access to the time series data makes it much simpler to track down the source of a problem when it occurs. It also makes routine maintenance checks much easier to track. This allows planning for future checks to become almost effortless. Canary Labs has developed a solution to effectively manage these dynamic assets as they move around the country between different fleets. The AxiomTrend allows the data to be collected with no loss and sorted by fleet which shows the individual trucks associated with that fleet at a centralized corporate site by satellite or cellular connection. All this data can be accessed offsite and can be viewed anywhere. The end result is a more efficient, easy to maintain fleets that speed up the production process and allows better utilization of equipment, resources and most importantly increases profitability.

This is just one of the many industries that is being shaped by the collection of data. It leads me to wonder how time series data can change other industries as well…

The Value in Time Series Data

At first glance, when I see large amounts of data, boredom quickly overcomes me. I would compare it to trying to read a different language or hearing a highly intelligent person try to explain a complicated task. The data seems worthless, but if used correctly it can be quite valuable. The simple truth is, after you see the value in something, a perspective can quickly change. At least, that is what caused my perspective on time series data to change. 

What is time series data? It is the constant monitoring of a piece of equipment; a steady stream of information that might record a machine's speed and productivity. It gives the company access to a timeline of what is happening and what has happened to the piece of equipment. After hearing that explanation, you might be inclined to think that there is a whole lot of pointless information that could be recorded. However, this is not the case.

The bottom line is that time series data can prove to be invaluable to a company. It gives operational insight that can help a piece of equipment run more efficiently. I now have access to information that could help me discover how a piece of equipment might be might be run more safely and efficiently. Looking at this gives a timeline of everything that happens to the equipment and may help me prevent future operator errors and

The AxiomTrend allows you to stream live data anytime and anywhere.

equipment failures. In short, it provides efficiency. Why would you not want your factory to run more efficiently? For me, when it comes to making decisions, I like to have all the facts. Having the time series data available provides these facts to a company and makes the decision-making process a whole lot quicker. Not only that, but it can also lead to some interesting observations that could be very beneficial for the future of your company.

There are lots of different options as to which software to choose when looking to record your time series data. However, If you want quality software that gives the answers you need and yet is easy to use, the Canary Historian is your best bet. It not only provides you with all the data that many other historians erase, it provides accurate and reliable information that can prove to be helpful. Many historians compress the data being recorded which only creates problems for the future. A company might see gaps in their time series data which leads to loss of time, value and quality parameters. The Canary Historian gives you all he data. The philosophy behind this, is that your data is your data. All I have to do is sit back and let the software do the rest. 

When you see the benefits of time series data, the answer is quite clear: it has too much value to be overlooked. If more companies recorded and utilized time series data, it would leave them asking the question, 'why didn't we take advantage of this sooner?' I would say, it was because they didn't see the value in it. 

How Canary Flies

In 1985, Gary and Ed Stern sought to create a product; software that would provide for the needs of a variety of different companies. In the beginning there was not a clear idea of what this software would be or look like. At the prompting of Canary’s first clients, we were lead down the path of historian and trending applications. This was the start of Canary Labs. Founded near the suburbs of Philadelphia, the vision of the company eventually grew as did the company itself. In 1991, Canary Labs moved its headquarters to its current location in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania. The foundation of this company was built on looking for the customer’s need and then fulfilling that need. This has led us to where Canary Labs stands today and has helped to create our philosophy. We are dedicated to providing for the customer’s needs, creating a superior product, and exceeding expectations in the world of business.

Canary Labs focuses on developing solutions

Over the last 29 years Canary Labs has worked to perfect our software to make it more user friendly to the customer. Companies were questioned, analyzed, and watched so that we could better get into the mind of the people using our Historian and Trending products. There were many instances where the software was redesigned to make it more usable and functional for the customer. Many companies have saved millions of dollars, all because Canary Labs made it a point to listen and meet the needs of the customer. One customer said, “I was really impressed with the ease of use and easy setup procedures. The performance and file management of the Canary Enterprise Historian helped us keep hardware costs down. The Canary Labs technical support team also provided first class service and help when needed." Canary Labs is not your average company. We are dedicated to satisfying the customer. If the customer has an issue or needs help in anyway, our team of experts will take them step by step through the issue until the customer is content with the outcome. 

Everyone has high expectations when you are looking to buy a product. There is often a major letdown when the product does not achieve these expectations. This is not the feeling that Canary wants their customers to have after they buy our software; which is why we look to accomplish more than the customer expects. Since our singular focus has always been to log and read data, it has given us the opportunity to become very knowledgeable in this area giving the customer a chance to take advantage of our excellent customer support. We seek to give you the most current and advanced software we can give you, at the best price. This is yet another reason customers can trust Canary Labs. 

So what is the Canary Philosophy? It is to create quality products for the needs of the customer in a way that makes sense and is simple to use. If the software is too complicated for the user, there is not as much that can be accomplished from it. Our experience gives us an advantage and allows companies to benefit from our Historian and Trending software’s capabilities; such as speed and an abundance of useful data. We do not want a customer to feel regret when they walk away with our product, this is why we have put so much effort into creating the best software we can and not taking the shortcuts that other companies might take when writing software. Making the customer a priority is what this company is all about. This is the way that this Canary flies.