Orion Software 8.

0
User’s Guide
Data Acquisition Software

Version 8.0
 Copyright

Copyright © 1997-2005 CTES, L.P.

All rights reserved.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this documen-
tation, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.
Information in this documentation is also subject to change without notice.
Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the
information contained herein.

CTES, L.P.
9870 Pozos Lane
Conroe, Texas 77303

Phone 1 (936) 521-2200

After Hours Support 1 (936) 521-2200
Fax 1 (936) 521-2275

CTES maintains an active web page, providing technical support, software

updates, answers to frequently asked questions, and information about new
developments.

[Link]
orion@[Link]

09/2005

ii CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Products and Services CTES Offers

CTES is an engineering consulting company specializing in coiled tubing

technology. Our team consists of experienced engineers, software develop-
ers, trainers, and industry experts who are available to supply you with
products and services to support your coiled tubing and well intervention
operations.

We offer the following products and services:

• Cerberus™, a software suite used to model any operation involving the

running of tools into and out of a well on cable, pipe or coiled tubing.
By analyzing the cumulative forces acting downhole at each stage of
the job, the program is able to determine whether the target depth can
be reached, the desired tasks performed, and the equipment safely
returned to surface. Its most important feature is the ability to model
conditions in deviated and horizontal wellbores. Cerberus is also the
only commercial program able to model all three conveyance methods
in one package, making it invaluable for choosing the best well entry
technique in marginal conditions.

• Orion™ is an asset management tool designed for use in CT, wireline,

and pumping operations. The equipment is based on proven industrial
data monitoring hardware. The software is user friendly, versatile, and
designed by experts to serve the needs of the CT and wireline industry.
Orion works in conjunction with our Cerberus software to provide real-
time job monitoring.

• Emergency Stop System (ESS), a safety device used to help avoid sud-
den operational failures.

• CTES cable injector, which inserts wireline in coiled tubing while it is

on the reel.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. iii

 • Depth Measuring System (DMS), a device that improves the accuracy
of coiled tubing depth measurements using two diametrically opposed
depth wheels, each with its own encoder.

• CT Diameter Ovality Gauge (CT-DOG) monitors diameter growth as

your tubing is being run.

• Argus™, an ultrasonic pipe inspection system containing 12 ultrasonic

probes. This system is designed for 1-1/4" to 2-7/8" O.D. tubulars and
will measure wall thickness, diameter, ovality and weld seam location.

• Zeta Riser Monitoring and Safety System, this system consists of

advanced equipment selection and job design software as well as a real-
time monitoring gauge for monitoring stack stress levels during well
intervention operations.

• Cement Pulsation, the application of low-intensity pressure pulses to

the annulus after a primary cement job to retain the hydrostatic pressure
of the unset slurry to prevent unwanted fluid influx; resulting in
improved zonal isolation.

• Design services for equipment and research projects.

• Operations support. (CTOS)

If you have a project you would like CTES to undertake, please contact us.

iv CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. v
Brief Contents

Brief Contents

Welcome .................................................................................. 1

Installing Orion ....................................................................... 13

Calibration (CTES Controller Only)....................................... 29

Acquiring and Recording Data................................................ 45

Viewing, Monitoring, and Printing Data................................. 75

The Data Simulator ............................................................... 113

Troubleshooting .................................................................... 123

Report Designer .................................................................... 135

Glossary................................................................................. 143

Derived Channels .................................................................. 151

Index...................................................................................... 155

vi CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Detailed Contents

Detailed Contents
Copyright ................................................................................................... ii
Products and Services CTES Offers ......................................................... iii

Chapter 1
Welcome.................................................................................. 1
What is Orion? ............................................................................................1
Features .......................................................................................................2
Overview of Orion ......................................................................................5
What's New .................................................................................................7
Contacting CTES ........................................................................................9
Contacting CTES (USA) ......................................................................9
Contacting CTES (UK) .......................................................................10
Contacting CTES (Canada) ................................................................10
If You Have a Third-Party Data Acquisition System ...............................11
If You Do Not Have Cerberus ..................................................................11
Other Sources of Information ...................................................................11

Chapter 2
Installing Orion ..................................................................... 13
System Requirements ...............................................................................13
Installing or Updating the Orion Software ...............................................15
Troubleshooting Installation ...............................................................17
Problems with Older CD-ROM Drives .............................................................. 18

Obtaining Authorization ...........................................................................19

Changing Authorization ......................................................................20
Setting Up Orion for Your Controller .......................................................21
Setting Up Orion with a User Configuration ......................................22

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. vii

Detailed Contents

Configuring Data Sources.................................................................................. 24

Configuring Channels ........................................................................................ 27

Chapter 3
Calibration (CTES Controller Only) .................................. 29
Viewing and Setting Gain and Offset .......................................................30
Pressure Calibration ..................................................................................31
Weight Calibration ....................................................................................33
Depth Scale Calibration ............................................................................34
Verifying Depth Calibration ...............................................................36
Determining the Pulses per Revolution ..............................................37
Flow Meter Rate/Volume Calibration ......................................................38
Magnetic Proximity Switch Volume/Rate Calibration .............................40
Analog Sensor Calibration (Orion IV Ethernet-Based)) ...........................41

Chapter 4
Acquiring and Recording Data ............................................ 45
Starting Orion ...........................................................................................46
Quick Start ..........................................................................................48
Using Orion at a Job Site ..........................................................................49
Using Orion with an EMU (CTES DAS Only) ........................................50
Using Orion to Play Back Data .................................................................52
Using Orion with the Data Simulator .......................................................55
Using Orion Over the Internet .................................................................56
Acquiring Data ..........................................................................................59
Ways to Acquire Data .........................................................................60
Applying New Gains and Offsets .......................................................61
Averaging Data Points ........................................................................62

viii CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Detailed Contents

Setting the Update Rate ......................................................................63

Recording Data .........................................................................................64
Methods to Record Data .....................................................................66
Creating a New Database ....................................................................67
Opening an Existing Database ............................................................67
Filtering ...............................................................................................68
Available Filters................................................................................................. 69
Setting the Save Rate and Buffer Size ................................................70
Setting Orion Preferences ........................................................................71

Chapter 5
Viewing, Monitoring, and Printing Data ............................ 75
Using Orion with Cerberus .......................................................................76
Digital Display ..........................................................................................77
Selecting Channels for the Digital Display .........................................78
Changing Display Units ......................................................................79
Designing a Custom Digital Display ..................................................80
Chart View ................................................................................................84
Data Log ...................................................................................................88
Selecting Columns for the Data Log ...................................................90
High/Low Channel Alarms and Warnings ................................................90
Configuring Alarms and Warnings .....................................................91
The Alarm Log ....................................................................................92
Acknowledging Alarms and Warnings ...............................................93
Alarms Preferences .............................................................................94
Limit Monitor ...........................................................................................96
Starting the Limit Monitor ..................................................................97
Force Monitor ...........................................................................................99
Starting the Force Monitor ................................................................101
Fatigue Monitor ......................................................................................101
Running the Fatigue Monitor ............................................................102

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. ix

Detailed Contents

Job Monitor .............................................................................................103

Well Geometry and Survey Path ......................................................103
Alarms ...............................................................................................105
Monitor .............................................................................................106
Batch Monitor ...................................................................................108
Printing Data ...........................................................................................109

Chapter 6
The Data Simulator............................................................. 113
Starting the Simulator .............................................................................113
Views in the Data Simulator ...................................................................114
Control Panel ....................................................................................115
Control Panel Zoom View ................................................................117
Wellsite View ...................................................................................117
Data Source .......................................................................................118
Sliders ...............................................................................................119
Turning Animation On and Off ........................................................120
Generating Data with the Data Simulator ...............................................120
Generating Data Automatically ........................................................120
Generating Data Manually ................................................................121
Setting the Time Scale ......................................................................122

Chapter 7
Troubleshooting................................................................... 123
Troubleshooting Acquiring Data ............................................................123
Checking Data Communications ......................................................124
Using the Diagnostics Feature ..........................................................128

x CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Detailed Contents

Troubleshooting Recording Data ............................................................130

Troubleshooting Viewing Data ...............................................................130
Troubleshooting Monitoring Data ..........................................................130
Troubleshooting Printing Reports ...........................................................131
Troubleshooting Orion DAS Controller .................................................131
Checking the Status of an Orion DAS Controller .............................131
Downloading a New Strategy to an Orion DAS Controller .............132

Chapter 8
Report Designer................................................................... 135
Starting Report Designer ........................................................................135
The Report Designer Screen ...................................................................136
Working with Reports .............................................................................136
Manipulating Report Objects ..................................................................137
Types of Objects in a Report ............................................................137
Adding Objects to a Report ..............................................................139
Changing Report Object Properties ..................................................139
Deleting Objects from a Report ........................................................139
Moving Report Objects .....................................................................140
Sizing Report Objects .......................................................................140
Changing the Order of Report Objects .............................................140

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. xi

Detailed Contents

Manipulating Report Pages .....................................................................141

Appendix A
Glossary................................................................................ 143

Appendix B
Derived Channels ................................................................ 151

Index ..................................................................................... 155

xii CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Anchor

Chapter 1
Welcome

Thank you for choosing the Orion Data Acquisition System.

• “What is Orion?” on page 1.

• “Features” on page 2.

• “Overview of Orion” on page 5.

• “What's New” on page 7.

• “Contacting CTES” on page 9.

• “If You Have a Third-Party Data Acquisition System” on page 11.

• “If You Do Not Have Cerberus” on page 11.

• “Other Sources of Information” on page 11.

What is Orion?

Orion is an asset management tool designed for use in CT, wireline, and
pumping operations. The equipment is based on proven industrial data

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 1

 Chapter 1 Welcome

Anchor
monitoring hardware. The software is user friendly, versatile, and designed
by experts to serve the needs of the CT and wireline industry.

Orion can support your operations by:

• Providing a record of the job for you and your customer

• Improving detail and accuracy of data for job monitoring

• Sounding alarms when preset conditions are reached

• Monitoring CT fatigue* - provides a graphical view of the current

fatigue and the newly accruing fatigue.

• Monitoring limits* - real-time burst and collapse monitoring.

• Monitoring forces* - reports if the predicted surface weights are match-

ing actual weights seen on the weight indicator.

• Storing information for post-job analysis

• Remote monitoring (either on-site or via internet)

• Increased efficiency - the operator can spend his time operating the
CTU instead of recording operational events by hand.

*Cerberus software required.

Features

Features in the Orion software include the following:

General

Fully compatible with Cerberus software for real-time monitoring

2 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 1 Welcome

• Operates under Windows NT, 2000 or XP Anchor

• Easy to use - configurable acquire / record options

• User has the ability to configure additional data channels at any time

• Channels configured automatically based on connected hardware

• Ability to acquire data simultaneously from separate sources

Data Acquisition and Storage

• Auto configuration of communication port and port properties when

starting acquisition process.

• Configurable acquisition rate

• Data recorded in Microsoft Access® database

• Configurable database filters on any channel for database compression

Modes of Operation

• Serial based data output and input via OPC, WITS, RS-485 and Ether-
net

• Acquire - acquire data from sensors

• Playback - post-job analysis, change calibrations, filter data, and modi-

fications if necessary.

• Simulator - generate simulated data from a control panel

• Internet - optional feature allows data to be transmitted over the inter-

net

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 3

 Chapter 1 Welcome

Anchor
Monitoring

• Alarms and Warnings - separate (high and low) on every channel

• Alarm Log - alarm events automatically recorded with data

• Forces* - real-time measured values compared against predicted values

• Fatigue* - real-time fatigue calculations

• Limits* - real-time burst and collapse monitoring

• Job monitor* - intelligently monitor the channels in relation to each

other

*Cerberus software required.

Display

• Large customizable digital displays for easy visibility

• Vertically oriented strip charts. Custom charts can be created by the

user.

• Custom screens, configurable by user

• Units can be English, Metric or a combination of both

Ease of Use

• Playback wizard

• Sensor calibration wizards

• On-line help

4 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 1 Welcome

• Right mouse button access to key features Anchor

Simulator

• Testing, contingency planning, and training

Overview of Orion

You use the Orion software to acquire, record, view and monitor wellsite
data.

The Orion software can simultaneously acquire data from several different
types of sources. The data source determine how Orion is operated. Usu-
ally, the data source is an Orion data acquisition system with attached
wellsite sensors.
Anchor

Data
Source Description Use

Hardware Data acquisition equipment Job moni-

Controller attached to a unit at a job toring and
(CTES or site. recording
third-party)
Orion Data- Playback a previously Post-job
base recorded Orion database. analysis, job
design,
training
EMU™ External Memory Unit Data backup
data file which has previously
acquired data from a CTES
DAS

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 5

 Chapter 1 Welcome

Anchor

Data
Source Description Use

Data Simu- Realistic data generated by Training,

lator the Orion software data testing, and
simulator. job design
Internet Data transmitted via the Offsite
internet from the job site to monitoring
a remote location. and record-
ing
Derived Channels calculated from Job moni-
Channels any existing channel. toring and
recording

A typical scenario for using Orion includes the following steps:

1. If you have Cerberus, configure the job in Cerberus, including the

string, reel, well, and tool string.

2. Turn on the hardware controller and connect it to the computer.

3. Start the Orion software in Acquire mode. (see page 46)

4. Start acquiring data and verify that all of the sensors are working prop-
erly. (see page 66)

5. Create a new database for data recording. (see page 67)

6. Start recording data to the new database. (see page 66)

7. During the job, view and monitor the data for unsafe conditions.

6 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 1 Welcome

8. When the job is completed, stop recording data, stop acquisition, and Anchor

either exit the software or print or preview various reports.

What's New

Version 8.0 of the Orion software include the following enhancements.

• Ethernet based Opto22 "Ultimate I/O" hardware has been added as an

Orion data source. Ultimate I/O will become the standard I/O system
used for new Orion hardware units.

• Faster communication rate (up to 50 updates per second…8X faster

then SNAP I/O hardware)

• Makes connecting to and reading from multiple Orion systems (for

example, a CT Unit and one or more pumping units) on a jobsite
practical.

• Can easily use multiple PC’s on location to view & record data

• “Wireless” field operation functionality (between CT and multiple

Pumping Units, Data Van, etc.)

• Charts - Extensive rework to improve usability

• Virtually all modifications to charts can now be made “on the fly”
during a job as well as in playback mode.

• Channels and columns can be added/ removed from a chart with a

single mouse click.

• Channels added during a job will backfill that channel’s data all the
way to the beginning of the job.

• New charts can be created and defined “on the fly”. An existing

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 7

 Chapter 1 Welcome

Anchor
chart can be saved under a different name for use as a template for a
similar chart.

• Column width can be adjusted simply by dragging the borders with

your mouse. Columns can be dragged and dropped in new posi-
tions.

• Limits Monitor* (Hercules™) plot implemented with collapse limit

calculations that account for CT ovality in Limits Monitor. Both the
Newman Plastic collapse model and the API 5C7 collapse models are
provided.

• Audible and visual alarms added to Limits Monitor, for use when
measured conditions exceed user-defined operating limit boundaries.

• Auto configuration of COM ports when using CTES DAQ hardware.

(COM port selection and baud rate is automatically detected and con-
figured.)

• Alarms - Adds ability to send an output signal to external device (light,

horn, relay) based on a high/low warning or a high/low alarm threshold
that the user can define for any channel. Requires purchase of an extra
output module(s). (Requires CTES DAQ hardware).

• Multiple calibration points - Ability to configure multiple calibration

points for analog sensor input modules (when using Ultimate I/O hard-
ware) when calibration curve is non-linear (such as in cylindrical tanks
mounted horizontally) when tank level is measured with a pressure sen-
sor.

• Playback. Playback and processing of pre-recorded data, in Playback

mode, is significantly faster.

• Quick-start. Automatic naming of Orion databases now in quick-start.

User can choose from date, CTU number/date, or CTU number as data-
base name prefix.

8 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 1 Welcome

• Databases. Implemented Orion database job details. Anchor

• Serial Inputs. Orion can accept multiple serial inputs based on the
ASCII format.

*Cerberus software required.

Contacting CTES
XREF text: contact
Contact us
CTES
CTES

CTES maintains a location in the USA and in the UK.

• “Contacting CTES (USA)” on page 9.

• “Contacting CTES (UK)” on page 10.

• “Contacting CTES (Canada)” on page 10.

Contacting CTES (USA)

CTES Mailing Address

CTES, L.P.
9870 Pozos Lane
Conroe, Texas 77303

Phone Numbers

Technical Support: 1 (936) 521-2200

Fax: 1 (936) 521-2275

Email Address and Web Site

orion@[Link]

[Link]

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 9

 Chapter 1 Welcome

Anchor
CTES maintains an active web site on the Internet, including technical sup-
port for Cerberus and other products. You can access updates and fixes
from the web site. You can also request enhancements and ask our pro-
grammers questions.

Contacting CTES (UK)

CTES Mailing Address

CTES Ltd
1 Claremont Street
Aberdeen, Scotland AB10 6QP
UK

Phone Numbers

Technical Support: +44 [0] 1224 588788

Email Address

sales@[Link]

Contacting CTES (Canada)

CTES Mailing Address

CTES
4910 80 Ave SE
Calgary AB T2C 2X3
Canada

Phone Numbers

Technical Support: 403-203-1581

10 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 1 Welcome

Email Address Anchor

sales@[Link]

If You Have a Third-Party Data Acquisition System

XREF text: third-party data acquisition system

The Orion software was specially designed so that it can be used with
selected third-party data acquisition systems (DAS). If your company has
purchased Orion to be run on non-CTES data monitoring hardware, nearly
all of this documentation will be the same as it would be for using CTES-
supplied hardware. However, some sections, such as calibration, will not
apply.

If You Do Not Have Cerberus

XREF text: Cerberus

Since most users will have some version of the Cerberus software suite,
this documentation contains tips for using Cerberus with Orion. There are
several procedures which can be performed only with the Cerberus soft-
ware. The procedures which require Cerberus include:

• real-time fatigue calculation (see page 123)

• real-time forces monitoring (see page 120)

• real-time burst and collapse monitoring (see page 116)

• Job Monitor (see page 125)

Other Sources of Information

XREF text: other sources of information

If you have a CTES DAS, you will also have the respective documentation.

• If you have an Ex-Orion, you will have the proper data books pre-
pared that support the Cenelec zoning requirements for the system

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 11

 Chapter 1 Welcome

Anchor
as well as the necessary OPTO 22 hardware documentation.

• If you have an Ultimate Orion, you will have the Opto 22 Ultimate
I/O documentation for your system.

If you are using a third-party data acquisition system, refer to the documen-
tation which came with your system.

If you are using the Cerberus monitors, refer to the Cerberus documenta-
tion for information regarding how the calculations are performed and
interpretation of the results.

CTES also offers a training package for the Orion system. Training can be
performed at your location, or at one of the CTES office locations. If you
are interested, please contact CTES for more information.

12 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Anchor

Chapter 2
Installing Orion

You will have to install the Orion software on a computer, unless a CTES
technician previously installed it when installing a CTES Orion hardware
system.

For information regarding CTES hardware system installation, contact

CTES.

• “System Requirements” on page 13.

• “Installing or Updating the Orion Software” on page 15.

• “Obtaining Authorization” on page 19.

• “Setting Up Orion for Your Controller” on page 21.

System Requirements

Stand-alone Computer

• Windows 95, 98, NT (SP6), 2000 or XP operating system1

1Windows 95 & 98 will not be supported in the Cerberus v8.5 to be released in 2006.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 13

 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

Anchor
• Pentium 4 (or equivalent) - 1 GHz processor or higher

• 128 MB of memory minimum, 256MB or more recommended

• 45 MB of available hard drive space

• CD-ROM Drive

• A high-capacity hard drive is highly recommended, since data files

may be very large

Computer With Cerberus

• Cerberus version 7.5 or higher (recommended)

• 128 MB of memory minimum, 256 MB or recommended

Hardware Controller

This version of the Orion software operates with the following Orion con-
troller models: Note that you may not be able to use some features if you
have an older model, or if it is running an older strategy. If your Orion
DAS was built before 2000, contact CTES for further information.

• model 84 with direct communication strategy

• model 168 with direct communication strategy

• model 812 with direct communication strategy

• Orion II or III, with direct communication strategy or the generic strat-

egy

• All Zone 1 and Zone 11 Ex-Orion’s

• All Ethernet based Orion IV systems

14 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

For other CTES controllers, third-party controllers or if you are unsure of Anchor

your strategy type, contact CTES.

Installing or Updating the Orion Software

If the computer is available when the CTES technician is installing the

equipment, he will also install the software, and set your controller type.
However, if you need to install the software yourself, CTES will send you a
CD or you can download it from [Link]
Active_Customers.asp. Contact CTES for your username and password.

If available, Orion updates can be downloaded from the CTES website as

well by visiting [Link]
[Link]. Contact your administrator or CTES for help.

Anchor

Be prepared to contact CTES for a software authorization code

before you run the software, even on previously authorized computers.

To Install Orion Software

1. If you are running Windows NT, 2000 or XP, logon as a user with
administrator rights.

2. Close all running applications.

3. Insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive. The Orion install will begin
automatically. If it does not start automatically, run the OrionIn-
[Link] from the Install directory on the CD.

4. Follow the instructions on the screen. Once the installation is complete,

an Orion icon will be placed on your desktop.

• The default folder where the Orion program files will be installed is

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 15

 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

Anchor
C:\Program Files\CTES\Orion v8.0\. You can designate a different
folder by clicking the Browse button and selecting another folder.

• If your user account does not have privileges to add a printer, you
can select the option to Install "CTES PDF Generator v8.0" printer.
If your user account has privileges to add printers, do not select this
option as the printer will be installed each time you run Orion.

• It is recommended that you use the default directory for data files.

5. The first time you run the software, you will have to obtain a software
access key code from CTES (via Internet, email or phone).

6. If you are using an Orion controller with Opto MDS, you must update
your hardware to use direct communication. You can contact CTES for
instructions.

If you have problems installing the software, see “Troubleshooting Installa-

tion” on page 17.

To Make Modifications to Orion Software (already installed)

1. If you are running Windows NT, 2000 or XP, logon as a user with
administrator rights.

2. Close all running applications.

3. Insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive. The Application maintenance

screen will appear. If it does not start automatically, run the OrionIn-
[Link] from the Install directory on the CD.

• Modify - changes which application features are installed.

• Repair - reinstalls missing or corrupt files, registry keys, and short-

cuts. Preferences stored in the registry may be reset to default val-
ues.

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 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

• Remove - this option will uninstall the Orion software from your Anchor

computer.

Application maintenance screen

Troubleshooting Installation
Anchor

Situation Possible Cause Action

I have problems The CD may be incom- See “Problems with

reading the CD, patible with your CD- Older CD-ROM
even when I try to ROM drive. Drives” on page 18.
look at the CD in
Windows Explorer.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 17

 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

Anchor

Situation Possible Cause Action

I receive an error You may need adminis- Try logging off of Win-
message about not trator rights for Win- dows, and log back on
being able to copy a dows, or the file may as a user with adminis-
file. be in use. trator rights. Then run
the setup program
again.

Try closing all running

applications, then run
the setup program
again.

Problems with Older CD-ROM Drives

If you have an older CD-ROM drive, you may find when you put the CD in
the drive, it is ejected, you get error messages such as "no CD-ROM" or
"not ready reading", or you have random problems accessing files or direc-
tories. In these cases, your CD-ROM drive may be incompatible with the
CD.

1. Make sure the CD is seated in the CD-ROM drive properly and give it
adequate time to start spinning. Once you insert a CD, it usually takes a
few seconds before the CD is accessible.

2. Try reading the CD in a different CD-ROM drive. You may find that
the problems disappear on a newer CD-ROM drive, or on a CD-ROM
drive from a different manufacturer.

18 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

Anchor

Obtaining Authorization
XREF text: obtain a software access key code

The first time you start Orion you will need to obtain a software access key
code from CTES for your copy of Orion. Your authorization contains infor-
mation about which Orion features are available to you, and how long you
are authorized to use the software.

To Start Orion

1. Double click the Orion desktop icon

-or-

Click the Start button in the task bar then All Programs, CTES,
Orion 8.0.

2. When you start Orion, the program asks if you want to obtain authori-
zation. Click Yes. The Authorization screen will appear.

3. If you are connected to the internet, you can use Option 1 to obtain a
software access key code over the internet. (Note that if you are behind
a firewall, you may not be able to use this option.)

Click the Internet button, enter your contact information, and click
OK. You must enter text in all of the fields.

4. If you are not connected to the internet, or if the internet authorization

fails, use Option 2 to obtain a software access key code. If possible, you
should remain in front of your computer when you contact CTES.

Contact CTES and supply the Authorization Code on the screen. Enter
the corresponding Access Key provided by CTES and click Verify.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 19

 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

Anchor Anchor

You cannot relocate the program once it is authorized.

Authorization screen

Changing Authorization

Your authorization determines what options in Orion are available. If you

purchase new options in Orion, or the current authorization is about to
expire, you can change the authorization.

To Change Authorization

1. On the File menu in Orion, select Change Authorization. The Change

Authorization screen will appear.

2. Click the Get Authorization Code button.

3. If you are connected to the internet, you can use Option 1 to obtain
authorization over the internet. (Note that if you are behind a firewall,
you may not be able to use this option.)

20 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

Click the Internet button, enter your contact information, and click Anchor

OK. You must enter text in all of the fields.

4. If you are not connected to the internet, or if the internet authorization

fails, use Option 2 to obtain a software access key code. If possible, you
should remain in front of your computer when you contact CTES.

Contact CTES and supply the Authorization Code on the screen. Enter
the corresponding Access Key provided and click Verify.

Change Authorization screen

Setting Up Orion for Your Controller

XREF text: controller
DAS

If you are using third-party DAS or multiple controllers, you will have to
create a user configuration for the Orion software. If you change the hard-
ware configuration, (for example, to add a sensor), you must make the cor-
responding change in the configuration.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 21

 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

Anchor Anchor

If you are using an Orion DAS with Opto MDS, you must update
your hardware to use direct communication. Please contact CTES for
instructions.

Welcome to Orion screen

Setting Up Orion with a User Configuration

XREF text: third-party DAS or multiple controllers

If you are using a third-party DAS or multiple controllers, you must use a
custom user configuration.

To Set Up Orion with a User Configuration

1. Start the Orion software.

2. At the Welcome to Orion screen, click the Options button, General

Tab, then the Configuration Utility button. The Orion Configuration
Utility will appear.

3. Create a new configuration by selecting New from the File menu. Type
a name for the configuration, then click OK.

22 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

Anchor Anchor

When a new configuration is created, a single data source is also

automatically created.

4. For each data source:

a. Configure the properties of the data source by selecting it from the

configuration tree, then select the properties folder. You can then
configure the properties for the data source. (see page 24)

b. If applicable, right click the channels icon to add the channels

for the data source. Channel properties can be edited by clicking the
channel name. (see page 27)

5. Save your changes.

6. Click the exit button to return the Orion preferences screen.

7. Click OK on the preferences screen.

8. Make sure the controller or controllers are turned on and connected.

9. At the Welcome to Orion screen click the Acquire button.

10. Select the name of the configuration you just created from the menu.

11. Click OK to start using Orion.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 23

 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

Anchor
Orion Configuration Utility

Configuring Data Sources

XREF text: data source

Orion receives its data from one or more data sources, such as a hardware
controller or another program (like the Data Simulator).

You must configure the properties and channels for each data source. The
properties change, depending on the type of data source. Note that you will
not be able to select data source types which do not apply for you.

• CTES Controller Direct V2 - for a CTES controller using a user config-

urable, generic strategy.

• CTES Controller (Direct) - for a CTES Controller using direct commu-

nication. Note if the only data source is a CTES controller, you do not
need to set up a custom configuration.

• CTES Controller (DDE) - for a CTES Controller using a strategy prior

to direct communication strategies. Note if the only data source is a
CTES controller, you do not need to set up a custom configuration.

• CTES Controller (Ultimate I/O) - for an Orion IV hardware system

using an Opto22 Ultimate I/O Ethernet based controller.

24 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

• CTES OrionNet - for reading data from a network of Orion IV hard- Anchor

ware systems.

• Orion Data Language Source - is a proprietary data format used prima-

rily for the EMU and Rover devices. Orion can also read this format to
display and record data in real-time.

• DDE - for a third-party controller sending out data using DDE.

• Serial (ASCII) - for a third-party controller connected to a serial port

and sending out data in ASCII format.

• Internet - allows a direct TC/IP link from a "server" PC running Orion

software to a "client" PC running Orion software.

• Derived Channels - channels derived from existing sensor channels

using mathematical formulas for the data values. See “Derived Chan-
nels” on page 151.

• Sirius™ - a portable data acquisition system. Please contact CTES for

latest details.

• OPC Server - for reading data from an OPC server

• WITS Level 0 - for reading serial data in the industry standard WITS
protocol

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 25

 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

Anchor Anchor

To … Do this …

Add a data source. Right-click the configuration name

in the tree, and select Add Data
Source from the menu. Enter the
name of the data source.
Delete a data source. Right-click the data source in the
tree, and select Delete Data
Source from the menu.
Rename a data source. Right-click the data source in the
tree, and select Rename Data
Source from the menu. Enter the
new name.
Select data sources that can be Select Options from the File menu
used in configurations. in the Configuration Utility screen.
Select the data sources to include.

Configuration Utility - Data Source Properties

XREF text Popup: properties

26 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

Configuring Channels Anchor

XREF text: channels

Each data source has one or more channels associated with it. The proper-
ties of each channel must be configured, unless the data source is a CTES
DAS. (CTES controllers store their channel information internally.) Chan-
nels from different data sources will have different properties.

Anchor

Set the data source properties before entering channel information.

Anchor

No two channels should have the same type, except type "other",
even if they are from different data sources. If, for example, there are
two weight readings, select "weight" as the type for one channel, and
"other" as the type for the other channel.

Anchor

To … Do this …

Add a channel. Right-click Channels, under the

appropriate data source. Select
Add Channel from the menu.
Enter the name of the channel.
Delete a channel. Right-click the channel, and select
Delete Channel from the menu.
Rename a channel. Right-click the channel, and select
Rename Channel from the menu.
Enter the new name.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 27

 Chapter 2 Installing Orion

Anchor
Configuration Utility - Channel Properties
XREF text Popup: properties

28 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Anchor

Chapter 3
Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

XREF text: calibrate

In Orion, the sensors are calibrated by setting a gain and offset. The gain
and offset for each sensor is stored in the hardware, and can be read and
changed from within the Orion software. Orion also offers a Calibration
Wizard to help calibrate the sensors.

Many users may want to use the Orion system to calibrate some of the
equipment that generates data. CTES suggests that you use the process rec-
ommended by the manufacturer of the equipment; however, if you choose
to use the Orion system, we have supplied suggested procedures to assist
you.

• “Viewing and Setting Gain and Offset” on page 30.

• “Pressure Calibration” on page 31.

(wellhead pressure, pump pressure, etc.)

• “Weight Calibration” on page 33.

• “Depth Scale Calibration” on page 34.

• “Flow Meter Rate/Volume Calibration” on page 38.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 29

 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

• “Magnetic Proximity Switch Volume/Rate Calibration” on page 40.

Anchor

• “Analog Sensor Calibration (Orion IV Ethernet-Based))” on page 41.

Viewing and Setting Gain and Offset

The gain and offset for all of the Orion sensors can be viewed and changed.
Anchor

Before calibrating a sensor, make sure that the gain is one (1) and
the offset is zero (0).

To Set Gain and Offset for a Sensor

1. Make sure that the Orion software is running and acquiring data from
the controller.

2. Do one of the following to display the Calibration screen:

• Click the Calibrate icon on the toolbar.

• From the Setup menu, select Calibration.

3. Select the sensor to be calibrated.

4. Do one of the following:

• Enter the gain and offset for the sensor and click Set. Note: if you
do not click Set, the new values will be lost.

• Use the associated Calibration Wizard to calculate the gain and off-
set.

30 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

Calibration screen
Anchor

Calibration Wizard

Anchor

This wizard does not apply to the Orion IV Ethernet-based sys-

tems. Orion IV hardware based systems support multiple calibration
points on analog channels and are calibrated differently. Please see Ana-
log Sensor Calibration (Orion IV Ethernet-Based)) for details.

Pressure Calibration

This section describes how to make the value displayed by Orion match the
reading of a pressure gauge. This procedure assumes that the hydraulic
gauge inside the CT unit is accurate.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 31

 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

To Calibrate Pressure
Anchor

1. Make sure that the Orion software is running and acquiring data from
the controller.

2. Do one of the following to display the Calibration screen:

• Click the Calibrate icon on the toolbar.

• From the Setup menu, select Calibration.

3. Select the pressure sensor.

4. Click Calibration Wizard.

5. Click Next.

6. Follow the instructions on the screen. Click Next to progress through

the wizard. The wizard will ask you to adjust the pressure to several
different levels and enter the corresponding gauge readings. The wizard
will also be acquiring the sensor readings as the pressure is changed.

7. The wizard will calculate the gain and offset. Click Finish.

8. The wizard will automatically set the gain and offset it calculated as the
current gain and offset. (Note that you do not need to enter the values
again.) Click OK to return to the sensors screen.

9. Verify the pressure calibration.

a. Start acquiring data on the Orion system.

b. Pressure up the system. The hydraulic gauge and Orion display

should be within 10% of gauge range.

32 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

c. If the hydraulic gauge and the Orion display do not agree with each
Anchor

other, try calibrating it again.

Weight Calibration

This section describes how to make the reading of the pipe weight gauge
match the value displayed by Orion. This procedure assumes that the
hydraulic weight indicator inside the CT unit is accurate.

To Calibrate Weight

1. Make sure that the Orion software is running and acquiring data from
the controller.

2. Do one of the following to display the Calibration screen:

• Click the Calibrate icon on the toolbar.

• From the Setup menu, select Calibration.

3. Select the weight sensor.

4. Click Calibration Wizard.

5. Click Next.

6. Follow the instructions on the screen. Click Next to progress through

the wizard. The wizard will ask you to adjust the weight to several dif-
ferent levels and enter the corresponding gauge readings. The wizard
will also be acquiring the sensor readings as the weight is changed.

7. The wizard will calculate the gain and offset. Click Finish.

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 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

8. The wizard will automatically set the gain and offset it calculated as the
Anchor

current gain and offset. (Note that you do not need to enter the values
again.) Click OK to return to the sensors screen.

9. Verify the weight calibration.

a. Start acquiring data on the Orion system.

b. The hydraulic weight indicator gauge and Orion display should be

within 10% of gauge range.

c. If the hydraulic gauge and the Orion display do not agree with each
other, reset the gain to one (1) and try calibrating it again.
Anchor

This wizard does not apply to the Orion IV Ethernet-based sys-

tems. Orion IV hardware based systems support multiple calibration
points on analog channels and are calibrated differently. Please see Ana-
log Sensor Calibration (Orion IV Ethernet-Based)) for details.

Depth Scale Calibration

Depth is measured with an encoder that is mounted either on the injector

head or the mechanical tubing counter. The calibration wizard is used to
calculate the gain based on the number of encoder pulses counted by the
Orion system.

You do not need to enter an offset for depth. The depth channel can be reset
to any value at any time in Orion.

Before beginning the calibration, you must know:

• Measuring wheel - exact diameter or circumference. The measuring

wheel rolls on the CT and connects to the encoder. This value will
greatly affect the depth readings.

34 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

• Pulses Per Revolution. The pulses per revolution is output from the
Anchor

encoder. All CTES supplied encoders, for an Orion coiled tubing DAS,
are 500 pulses per revolution. If you do not know the value of your
encoder, you can calculate it (see page 37).

To Calibrate Depth

1. Make sure that the Orion software is running and acquiring data from
the controller.

2. Do one of the following to display the Calibration screen:

• Click the Calibrate icon on the toolbar.

• From the Setup menu, select Calibration.

3. Select the depth sensor.

4. Click Calibration Wizard.

5. Click Next.

6. Select Depth Encoder. Click Next.

7. Follow the instructions on the screen. Click Next to progress through

the wizard.

If a generic strategy is being used, the wizard will ask if there is an

associated rate channel. Choose Yes and click Next. On the next screen,
choose Speed from the list, click Next. This will ensure the speed and
depth values are calibrated properly.

8. The wizard will calculate the gain. Click Finish.

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 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

9. The wizard will automatically set the gain it calculated as the current
Anchor

gain. (Note that you do not need to enter the value again.) Click OK to
return to the sensors screen.

Verifying Depth Calibration

To Verify Depth Calibration

1. Make sure that the Orion software is running and acquiring data from
the controller.

2. On the computer, set the display units for the depth channel to the units
on the mechanical counter attached to the measuring wheel.

a. Click the Channels button on the toolbar.

b. Select Depth from the channel list.

c. Under properties, select the units you want from the list.

d. Click OK.

3. Reset the mechanical counter to zero.

4. Reset the depth channel to zero.

a. Right click the depth display on any screen containing a digital

style depth display.

b. Click Reset Depth.

c. Click Zero, then click Reset.

36 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

5. Rotate the measuring wheel 10 complete revolutions. The mechanical

Anchor

counter's depth and the Orion depth reading should both be equal to 10
times the circumference of the measuring wheel.

Determining the Pulses per Revolution

The calibration wizard needs to know the number of pulses per revolution
output from the encoder. If you do not know this value, you can use the fol-
lowing procedure to determine it.

To Determine the Pulses per Revolution

1. Make sure that the Orion software is running and acquiring data from
the controller.

2. On the computer, set the display units for the depth channel to feet, and
the display to 3 decimal places.
Anchor

You must use feet as the units in order for this calculation to work.

a. Click the Channels button on the toolbar.

b. Select Depth from the channel list.

c. Under the properties menu, select feet from the list.

d. Select three as the number of decimal places for depth from the pre-
cision dropdown list.

e. In the properties box on the right, click the change but-

ton to the right of the word calibration.

f. Set the gain for the depth sensor to one (1).

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 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

g. Click OK twice to return to the main screen.

Anchor

3. On the Orion data display screen, reset depth to 0.000 feet.

a. Right click the depth on the main screen.

b. Click Reset Depth.

c. Click Zero, then click Reset.

4. Rotate the shaft of the encoder one complete revolution.

5. Round the depth reading to the nearest whole integer, then multiple that
number by 1000 and divide it by 4. This is the number of pulses per
revolution output from the encoder. Write this value down.

Flow Meter Rate/Volume Calibration

You can use flow meters to monitor the flow rate of a liquid or a gas.

Before beginning the calibration, you must know one of the following:

• K factor. The K factor indicates the relationship between the frequency

(pulses/second) of the signal coming from the flow meter and a flow
rate (barrels/minute) through the meter. This number must be supplied
by the manufacturer.

• Frequency and corresponding flow rate. If you do not know the K-

factor, you can enter a frequency for the flow meter and its correspond-
ing flow rate.

38 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

To Calibrate the Flow Meter with the K Factor

Anchor

1. Make sure that the Orion software is running and acquiring data from
the controller.

2. Do one of the following to display the Calibration screen:

• Click the Calibrate icon on the toolbar.

• From the Setup menu, select Calibration.

3. Select the fluid or N2 rate sensor to calibrate.

4. Click Calibration Wizard.

5. Click Next.

6. Select Yes, if you are using a flow meter with a K factor expressed in
pulses / fluid unit. Click Next.

7. Enter the K factor and units from the drop down lists. Click Next.

8. If a generic strategy is being used, select Yes if you want an associated

volumes channel, click Next. Then choose the channel from the list and
click Next. The wizard will calculate the gain for both channels. Click
Finish.

9. The wizard will automatically set the gain it calculated as the current
gain. (Note that you do not need to enter the value again.)

To Calibrate the Flow Meter without the K Factor

1. Make sure that the Orion software is running and acquiring data from
the controller.

2. Do one of the following to display the Calibration screen:

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 39

 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

Anchor

• Click the Calibrate icon on the toolbar.

• From the Setup menu, select Calibration.

3. Select the fluid or N2 rate sensor.

4. Click Calibration Wizard.

5. Click Next.

6. Select No, if the flow meter uses a frequency / fluid unit. Click Next.

7. Enter the frequency and fluid rate. Click Next.

8. If a generic strategy is being used, select Yes if you want an associated

volumes channel, click Next. Then choose the channel from the list and
click Next. The wizard will calculate the gain for both channels. Click
Finish.

9. The wizard will automatically set the gain it calculated as the current
gain. (Note that you do not need to enter the value again.)

Magnetic Proximity Switch Volume/Rate Calibration

Before beginning the calibration, you must know the volume pumped per
count. This value indicates how much fluid is pumped for each count com-
ing from the sensor.

Example: Sensor "target" will give 30 pulses (or counts) per revolution of
the pump and the total volume pumped per complete revolution is 0.6 bbls.
To get the volume pumped per count of 0.02 bbls, divide the total volume
pumped (0.6 bbls) by the pulses per revolution (30).

40 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

To Calibrate the Volume Meter

Anchor

1. Make sure that the Orion software is running and acquiring data from
the controller.

2. Do one of the following to display the Calibration screen:

• Click the Calibrate icon on the toolbar.

• From the Setup menu, select Calibration.

3. Select the volume meter sensor.

4. Click Calibration Wizard.

5. Click Next.

6. Enter the volume pumped for one count of the meter (sensor). Click
Next.

7. Choose Yes to associate a rate with the channel you are calibrating.
Click Next.

8. Choose the appropriate rate channel from the list. Click Next.

9. The wizard will calculate the gain. Click Finish.

10. The wizard will automatically set the gain it calculated as the current
gain. (Note that you do not need to enter the value again.) Click OK to
return to the sensors screen.

Analog Sensor Calibration (Orion IV Ethernet-Based))

Calibrating analog sensors for an Orion IV hardware system is a much sim-

pler process than in earlier hardware systems. Calibrating these sensors

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 41

 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

consists of entering the raw signal value with its corresponding scaled
Anchor

value for at least two data points.

To Calibrate an Analog Sensor

1. Make sure that the Orion software is running and acquiring data from
the Orion IV controller.

2. Do one of the following to display the Calibration screen:

• Click the Calibrate icon on the toolbar.

• From the Setup menu, select Calibration.

3. Select the analog sensor to be calibrated.

4. Click the Calibration Wizard.

5. Click Next.

6. Enter the raw sensor value with its corresponding scaled value in to the
grid.

7. Repeat step 6 for as many points as needed.

8. Click Next.

9. Click Finish. Orion will store the entered data points and calibrate the
sensor readings.
Anchor

For analog calibration to work, at least 2 data points must be

entered. Up to 30 data points may be entered.

42 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

Anchor Anchor

Because this sensor type can handle multiple calibration points, it

can be used in situations where the scaled values for a sensor do not
respond in a linear fashion to incremental changes in raw signal value.
For example, this type is suited for measuring tank volumes where the
tank is a horizontal cylinder.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 43

 Chapter 3 Calibration (CTES Controller Only)

Anchor

44 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Anchor

Chapter 4
Acquiring and Recording Data

This information will provide instruction for the process of starting Orion,
acquiring data, and recording the data. You can also customize how Orion
processes the data, and set other preferences.

• “Starting Orion” on page 46.

• “Using Orion at a Job Site” on page 49.

• “Using Orion with an EMU (CTES DAS Only)” on page 50.

• “Using Orion to Play Back Data” on page 52.

• “Using Orion with the Data Simulator” on page 55.

• “Using Orion Over the Internet” on page 56.

• “Acquiring Data” on page 59.

• “Recording Data” on page 64.

• “Setting Orion Preferences” on page 71.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 45

 Chapter 4 Acquiring and Recording Data

Anchor

Starting Orion

If this is the first time the Orion software is run on this computer, you
might have to obtain a software access key code from CTES and set up
Orion for your DAS. After starting Orion, select the data source for this
session of Orion by choosing the Acquire option from the Welcome to
Orion screen.

To Start Orion

1. If at the job site:

a. Make sure all sensors are physically connected to the Orion DAS.

b. Connect the data cable from the Orion DAS to the appropriate data
port on the computer.

c. Turn on the Orion DAS.

d. If not already done, start the computer.

2. Click the Start button in the computer taskbar.

3. Click All Programs, then CTES, then Orion 8.0.

Alternatively, Orion can be started by clicking the appropriate desktop

icon.

4. In the Welcome to Orion screen, select how you want to run Orion.

• Acquire. Choose this option if at a job site and plan to acquire and
record data with the DAS. This is where the Orion configuration is
selected. There are three default configurations:

Orion Direct - The latest strategy version for all Opto22 M4RTU
systems.

46 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 4 Acquiring and Recording Data

CT Data Simulator - An internal program used for training / dem-

Anchor

onstration purposes.

Orion Generic - Snap I/O - The latest strategy version for all Opto
22 LCSX-Plus systems.

User defined - A user defined data source may be present - one that
has been created especially for your data acquisition system.

• Playback. Choose this option to play back data that has already
been recorded. Data from an EMU can be imported as well.

Welcome to Orion screen

Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Restart Orion and return to the Select File, Restart Orion

Welcome Screen.
Choose a default data source for Click Acquire, then the check box
Orion to use when acquiring data. for Always use this source.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 47

 Chapter 4 Acquiring and Recording Data

Quick Start
Anchor

XREF text: Quick Start

Quick Start is a way to quickly start acquiring and recording data once
Orion is started in the Acquire mode.

To use Quick Start, select Options in the Welcome to Orion screen / Gen-
eral Tab / Use Quick Start on Startup check box. When Orion is started
in the Acquire mode, the QuickStart screen will appear on top of the main
Orion screen. Select the desired options, then click Start.
Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Start acquisition immediately. Select the Start acquiring data

immediately check box.
Start recording immediately. Accept the default database name,
type in a new database name or
click the Open button to select an
existing database. Then select the
Start recording data immedi-
ately check box.
Set filters, gain and offset, or aver- Click the Options button from the
aging. Recording section of Orion Quick-
Start screen, then either filters or
data.
Start the limit, and fatigue moni- Select the Enable real-time moni-
tors. toring check box. Select a job
database from Cerberus. Then
select the appropriate check boxes
for the monitors to be started
immediately. Cerberus software is
required to use these monitors.

48 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 4 Acquiring and Recording Data

Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Always use Quick Start Select the Always use Quick

Start check box.

QuickStart screen

Using Orion at a Job Site

XREF text: at a job site

If acquiring data at the wellsite, you must have sensors and a DAS (sup-
plied by either CTES or a third-party). Each sensor generates data and
sends it to a controller in the DAS. The controller parses the data from the
sensors and passes it on to the computer software.

To Start Orion at a Job Site

1. Make sure all sensors are physically connected to the Orion DAS.

2. Connect the data cable from the Orion DAS to the appropriate data port
on the computer.

3. Turn on the Orion DAS.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 49

 Chapter 4 Acquiring and Recording Data

4. Start the laptop computer.

Anchor

5. Start the Orion software in Acquire mode. (see page 46)

6. Choose the data source to acquire from:

• Orion Direct - used with all M4RTU systems

• CT Data Simulator - used in training or for demonstration purposes

• Orion Generic - Snap I/O - used in all LCSX-Plus systems

• User configured data source

7. The system is now ready to start acquiring data.

8. Once you have started acquiring data, you can record, view and moni-
tor the data.

Using Orion with an EMU (CTES DAS Only)

XREF text: import an EMU file

An External Memory Unit (EMU) provides backup data storage for Orion
hardware. Once the job is completed, the data files from the EMU can be
retrieved using the Orion software. The import process will create an Orion
database from the EMU file.

Before Starting a Job

• Use a computer and the Orion software to verify proper hardware oper-
ation and that all sensors are calibrated correctly.

50 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 4 Acquiring and Recording Data

To Retrieve an EMU File and Convert to an Orion Database

Anchor

1. Insert the EMU data card into an appropriate adaptor attached to your
computer.

2. Start Orion in Playback mode. (see page 46)

The Playback Wizard dialog box will appear, click the Import EMU
data button. The Import EMU File dialog box appears.

3. Click Browse and identify the appropriate .emu file.

4. Select the sections to be saved to the Orion database.

5. Enter a name for a new Orion database.

6. Click Import.

7. Orion will convert the EMU file into an Orion database. Play back the
database by browsing the files and selecting the database just created.

Import EMU File dialog box

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 Chapter 4 Acquiring and Recording Data

Anchor

Using Orion to Play Back Data

XREF text: play
Play back
back data

Playback Mode provides the ability to reprocess or review a previously

recorded Orion database. Playback mode is useful for analyzing a job, cor-
recting a channel calibration, training, or presenting job data.

Data can be played back in its entirety or only over a selected range. The
playback time scale can be varied from real-time (1-1) to as fast as the PC
allows.

To Play Back Data

1. Start Orion in Playback mode. (see page 46)

2. The Playback Wizard dialog box will appear. Click to browse to

the database to play back or click Import EMU data... to import an
EMU file. Click Next to proceed.

• Click the Properties button to enter the job summary information

such as client, well and job data. This information will be stored
within the database selected.

• A pre-configured Cerberus job can be included by clicking the Cer-

berus Job >> button. However, Cerberus must be installed on the
PC to use this feature.
Anchor

The Cerberus job data will take precedence if you have chosen to
playback a Cerberus Job, any job information input into the Job Details
dialog box will be overwritten by the job data already in place in the
Cerberus job.

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3. Select the range of data points to play back. The default is the entire
Anchor

data set. Click Next.

To preview the data range selected, click the button.

Choose the channel to preview from the drop down list. The range of
data points can be edited from this screen by moving the arrows located
under the preview pane.

Playback Wizard preview data dialog box

4. Select any reprocessing functions to be performed on the data and if the

reprocessed data is to be saved to a new database. For example, new
gains and offsets can be applied to one or more channels, data filters
can be applied to reduce file size, or a certain range (subset) of the com-
plete database can be saved during this playback.
Anchor

The reprocessed data must be saved to a new database in order to

apply new gains, offsets and/or filters, or to save a certain range of the
original dataset. The original database will remain unchanged. If the
name of an existing database is entered, Orion will overwrite that data-
base.

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 Chapter 4 Acquiring and Recording Data

5. Click Next.
Anchor

6. Set the playback mode.

• Load data without preview

The data will be read and (where applicable) reprocessed prior to

display and printing. The data can still be viewed on screen after it
is loaded.

• Playback data manually while updating displays

The data will be played back in sequence at the specified update

rate. Use this mode to view the data update in a manner emulating
the original acquisition, including alarms and monitors.

7. Click Process. The Report screen will appear. Select print or preview
various reports.
Anchor

The logtool charts (strip charts) may not be viewed under the pre-
view option.

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Playback Wizard dialog box

Anchor

Using Orion with the Data Simulator

XREF text: Data Simulator

The Orion Data Simulator can be used when there are no other data
sources. The Data Simulator is a program which takes the place of a DAS
when Orion is operated in Playback mode.

Data generated by the simulator can be stored, filtered, analyzed, and

printed just like data from a standard field operation. This can be used for
purposes such as training.

For directions on how to use the Data Simulator, see “The Data Simulator”
on page 113.

To Use Orion with the Data Simulator

1. Start Orion in Acquire mode. (see page 46)

2. Choose CT Data Simulator from the dropdown list. Click OK.

If this option is not available, go to the General Tab under Options and
deselect the Always use last data source checkbox.

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 Chapter 4 Acquiring and Recording Data

3. If Quick Start is enabled, the Quick Start dialog box will appear. Con-
Anchor

figure the acquisition, recording and monitoring options. Click Start.

4. You can now start acquiring data.

5. Once you have started acquiring data, you can print, record, view and
monitor the data as usual.

Using Orion Over the Internet

XREF text: Internet

When Orion is used in internet mode, real-time data from the wellsite can
be accessed at a remote location via the internet. Both locations must have
the Orion software and have internet access.

Most Orion functions are available at the remote location as are available at
the wellsite, including setting alarms, recording data, and monitoring the
data. However, calibrating sensors, and starting and stopping acquisition
are controlled only at the wellsite.

Note: Internet capability is an add-on to the base Orion system. To pur-

chase the internet capability, please contact CTES.

To Use Orion over the Internet: server-side setup

1. Make sure that the computer has a connection to the internet.

2. Start Orion. (see page 46)

3. Choose Options from the Welcome to Orion screen, then choose the
Output tab.

The Orion Output Preferences screen will appear. Choose Internet as

the output mode to configure. To enable the Internet option automati-
cally on startup, click the Auto-start Orion Data Server on startup
check box.

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4. Enter the remote unit ID and the local port for the Orion data server.
Anchor

5. Enter the address, connection port and server port for the Orion list
server. Click OK. Contact your network administrator for assistance.

6. Print, record, view and monitor the data as usual.

7. To disable the Orion data server, return to the Output tab on the Prefer-
ences screen, click Stop to halt (Activate to start).

To Use Orion over the Internet: client-side setup

1. Make sure the computer has a connection to the internet.

2. Start Orion. (see page 46)

3. Choose Options from the Welcome to Orion screen, then choose the
General tab.

4. Click the Configuration Utility button. Create a new configuration

and name it "Internet Client" for example. (see page 24)

5. Choose Internet as the data source from the Data Engine 1 properties
drop down menu. Leave the update interval at 1 second. Save the con-
figuration and exit the utility.

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Anchor

6. Choose the Output tab from the preferences screen, then Internet as
the output mode.

7. Enter the address and connection port and the Orion list server. Contact
your network administrator for assistance. Click OK.

8. Click Acquire from the Welcome to Orion screen.

9. Choose the newly created internet configuration ("Internet Client" for

example) as the data source. Click OK.

10. In the Orion Internet Setup screen, enter the Orion host manually or
select it from available hosts. Contact your network administrator for
help. Click Connect.

11. Print, record, view and monitor the data as usual.

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Orion Output Preferences screen

Anchor

XREF text Popup: Orion Internet Setup screen

Acquiring Data
XREF text: acquire
acquires

When acquiring data, Orion continuously receives new data (typically from
a hardware DAS), applies any gain and offset and averaging, and displays
the values on the screen. How often Orion acquires a new data point
depends on the update rate. Note that acquiring and displaying the data is
handled separately from recording it.

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 Chapter 4 Acquiring and Recording Data

Anchor

Averaging
Data Update Display
Source Rate Virtual Gain &
Offset

Anchor

You can acquire data without recording it, but you cannot record
without acquiring!

Ways to Acquire Data

XREF text: acquiring data

Before acquiring data, start Orion in Acquire mode and choose the data
source. (see page 46)

Methods to Start Acquiring Data

• Click the Start Acquisition button on the toolbar.

• Select the Run menu, then Start Acquisition.

• Click Ctrl+A.

• Use Quick Start. (see page 48)

Methods to Stop Acquiring Data

• Click the Stop Acquisition button on the toolbar.

• Select the Run menu, then Stop Acquisition.

• Edit the Launch/Close Preferences in Orion options. (see page 71)

• Click Ctrl+A.

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The bottom toolbar displays whether or not Orion is acquiring data.

Anchor

- or -

Applying New Gains and Offsets

XREF text: gain and offset

Normally it will not be necessary to change the gains and offsets prior to
acquisition or recording, since the sensors should already be calibrated.
However, if a sensor has been replaced or its gain or offset is suspect, the
calibration process is as follows:

To Apply New Gains and Offsets

1. Select Calibration from the Setup menu or click F6.

The Channels button on the toolbar will also access the channels
screen. Choose the channel to calibrate and click the Change button.

2. In the Orion Calibration screen, enter the necessary gain and offset for
each channel, click Set and Yes to confirm. The current properties will
update to show the new values.

3. To apply gains and offsets to another channel, simply choose the chan-
nel and repeat the steps above.

4. Click OK when done.

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Anchor Anchor

If using a CTES DAS, we recommend using the Calibration Wiz-

ard when the gains or offsets need changing. Please note that making
incorrect choices for gains or offsets will result in unusable data.

During playback operations, apply a gain and offset if the sensors were
not calibrated correctly during the job. In that case, play back the data
log and apply the correct gains and offsets.

Orion Calibration screen

Averaging Data Points

XREF text: averaging

Averaging data points can reduce fluctuations in data. For example, weight
readings often have major fluctuations which do not necessarily represent
what is actually happening to the weight. To smooth these fluctuations,
several data points can be averaged to create one data point.

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To Average Data Points

Anchor

1. Click the Channels button on the toolbar to access the channels

screen.

2. Choose the channel, select the checkbox under Data Averaging and
enter the number of data points to average.

3. Click OK when done.

Data Averaging

Setting the Update Rate

XREF text: update rate

The update rate controls how often data is read from the DAS (or other data
source) and displayed on screen.

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To Set the Update Rate

Anchor

1. Stop recording and stop acquiring data.

2. Click the Preferences button on the toolbar to access the prefer-

ences screen.

3. Select the Data tab to view the Data Preferences screen.

4. Enter the desired Update Rate.

5. Click OK.

Orion will use the new update rate the next time acquiring begins.

Data Preferences screen

Recording Data
XREF text: recorded
record data

In Orion, data is saved by recording it to a new or existing database.

Instead of writing each data point to the hard drive as soon as it is acquired,
Orion accumulates data points in a memory buffer. When the buffer

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becomes full, Orion saves all the accumulated data points to the hard drive
Anchor

at once. When recording is stopped, Orion writes any remaining data points
to the hard drive. This method reduces processing time and the number of
times the hard drive is accessed.

The number of data points written to the hard drive at a time, and the inter-
val between data storage depends on the save rate, buffer size, and filtering.
For example, suppose the save rate is 1 second, and the buffer size is
10 data points. Every second, Orion will put a new data point in the buffer
to be saved. After ten seconds, Orion will have accumulated ten data points
and will write those data points to the hard drive all at once. However, if
the save rate is 2 seconds, Orion will take 20 seconds to accumulate 10 data
points before writing them to the hard drive. If the data is being filtered, it
may take even longer to fill the buffer before recording. When data record-
ing is stopped, any remaining data points in the buffer are written to the
hard drive.

Display Save Filtering Buffer Hard

Buffer
Rate Full Drive

The number of data points in the data buffer, waiting to be stored can be
viewed at any time.

Data is stored in a Microsoft Access® database. If you have Access, you

can view the data, including graphing and printing. The database is also
structured in a similar format used by the Cerberus modeling software.
Real-time monitoring is achieved by linking Cerberus to the same database
where data is being stored. This has the significant advantage of isolating
Cerberus functionality from Orion, reducing the risk that any problems
with Cerberus will cause data acquisition to be interrupted.

While recording data you can view and monitor it.

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Anchor Anchor

Converting any CTES database to Access will render that database

unusable by Orion. We recommend that you NOT open the database
with Access without first contacting CTES for instructions.

Methods to Record Data

XREF text: recording
record

Before data can be recorded:

• Start acquiring data.

• A new database must be created for data storage, or an existing data-

base must be opened.

Methods to Record Data

• Click the Start Recording button on the toolbar. It

will be flashing.

• Select the Run menu, then Start Recording.

• Use Quick Start. (see page 48)

• Click Ctrl+R.

Methods to Stop Record Data

• Click the Stop Recording button on the toolbar.

• Select the Run menu, then Stop Recording.

• Use the Launch/Close Preferences. (see page 71)

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• Stop acquiring data.

Anchor

• Click Ctrl+R.

- or -

Creating a New Database

XREF text: new database

To Create a New Database

1. Click the New button on the toolbar.

2. Enter a file name for the database.

Opening an Existing Database

XREF text: open

To Open an Existing Database

1. Click the Open button on the toolbar.

2. Select a database that was created using the same channel configuration
as the current job. Data cannot be recorded into a database with a dif-
ferent channel configuration.

3. The new data will be appended to the end of the existing data.

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Filtering
Anchor

XREF text: filtering

filters
filtered
filter

Anchor

CTES recommends data not be filtered when recording a job. If

problems were to occur during the job, the events leading up to the prob-
lem could well be filtered out of the database resulting in missing infor-
mation as to the cause of the problem. After the job is complete, open
the job in Playback mode and filter it to reduce size, if necessary.

Filtering data reduces file size by recording only data points with signifi-
cant changes, instead of every data point.

To Filter Data

1. Click the Database Filters button on the toolbar to access the

Database filtering screen. Enable Data filtering.

2. Select the filtering options to use.

• Select the channel to filter.

• Enter the value of change to save.

• Determine if the filter should be sensitive to direction changes.

3. Click OK.

The bottom toolbar displays the filters status.

- or -

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Database filtering
Anchor

Available Filters

Filtering can be performed on any channel present in the database filtering

list. Below are the most common filters applied.

• Time Filtering. When time filtering is used, a data point will be

recorded after the time interval, whether or not any data has changed.
This makes certain that data is occasionally recorded to indicate that
everything is still operating properly.

• Pressure Filtering. When pressure filtering is used, a data point will be

recorded when the circulating pressure changes by the specified
amount.

• Depth Filtering. When depth filtering is used, a data point will be

recorded when the depth changes by the filter amount. When using this
filter, make certain to enable the Direction Change Sensitivity option.
This is an additional filter option for all channels. When the direction
of movement changes, a data point will be recorded for the point where
the direction changed. Direction changes are extremely important to
record because they introduce more bending at the gooseneck and reel
and hence increase pipe fatigue. The direction change sensitivity deter-

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mines how much change is required in the new direction before the
Anchor

data point is recorded.

Anchor

If multiple filters are enabled, a data point will be recorded when

one or more of the criteria are met. Setting the filters too aggressively
may create a database that does not contain enough data to determine the
cause of an operational failure. Use the filters with caution.

Setting the Save Rate and Buffer Size

XREF text: save rate
rate,and
buffer
buffer
sizesize

The save rate and buffer size control how often the data point is selected to
be saved, and how many data points must be accumulated before they are
saved to the database on the hard drive.

To Set the Save Rate and Buffer Size

1. If recording or acquiring data, stop.

2. Click the Preferences button on the toolbar to access the prefer-

ences screen.

3. Select the Data tab to view the Data Preferences screen.

4. Enter the Save Rate and Buffer Size.

5. Click OK.

Orion will use the new save rate and buffer size the next time data
recording begins.

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Anchor

Setting Orion Preferences

Many options in Orion can be changed that will determine its behavior. To
open the Preferences screen, choose Options from the Welcome to Orion

screen or click the Preferences button on the toolbar. Then choose the
appropriate tab.

• General. The General tab allows access to the Configuration Utility

for configuring data sources and channels, the Quick Start feature for
startup, the database naming format, Orion color scheme setup, and the
location of the default logo path.

• Data. The Data tab allows access to change the data update rate, data
save rate, and the data buffer size.

• Alarms. The Alarms tab allows changes to the warning and monitor
alarms.

• Output. The Output tab allows access to set preferences for sending
and receiving data over the internet or to output Orion data to a serial
port using the WITS Level 0 protocol.

• Launch/Close. The Launch/Close tab allows access to control how

Orion will behave when starting up and shutting down the software.

• Diagnostics. The diagnostic feature stores important information about

your Orion configuration and events during data acquisition. By send-
ing the file that is automatically generated, problems may be solved
easily by CTES without the need for a service call.

• Security. This option offers password security for Orion. By enabling

this feature, others are prevented from making changes which may
adversely affect Orion configuration or data acquisition. In most cases,
the security feature is not needed.

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Anchor Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

View the Orion logo screen when Choose the Launch/Close tab,
Orion software is started. then select the Show Orion logo
screen check box.
Change the color scheme. Choose the General tab, then
either Blue on gray background
or Yellow on black background.
Exit without any warnings, with- Choose the Launch/Close tab,
out stopping acquiring or record- select Exit immediately.
ing.
Change the data update rate, data Select the Data tab, then enter the
save rate and data buffer size. changes.
Automatically start diagnostics on Select the Diagnostics tab, then
startup. the check box for Automatically
start diagnostics at Orion star-
tup.
Exit without any warnings, and Choose the Launch/Close tab,
automatically stop acquiring and select Exit with no warnings
recording data. messages and select the check box
for Auto stop acquisition/record-
ing.

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Preferences screen
Anchor

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Anchor

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 Anchor

Chapter 5
Viewing, Monitoring, and Printing Data

XREF text: view and monitor

Once you start acquiring data, you can view, monitor, and print data
received on the different channels. Some options require the Cerberus
modeling software.

• “Using Orion with Cerberus” on page 76.

• “Digital Display” on page 77.

• “Chart View” on page 84.

• “Data Log” on page 88.

• “High/Low Channel Alarms and Warnings” on page 90.

• “Limit Monitor” on page 96.

• “Force Monitor” on page 99.

• “Fatigue Monitor” on page 101.

• “Job Monitor” on page 103.

• “Printing Data” on page 109.

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Anchor

Using Orion with Cerberus

Several features in Orion require the Cerberus software. The features

include:

• real-time fatigue calculation (see page 101)

• real-time forces monitoring (see page 99)

• real-time burst and collapse monitoring (see page 96)

• Job Monitor (see page 103)

Before you can use these features, you must configure the complete job in
Cerberus, then select that job in Orion.

• Configure your CT string using String Manager. Lock the string when
you are done. If you are using an existing string, just lock the string.

• Configure your reel using Reel Manager. Lock the reel when you are
done. If you are using an existing reel, just lock the reel.

• Configure your well using Well Editor, if you want to be able to view
the well in Orion.

• Create a new job using Job Manager. Select the string, reel, and well (if
configured). Specify other miscellaneous information (client, well, etc.)
as you wish, but do not enter any job log data. This will be provided by
Orion. Lock the job when you are done.

You can select the job at any time by selecting the File menu, then Select
Cerberus Job.

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Anchor

Digital Display
XREF text: Digital Display

The Digital Display screen is the default method of viewing the data as it
comes from the hardware. The data is in very large fonts, and the back-
ground will change color if alarm conditions are reached.

Methods to Display the Digital Display

• Click the Digital Data button on the toolbar. If you designed a

custom digital display, click on the , , , , or

buttons. The name of the custom screen will appear when you
hover over its button.

• Select the View menu, then either Digital Data or the name of your
customized screen.
Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Control the channels on the digital See “Selecting Channels for the
display. Digital Display” on page 78.
Change the units for a channel. See “Changing Display Units” on
page 79.
Change the appearance of the digi- See “Designing a Custom Digital
tal display. Display” on page 80.
Display a company logo on the See “Chart View” on page 84.
digital display.

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Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Zero depth (if you have a CTES Right-click the channel and click
DAS). Reset.

Digital Display screen

Selecting Channels for the Digital Display

You can configure which channels to view and their location on the Digital
Display. The channel positions and decimal places on the digital display do
not affect the recorded data.

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Configuring Channels in the Digital Display

Anchor

• From the Digital Display screen, right click the digital display, click
Select Channel from the Channel Selection menu, then choose the
channel from the list. Repeat with each location to be changed.

Channel Selection menu

Changing Display Units

The units which Orion uses to display the data on the Digital Display can
be easily changed.

To Change the Display Units

1. Click the Channels button on the toolbar to access the Channels

Screen or right click the digital display and select that channels proper-
ties.

2. Select the channel to be modified.

3. Click the arrow down button under Units, a list of possible units will
appear. Click the units to be displayed.

4. Click OK.

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Channels Screen
Anchor

Designing a Custom Digital Display

XREF text: custom digital display

You can create any number of customized data displays in Orion.

To Create a Custom Display

1. To create a custom display, select Screen Designer from the View

menu.

2. Click the button on the toolbar. The Screen Designer appears.

3. From the vertical toolbar on the left, simply click and drag the display
item and place it anywhere on the grid. Once placed, it can be reposi-
tioned and/or resized. The same item can be used more than once.

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Anchor Anchor

Inserts a digital display panel

Inserts a digital display button

Inserts an analog gauge

Inserts a dual analog gauge

Inserts a bar gauge

Inserts a tank gauge

Inserts a chart

Inserts an image
(i.e. your company logo)

As with the default Digital Display, each item can be configured as to

what channel it will display and its location on the display screen. The
channel positions and decimal places on the digital display do not affect
the recorded data. Each channels’ properties can be edited as well.

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Anchor

4. When finished, click the button. From the save custom screen dia-
log box, enter a name and choose an icon to represent the newly
designed digital display.

5. Click Save and exit. The icon for the new screen is now located at the
bottom of the main toolbar, displayed vertically along the left hand side
of any Orion screen.

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Anchor Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Delete a display item. Click on the item and press the

Delete key.
Resize a display item. Click on the item, then click and
drag the to the desired size.
Change the background color of
the box where the data are dis- Click the button on the tool-
played. bar, click the General tab, then
choose the color scheme.
To open a custom screen. Click on the appropriate icon or
select the screen name under the
View menu.
Display your company logo.
Click and drag the icon. If
your logo doesn’t appear, right
click on the item, then browse your
system for the correct image.

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Screen Designer
Anchor

Chart View

Orion can display a customizable Chart.

Methods to Display the Chart

• Click the Charts icon or the icon of a customized display that

includes a chart on the left toolbar.

• Select the View menu, then Chart or the name of the custom screen.

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Chart
Anchor

Configuring a Chart - Adding Channels

1. Right click in the column where you want to add a channel.

2. Select the channel to add to the chart.

Configuring a Chart - Removing Channels

1. Right click in the column where you want to remove a channel.

2. Select the channel to remove.

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Configuring a Chart
Anchor

Changing Channel Chart Properties

1. Double click on the channel name in the column header.

2. Modify the chart properties for this channel.

3. Click OK.

Channel Chart Properties

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Changing Chart Time Scale

Anchor

1. Right click in the Time column.

2. Select Vertical Scale from the menu.

3. Select the desired scale.

Configuring a Chart - Adding a Column

1. Right click on the chart.

2. Select Add Column from the menu.

3. Select the type of column to add.

4. Click OK
Anchor

Only one comment column may be added per chart.

Configuring a Chart - Removing a Column

1. Right click on the column to remove.

2. Select Delete This Column from the menu.

Changing Column Order

1. Click in the header of the column you wish to move.

2. Drag the column to the new location.

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Resizing a Column
Anchor

1. Move the mouse cursor to the edge of the column you want to resize.

2. Click and hold the mouse button.

3. Drag left or right to the desired width.

Selecting a Chart

1. Right click on the chart.

2. Select Open Chart from the menu.

3. Select chart to be used.

Data Log
XREF text: Data Log

The Data Log screen displays the data that has been recorded in the data-
base. This table lags behind the other data displays due to the time differ-
ence between acquiring and recording data.

Methods to Display the Data Log

• Click the Data Log icon on the toolbar.

• Select the View menu, then Data Log.

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Anchor Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Show or hide columns. Right click in the column head to

shrink the column. To unhide the
column, resize it by dragging the
outside borders.
Stop the rows from automatically Click Freeze. To let the rows
scrolling as data is recorded. scroll automatically, click
Unfreeze.

Data Log screen

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 Chapter 5 Viewing, Monitoring, and Printing Data

Selecting Columns for the Data Log

Anchor

To Select Columns to Display in the Data Log

1. Click the heading of the column to change.

2. Click the to open the Data Log menu. Select the channel (or date /
event) that is to appear in that particular column of the data log. Note
that all channels are saved to the database, regardless of which ones
appear on the screen.

Data Log menu

High/Low Channel Alarms and Warnings

XREF text: warnings
alarms

Alarms and warnings can be set to warn if the value on any channel
becomes too high or too low. If an alarm or warning is triggered, Orion will
sound an audible alarm and change the color of the background in the Dig-
ital Display.

• “Configuring Alarms and Warnings” on page 91.

• “The Alarm Log” on page 92.

• “Acknowledging Alarms and Warnings” on page 93.

• “Alarms Preferences” on page 94.

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Anchor Anchor

For more intelligent alarms that consider multiple channels, use the
Job Monitor. (see page 103)

Configuring Alarms and Warnings

To Configure Alarms

1. Click the Channels button on the toolbar to access the Channels

Screen.

2. Choose the channel to configure its alarms.

3. Select the check boxes for the alarms and enter the values.

• To configure an upper alarm for a channel, select the upper alarm

check box and enter the upper value.

• To configure a lower alarm for a channel, select the lower alarm

check box and enter the lower value.

4. Click OK.

5. Repeat with each channel to be configured.

To Configure Warnings

1. Click the Channels button on the toolbar to access the Channels

Screen.

2. Choose the channel to configure its warnings.

3. Select the check boxes for the warnings and enter the values.

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 Chapter 5 Viewing, Monitoring, and Printing Data

• To configure an upper warning for a channel, select the upper warn-

Anchor

ing check box and enter the upper value.

• To configure an upper warning for a channel, select the lower warn-

ing check box and enter the lower value.

4. Click OK.

5. Repeat with each channel to be configured.

The Alarm Log

XREF text: alarm log

The Alarm Log records all high/low alarm conditions and how they were
resolved. Alarm conditions are written to the database only when recording
data. Unlike regular data points, alarm conditions are written to the data-
base as soon as they occur. Any resolution, such as acknowledging the
alarm or the channel returning to an acceptable range, is also written to the
database as soon as it occurs.
Anchor

Since the alarm log is saved in the database, the database must be
open in order to view the alarm log.
Anchor

If not recording data, alarm conditions will not be written to the

alarm log, even if a database is open.

To view the alarm log, select the View menu, then Alarm Log or click the

icon on the toolbar.

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Alarm Log
Anchor

Acknowledging Alarms and Warnings

Anchor

Since alarms are saved in the database, you will not be asked to
acknowledge alarms unless a database is open.

To Acknowledge an Alarm

1. When an alarm or warning condition occurs, the value box (in digital
data display view) will turn red (alarm) or yellow (warning). Depend-
ing on the Alarm Preference setting, a configured alarm tone will
sound.

2. While the alarm is active, right click on the data display box and click
Acknowledge alarm. The Acknowledge Alarm dialog box will open.
Enter your name. If you have already acknowledged an alarm, your
name will already appear in the box.

3. Enter any comments regarding the alarm condition.

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 Chapter 5 Viewing, Monitoring, and Printing Data

4. Click OK.
Anchor

5. The alarm condition, your name, and comments will be recorded in the
alarm log (if recording data).
Anchor

An alarm condition remains active until the channel returns to an

acceptable value. However, the alarm condition must only be acknowl-
edged once, no matter how long it lasts. For example, suppose the high
alarm for speed is 200 ft/sec. Even though the speed might remain over
200 ft/sec. for several minutes, the alarm must only be acknowledged a
single time. However, if the speed slows below 200 ft/sec., then exceeds
the high alarms setting, it will trigger a new alarm condition.

Acknowledge Alarm

Alarms Preferences

The alarms preferences control the alarms behavior.

To view the Alarms Preferences tab, click the Preferences button on

the toolbar, then click the Alarms tab.

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Anchor Anchor

To … Do this …

Use alarm and warning sounds. Select the Enable alarms and
warning sounds check box.
Play a specified WAV file when an Select the Enable alarms and
alarm or warning is triggered. warning sounds check box, then
the Enable alarms (or warnings)
sounds check box, then choose
Play WAV file. Browse to find the
WAV file to play.
Enable monitor sounds. Select the Enable monitor sounds
check box.

Alarms Preferences tab

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Anchor

Limit Monitor
XREF text: Limit Monitor

The Limit Monitor runs the Cerberus module Hercules in Acquire mode to
advise in real-time whether the CT is subjected to a combination of loads
and pressures which might cause it to yield.

For more information regarding the Limit Monitor, see the Hercules sec-
tion of your Cerberus documentation.
Anchor

Cerberus must be installed on your machine in order to use this

monitor. For more information, read “Using Orion with Cerberus” on
page 76.

The elliptical curve on the graph represents the limits of the tubing. The x-
axis indicates the axial force on the tubing, positive for tension and nega-
tive for compression. This value is obtained from the tubing weight chan-
nel. The y-axis indicates the differential pressure across the tubing. This
value is obtained from the circulating pressure channel and the wellhead
pressure channel. Exceeding the boundaries of the ellipse will result in a
burst condition if the differential pressure is positive, and a collapse condi-
tion if it is negative.

The green dot represents the current tubing conditions below the stripper.
The red dot indicates the tubing conditions above the stripper. If either dot
exceeds the boundaries of the ellipse, it indicates the yield limits of the tub-
ing have been exceeded. If this condition occurs, it will be noted in the
Event Log. If these limits are exceeded, steps should be taken immediately
to change either the differential pressure, the axial load, or both to bring
conditions back within the operating limits of the tubing. Bear in mind that
the limits monitor only tracks surface conditions, which is typically the
point where the yield limit will be exceeded. Downhole conditions are not
calculated.

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The limits monitor has two different models for calculating the collapse
Anchor

limits of the tubing. The API 5C7 model, which appears in the API recom-
mended practices for coiled tubing document API RP 5C7, and the Plastic
collapse model presented by Ken Newman in SPE24988. They can be
used individually or simultaneously. Both models account for the effect of
CT ovality as it relates to the increased potential for CT collapse.

Limit Monitor

Starting the Limit Monitor

To Start the Limit Monitor

1. Select the job from Cerberus, by selecting the File menu, then Select
Cerberus Job.

2. To start the Limit Monitor select the Monitors menu, then Job Moni-

tor, then click the Limit Monitor button on the toolbar.

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 Chapter 5 Viewing, Monitoring, and Printing Data

Orion will locate the job database, and calculate the tubing limits for
Anchor

the current inputs.

3. Click the Options button on the Limit Monitor dialog to open the Limit
Monitor Options dialog and set preferences for safety factor, pressures
and runtime options.

• Ovality - a measure of the average ovality of the CT defined as

(Dmax-Dmin)/Dnom. Used in collapse calculations. Default value
should be set to 2%, unless a measured value is available. Input is
only used if a collapse model has also been chosen.

• Reel Back Tension and Stripper Friction - Values are used in

conjunction with the value from the weight channel to determine
axial force.

• Tool Length - Used in conjunction with the depth channel and the
Cerberus string file to determine the dimensions of the CT currently
passing through the stripper.

• Maximum operating pressures - the maximum internal and exter-

nal pressures expected during the current job. Used to calculate the
stress envelope limits.

• Stress envelope safety factors - safety factors can be applied indi-

vidually to both the stress envelope and the collapse model predic-
tions). By default both are set to 80%.

• Include helical buckling - adds the additional stress associated

with helical buckling when the CT is in compression. By default
this should be turned on.

• Collapse models - the two collapse models may be applied to the

stress operating limits individually or both can be applied simulta-
neously. The boundaries of the stress limit curve and collapse
model curve determine the working limits curve, shown in red on

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the limits monitor.

Anchor

4. Click Done to close.

Limit Monitor Options

Force Monitor
XREF text: Force Monitor

The Force Monitor runs the Cerberus module Orpheus in the Acquire mode
to calculate the forces which act on the CT as it is run into and out of a
well. The weight should stay below the yield strength of the material by a
suitable safety factor.

For more information about the Force Monitor, see the Orpheus section of
your Cerberus documentation.

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Anchor Anchor

Cerberus must be installed on your machine in order to use this

monitor. For more information, read “Using Orion with Cerberus” on
page 76.

The lines on the graph are the expected surface weight of the CT as it is
inserted into (blue line) and as it is extracted out (red line) of the well. The
dot displays actual data coming from Orion as the CT travels into or out of
the well. The dot changes color according to direction. The trailing line
shows the history of the weight during the job.

Force Monitor

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Starting the Force Monitor

Anchor

To Start the Force Monitor

1. Select the job from Cerberus, by selecting the File menu, then Select
Cerberus Job.

2. To start the Limit Monitor select the Monitors menu, then Job Moni-

tor, then click the Force Monitor button on the toolbar.

3. Orion will locate the job database, and calculate the forces for the cur-
rent inputs.

4. The Redraw button flashes red whenever the wellhead or circulating

pressure changes significantly. Click the Redraw button to recalculate
and redraw the forces with the new inputs.

5. Click OK to close the Force Monitor.

Fatigue Monitor
XREF text: Fatigue Monitor

The Fatigue Monitor starts Reel-Trak in Acquire mode. Reel-Trak then

reads the stored database just as it would a job log. The Fatigue Monitor
will display the amount of fatigue added to the pipe during the course of
the field job.

Keep in mind that the Fatigue Monitor uses data from the stored database,
so if Orion is performing any filtering, this data will be filtered data; how-
ever, using filtered data does not affect any calculations performed while
viewing.

For more information regarding the Fatigue Monitor, see your Cerberus
documentation.

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 Chapter 5 Viewing, Monitoring, and Printing Data

Anchor Anchor

Cerberus must be installed on your machine in order to use this

monitor. For more information, read “Using Orion with Cerberus” on
page 76.
Anchor

Unlike the other monitors which use data as it is acquired, the

Fatigue Monitor utilizes recorded data, which has been filtered.

Fatigue Monitor

Running the Fatigue Monitor

To Run the Fatigue Monitor

1. Start recording data.

2. Select the job from Cerberus, by selecting the File menu, then Select
Cerberus Job.

3. To start the Fatigue Monitor select the Monitors menu, then Fatigue
Monitor.

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4. Orion will locate the job database, and calculate the fatigue based on
Anchor

the recorded data.

Job Monitor

The Job Monitor provides several advanced monitors.

• “Well Geometry and Survey Path” on page 103.

• “Alarms” on page 105.

• “Monitor” on page 106.

• “Batch Monitor” on page 108.

Anchor

Cerberus must be installed on your machine in order to use this

monitor. For more information, read “Using Orion with Cerberus” on
page 76.

Methods to Start the Job Monitor

• On the Monitors menu, select Job Monitor.

• Click F12.

Well Geometry and Survey Path

Orion can display the well profile and survey path on the Well tab of the
Job Monitor.

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Anchor Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Adjust how the well geometry is Right-click the well view, then
displayed. Options.
Adjust how the survey data is dis- Right-click the survey view, then
played. Options.
Zoom in on the well geometry or Click and drag a rectangle around
survey data. the area of interest. To zoom back
out, right-click the graph and
select Zoom Out.

Well tab

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Alarms
Anchor

The Alarm tab of Job Monitor shows the provides access to the same
alarms as the high/low channel alarms. (see page 90)
Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Set or adjust the alarms. Select the channel or click the Set
Alarms button. Then select the
channel and input the new or
adjusted alarm settings.

Alarm tab

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 Chapter 5 Viewing, Monitoring, and Printing Data

Monitor
Anchor

The Job Monitor allows intelligent monitoring of channels in relation to

each other. For example, you can monitor to see if the speed is over 60 ft/
min when the depth is within 200 ft of the surface when pulling out of the
hole.

If one of the selected conditions is triggered, the Job Monitor status button

on the upper toolbar will change from green to red or yellow, and an
audible alarm may sound (depending on settings). Click the status button to
display the Monitor tab and locate which condition was triggered.

Because Job Monitor considers multiple channels, it is much more power-

ful than simple high and low alarms. (see page 90)
Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Turn individual alarm conditions Select or clear the check box for
on or off. the alarm condition.
Change the color or sound for an Click the Settings button. Select
individual alarm. the desired color and if an audible
alarm is desired.
Change the sensitivity of an indi- Enter a new value for the alarm.
vidual alarm.

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Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Identify when an alarm is trig- Click the Job Monitor status but-
gered.
ton on the upper toolbar. The
alarm condition will have a blink-
ing red or yellow box next to it.
Note that these alarms do not have
to be acknowledged, as is the case
for the high and low alarms. (see
page 93)

Monitor tab

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Batch Monitor
Anchor

The Batch Monitor will keep track of the amount of fluid that has been
pumped in a given time. Up to three separate channels can be tracked at
once.
Anchor

Although any channel in the Batch Monitor can be selected, nor-

mally only channels containing running totals are selected, such as Total
Pump Volume.
Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Monitor a channel. Select the check box, then select

the channel to monitor.
Reset a counter to zero. Click Reset.

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Batch Monitor
Anchor

Printing Data
XREF text: print
preview
Print or
report
preview
various various
reports reports

The Report Manager allows the printing of customizable reports.

• Configuration reports include job information from Cerberus. Note that

a job from Cerberus must be first selected for these reports.

• Data reports include the recorded data. Note that only the data recorded
to the database will be included. These reports are only accessible when
a database is open.

To Print Reports with Report Manager

1. From the File menu, select Report. The Report screen will appear.

2. Select the check boxes for the desired reports.

3. To preview the report, click Preview. To print the report, click Print.

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 Chapter 5 Viewing, Monitoring, and Printing Data

Anchor Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Include or exclude individual Select or clear the check box for

reports when printing. that report. Note that some reports
include sub-reports.
Edit the layout of a report. Click the rectangle to the left of
the report name. Then click the
Edit button which appears. See
“Report Designer” on page 135 for
more details.
Change the order reports will be Click the rectangle to the left of
printed in. the report name and drag it to the
new position.
Generate a PDF file. Setup the print report. Click the
Print button. Choose "CTES PDF
Generator V8.0" as the printer,
choose the print range, click OK.
Name the new PDF file and Save.
To open and view the file, Adobe
Acrobat reader must be installed.
The installation file is located at
\Docs\Acroread\Install-
ers\[Link] on the Orion soft-
ware CD. It can also be
downloaded at no charge from
[Link]

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Report screen
Anchor

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 Chapter 5 Viewing, Monitoring, and Printing Data

Anchor

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 Anchor

Chapter 6
The Data Simulator

Orion has a simulator which generates data in the same format as the CTES
Orion hardware. Therefore, it can be used when the computer is not physi-
cally connected to the data acquisition system, for testing or training pur-
poses.

• “Starting the Simulator” on page 113.

• “Views in the Data Simulator” on page 114.

• “Generating Data with the Data Simulator” on page 120.

Starting the Simulator

The Data Simulator can be started through the Orion software or started
separately. Data Simulator is normally launched from within the Orion
software.

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 Chapter 6 The Data Simulator

To Start the Simulator

Anchor

1. Start the Orion software. If Orion is already running, select Restart

Orion from the File menu.

2. Click the Acquire button on the Welcome to Orion screen.

3. Select the CT Data Simulator as the data source.

If this option is unavailable, go to the General Tab under Options and

deselect the Always use last data souce checkbox.

4. Click OK. The Data Simulator (and control panel) will start automati-
cally.

5. If enabled, Quick Start will open. Edit the Quick Start preferences and
choose a filename for the new database. Click Start.

6. Enter the job summary into the details dialog box. Click OK.

7. Click the button (if not already acquiring).

Once data is being acquired from the simulator, the Orion software can be
used as if actually acquiring data from a job.

Views in the Data Simulator

The Data Simulator has the following views. You control how the data is
generated with different views, depending on whether you are generating
the data automatically, or manually.

• “Control Panel” on page 115.

• “Control Panel Zoom View” on page 117.

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 Chapter 6 The Data Simulator

• “Wellsite View” on page 117.

Anchor

• “Data Source” on page 118.

• “Sliders” on page 119.

• “Turning Animation On and Off” on page 120.

Methods to Change Views

• Click the toolbar button for the view desired.

- Or -

• Select the Window menu, then the view.

Control Panel
XREF text: Control Panel screen

The Control Panel screen is a simulated view of a control cabin in a CT

unit. The bottom of the screen contains gauges and controls which are in
typical CT units. The gauges display the generated data. The top of the
screen shows a view out of the control cabin window across the reel.

When generating data manually, the pump and injector can be controlled
with the mouse.

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 Chapter 6 The Data Simulator

Anchor Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Adjust the pump pressure. Drag the pump control up to

increase the pump pressure. Drag
it down to decrease the pump pres-
sure.
Adjust the injector speed. Drag the left injector control up to
go faster. Drag it down to go
slower.
RIH or POOH. Drag the right injector control up
to RIH. Drag it down to POOH.
Drag it to the middle to stop mov-
ing.

Control Panel screen

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Control Panel Zoom View

Anchor

The Control Panel zoom view displays only the gauges and controls which
are active. Data can only be viewed from this screen. Select Control Panel
Zoom View from the Window menu.

Control Panel zoom view

Wellsite View

The Wellsite view displays the data on a wellsite diagram. Data can only be
viewed from this screen.

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 Chapter 6 The Data Simulator

Wellsite view
Anchor

Data Source
XREF text: Data Source screen

If in automatic mode, the Data Source screen allows you to control how the
data is generated. The Data Simulator generates data according to the
guidelines in the tabs on the left. The data stream can also be stopped from
this screen.

Data Source screen

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Sliders
Anchor

XREF text: Sliders screen

When generating data manually, the most accurate way of changing the
data is by using the Sliders screen. This screen has a slider for each chan-
nel.
Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Change the value for a channel. Drag the slider to a different point
on the scale.
Set a channel to an exact value Type the value in the box.
Zero out a channel. Click the Zero button below the
slider.

Sliders screen

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 Chapter 6 The Data Simulator

Turning Animation On and Off

Anchor

The animation can be turned on and off. To reduce processing time, it

should be turned off.

To Turn Animation On and Off

• To turn the animation off, select the Options menu, then Animation
Off.

• To turn the animation back on, select the Options menu, then Anima-
tion Off.

Generating Data with the Data Simulator

Orion can generate data automatically or manually. The time scale and ani-
mation can also be adjusted.

• “Generating Data Automatically” on page 120.

• “Generating Data Manually” on page 121.

• “Setting the Time Scale” on page 122.

Generating Data Automatically

When data is generated automatically, the Data Simulator controls the out-
put. The Data Simulator uses guidelines set on the Data Source screen
when generating numbers. Generating data automatically is best when
varying numbers are desired for output, with no preference regarding the
actual numbers are.

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To Generate Data Automatically

Anchor

1. Start the Data Simulator.

2. Do one of the following:

• Click the Automatic button on the toolbar.

• Select the Mode menu, then Automatic.

3. The Data Simulator will generate data. You can adjust how it generates
data on the Data Source screen.

Generating Data Manually

When data is generated manually, the user controls the output. Once the
values are set they remain constant, until they are changed. Generating
data manually is best for checking the Orion system, using known, constant
values.

To Generate Data Manually

1. Start the Data Simulator.

2. Do one of the following:

• Click the Manual button on the toolbar.

• Select the Mode menu, then Manual.

3. The data can be controlled from the Control Panel screen and the Slid-
ers screen.

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 Chapter 6 The Data Simulator

Setting the Time Scale

Anchor

To speed up the simulator, use the time scale option. The time scale can be
increased to simulate a long job in only a few minutes.

To Change the Time Scale

1. Do one of the following:

• Click the Time Scale button on the toolbar.

• Select the Options menu, then Time Scale.

2. Select how many seconds of simulated data to be generated for each

real second.

3. Click OK.

122 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Anchor

Chapter 7
Troubleshooting

What are you having trouble with?

• “Troubleshooting Acquiring Data” on page 123.

• “Troubleshooting Recording Data” on page 130.

• “Troubleshooting Viewing Data” on page 130.

• “Troubleshooting Monitoring Data” on page 130.

• “Troubleshooting Printing Reports” on page 131.

• “Troubleshooting Orion DAS Controller” on page 131.

Troubleshooting Acquiring Data

Why can't I use direct communication with my DAS?

In order to use direct communication you must have an Orion DAS from
CTES running strategy version 3.0 or higher. You can obtain a new strategy
from CTES and download it to the controller.

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 Chapter 7 Troubleshooting

Why can't I start Orion in Acquire/Orion Direct or Orion Generic -

Anchor

Snap I/O mode?

Make sure that your hardware is turned on and connected to the computer.

Checking Data Communications

You can diagnose acquisition problems by checking data communications

between the data source and the Orion software.

To Check Data Communications

1. Start Orion. (see page 46)

2. Start acquiring data. (see page 59)

3. Do one of the following:

• Click the Communications button on the toolbar.

• On the Setup menu, select Communications.

• Click F7.

4. The Communications screen will appear. The screen will vary, depend-
ing on your data source.

A stream of numbers (data stream) will be present on the screen that

changes each time Orion acquires a new data point. If there is no data
stream, the software is not receiving data. Make sure Orion is set up
properly for the DAS controller being used and check all hardware con-
nections (see page 21).
Anchor

Do not make any changes on this screen.

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 Chapter 7 Troubleshooting

XREF text Popup: Communications screen Anchor

Troubleshooting an Orion III DAS

Follow the steps below if the controller is an Orion III DAS and is not
acquiring data or is receiving Orion errors.
Anchor

Anchor
XREF text Popup: Orion Errors

1. Verify the cable is securely connected from the PC to the DAS and that
the DAS is on.

2. Start the Orion software (see page 46). Click the Options button.

3. Click the General tab then the Configuration Utility button.

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 Chapter 7 Troubleshooting

4. Click Update Strategy from the file menu to open the Strategy Down-
Anchor

load Utility.

5. Click the Select... button in the controller section of the window,

choose Orion Snap IO from the list, click OK.

6. Click Status. Confirm the name of the strategy. It should be either

ogen_12 or ogen_8 (depending on the number of slots on the Opto22
brain board). If the strategy is valid, close each window and return to
the Configuration Utility window.

If the strategy name is listed as "None", the strategy is either missing or

corrupt at which point a new strategy must be downloaded to the DAS.
See “Downloading a New Strategy to an Orion DAS Controller” on
page 132.

7. In the Configuration Utility, choose New from the File menu. Type in a
name for the new configuration. To differentiate this from the existing
configurations, choose a name such as "test1".

126 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 7 Troubleshooting

8. The configuration created will appear in the configuration utility. Click

Anchor

on the plus symbol next to Data Engine 1 then click Properties.

On the right panel, change the data source to CTES Controller (Direct
V2) and the controller name to Orion Snap IO. Choose Save from the
File menu.

9. Next, confirm that the channel configuration is still present on the

Orion DAS by clicking the Get configuration from controller button
(or in earlier versions of Orion Get channels from controller button).

10. After about one minute, click the plus symbol next to IOIO Channels
on the left panel. If the channels are listed, try to Acquire data using
this test configuration. If still unable to acquire data, please contact
CTES.

If no channels are listed, proceed to the next step.

Anchor

Note: Orion will request a password in order to get or save chan-

nels to the controller. The default password is DAQCONFIG.

11. In the Configuration Utility screen, choose the configuration normally

used from the configuration pull-down menu.

12. Click on the plus symbol next to Data Engine 1 then again for the
IOIO Channels. If channels are listed, go to the next step.

If channels are not present at this point, please contact CTES.

13. With the normal configuration still open, click Properties under Data
Engine 1. On the right panel, choose Save configuration to controller
(or Save channels to controller depending on the version of Orion).

14. Restart the DAS controller and PC to ensure a clean start. Verify that it
is working properly.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 127

 Chapter 7 Troubleshooting

If an error is still present, contact CTES at orion@[Link]. Please

Anchor

include any information that will help describe the problem along with
a screen shot (if possible) of the error and a copy of the [Link] file
located at C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\CTES\OrionData. (If unable to locate the [Link] file, ensure
the Windows settings allow viewing of hidden files and folders and that
file extensions are shown.
Anchor

To capture a screen shot, press the PrtScr button on the keyboard

and paste (Ctrl V) into the body of the email.

Common Orion errors

XREF text Popup: Orion Errors

Using the Diagnostics Feature

The diagnostic feature of Orion stores important information regarding the

Orion configuration and events during data acquisition. It may help CTES
troubleshoot the problem without the need for a service call.

128 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 7 Troubleshooting

To Generate an Automatic Diagnostics Report

Anchor

1. Click the Preferences button on the toolbar to access the prefer-

ences screen.

2. Click the Diagnostics tab to view the Diagnostics Preferences screen.

3. Choose the path and filename for the file. The default file name is
[Link]. This can be changed by clicking the button and renaming
the file.

4. Click the button. To automatically enable this fea-

ture at start-up, click the Automatically start diagnostics at Orion
startup check box.

5. To view the file, click the button. A .txt file will

open. You can now print the report and contact CTES for technical sup-
port.
XREF text Popup: Diagnostics Preferences

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 129

 Chapter 7 Troubleshooting

Anchor

Troubleshooting Recording Data

Why can't I record data?

In order to record data, Orion must first be acquiring data and have a data-
base to record the data in. Make sure Orion is acquiring data. Then, either
create a new database, or open an existing one.

My data files are very large. Can I make them any smaller?

Databases can be very large, especially for long jobs. To make them
smaller, a data filter can be set prior to recording. To reduce the size of an
existing, unfiltered database, play back data and filter it to a new database.
Then delete the original database, if desired.

Troubleshooting Viewing Data

I can't get to the Data Log.

In order to view the data log, a database must be open. Either create a new
database, or open an existing one. Note that when a new database is cre-
ated, there will be no data in it, so it will appear blank.

I can't access the well view.

Cerberus must be installed on your computer. A job must also be config-

ured in Cerberus for the desired well.

Troubleshooting Monitoring Data

I can't access the limit monitor, fatigue monitor, force monitor, or job
monitor.

130 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 7 Troubleshooting

In order to access these monitors Cerberus must be installed on the com-

Anchor

puter.

Troubleshooting Printing Reports

When I try to print a report, I can't get to the Configuration tab.

In order to print job configuration information, a job from Cerberus must

be selected. Select a job, then start Report Manager again. If Cerberus is
not installed, the configuration tab cannot be accessed.

When I try to print a report, I can't get to the Data tab.

In order to print data, there must be data in the data log. Create a new data-
base, or open an existing one, then start recording data.

Troubleshooting Orion DAS Controller

Orion includes the following utilities to help diagnose problems with the
Orion hardware:

• “Checking the Status of an Orion DAS Controller” on page 131.

• “Downloading a New Strategy to an Orion DAS Controller” on page

132.

Checking the Status of an Orion DAS Controller

To Check the Status of an Orion Controller

1. Start Orion, click the Options button. (see page 46)

2. Under the General tab, click the Configuration utility button.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 131

 Chapter 7 Troubleshooting

3. On the File menu, select Update Strategy.

Anchor

4. In the controller section, click the Status button.

Downloading a New Strategy to an Orion DAS Controller

XREF text: download

If operating an Orion III DAS controller or newer unit, configurations can

be changed by accessing the Orion Configuration Utility without down-
loading a new strategy. However, if operating an Orion II DAS controller
or earlier, and a configuration change is desired, a new strategy must be
downloaded to the controller. When a new strategy is downloaded, the
Orion software saves the sensor gains and offsets stored in the hardware,
places the new strategy on the hardware, and restores the gains and offsets.
However, CTES recommends that all of the gains and offsets be recorded
before updating the strategy.
Anchor

As a precaution, record the gains and offsets for all sensors on

paper prior to downloading a new strategy.

To Download a New Strategy to Orion Hardware

1. Obtain the new strategy from CTES.

2. Start Orion, click the Options button. (see page 46)

3. Under the General tab, click the Configuration utility button.

4. On the File menu, select Update Strategy. The Strategy Download

Utility screen appears.

5. On the File menu, select Open Strategy File. Locate and select the
new [Link] file and click Open.

132 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 7 Troubleshooting

6. Click Download Strategy. Click Yes to all of the questions that follow.
Anchor

If any error messages occur, just click ok and the download process will
continue.

Orion will read the gains and offsets in the DAS controller, initialize
the controller, download the new strategy, and reset the gains and off-
sets.
Anchor

Do not interrupt the download process. Damage to the DAS con-

troller may occur.

Strategy Download Utility screen

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 133

 Chapter 7 Troubleshooting

Anchor

134 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Anchor

Chapter 8
Report Designer

Use the Report Designer to design custom reports.

• “Starting Report Designer” on page 135.

• “The Report Designer Screen” on page 136.

• “Working with Reports” on page 136.

• “Manipulating Report Objects” on page 137.

• “Manipulating Report Pages” on page 141.

Starting Report Designer

To Start Report Designer

1. On the Orion main screen, select File, then Report.

2. Select the check box of the report to be modified. Click the rectangle to
the left.

3. Click the Edit button that appears to the right.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 135

 Chapter 8 Report Designer

4. Report Designer will start with the report selected.

Anchor

The Report Designer Screen

The Report Designer Screen has the following areas:

• Top Toolbar. Use this toolbar to control how large the report appears
on the computer monitor.

• Left Toolbar. Click these icons to insert new report objects

• Report Area. This area is where the report is built.

Working with Reports

Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Save a report design. On the File menu, select Save.

Note: you must save the report
with the same name, or Orion will
not recognize it.
Print a report design. An actual report cannot be printed
from within Report Designer.
Instead, save the desired report
changes. Then print the report
from Orion.

136 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 8 Report Designer

Anchor

Manipulating Report Objects

XREF text: edit

• “Types of Objects in a Report” on page 137.

• “Adding Objects to a Report” on page 139.

• “Changing Report Object Properties” on page 139.

• “Deleting Objects from a Report” on page 139.

• “Moving Report Objects” on page 140.

• “Sizing Report Objects” on page 140.

• “Changing the Order of Report Objects” on page 140.

Types of Objects in a Report

XREF text: report objects

The following types of objects are available for reports:

Anchor

To create . . . Use this . . .

Drawing objects,
such as lines, rectan-
gles, and circles
Pictures from Orion,
Cerberus, or a file
(.bmp or .wmf)
Text and Labels

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 137

 Chapter 8 Report Designer

Anchor

To create . . . Use this . . .

Graphs and Charts

Job List

String Geometry Dia-

gram
Tool String Diagram

Reel Geometry Dia-

gram
Well Completion
Diagram
Survey Data Graph

Strip Chart

138 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 8 Report Designer

Adding Objects to a Report

Anchor

To Create a Report Object

1. Click the tool for the type of object to create. (See “Types of Objects in
a Report” on page 137.) The cursor will change to a plus sign when
positioned on the report.

2. On the report, click and drag a rectangle where the object is to be

placed. The object will appear.

3. Right-click the object to bring up the properties list.

• Set the data source for the object. (Note: some report objects don't
have a data source.)

• Set the settings which determine how the object appears.

Changing Report Object Properties

To Change the Properties of a Report Object

1. On the report, click the object to select it. Several "handles" will appear
around the object.

2. Select the property to change from the Properties menu.

Deleting Objects from a Report

To Delete a Report Object

1. Click the object to select it. Several "handles" will appear around the
object.

2. Select the Edit menu, then Delete.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 139

 Chapter 8 Report Designer

Moving Report Objects

Anchor

To Move a Report Object

1. Click the object to select it. Several "handles" will appear around the
object.

2. Click and drag the object to the desired position.

Sizing Report Objects

To Size a Report Object

1. Click the object to select it. Several "handles" will appear around the
object.

2. Position the cursor over a handle so it turns in to a double headed

arrow.

3. Click and drag the handle until the object reaches the desired size.

Changing the Order of Report Objects

To Change the Order of Overlapping Objects

1. Click the object to select it. Several "handles" will appear around the
object.

2. Right-click the object to bring up the properties list.

3. Select Move to Top or Move to Bottom.

140 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Chapter 8 Report Designer

Anchor

Manipulating Report Pages

XREF text: report pages

A report can have a single page, or it can contain multiple pages. The pages
can have a portrait or landscape orientation.
Anchor

To . . . Do this . . .

Change between portrait and land- Select the Layout menu, then
scape pages. Reverse Orientation.
Add a page in front of the current Select the Layout menu, then
page. Insert Page.
Add a page to the end of the report. Select the Layout menu, then Add
Page.
Delete a page from the report. Move to the page to be deleted
then select the Layout menu, then
Delete Pages.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 141

 Chapter 8 Report Designer

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142 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Anchor

Appendix A
Glossary

-A-
absolute pressure

The pressure measured from a vacuum. (0 psi absolute pressure = vacuum)

Absolute pressure minus atmospheric pressure equals gauge pressure. Note
that it is physically impossible to have a negative absolute pressure.

acquiring data

Acquiring data means that the Orion software is receiving data from the
hardware. Acquiring data is different from recording data; however, data
must be acquired before it can be recorded.

annulus

The annulus is the area between the CT and the well tubulars.

azimuth

The azimuth in well survey data is the angle from North, in degrees, of the
well axis at a given point. For example, a section of a well that goes East,
has an azimuth of 90 degrees.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 143

 Appendix A Glossary

-B-
Anchor

-C-

Cerberus

Cerberus is a well intervention modeling software package offered by

CTES. Cerberus can be used to track fatigue along a string, and to calculate
tubing forces and limits, and hydraulics. The force monitor, limit monitor,
and fatigue monitor are modules in Cerberus.

channel

A data channel is a flow path for a stream of measurements from a sensor.

A channel can be either digital or analog. The individual data channels
must be configured properly to match the sensor outputs.

-D-

data source

The source which provides the data that the Orion software acquires. The
data source is typically a CTES DAS, or maybe a third-party DAS. How-
ever, it can also be the Data Simulator, or another Orion program over the
internet.

default

The initial value set by the computer program if the user doesn't make any
changes. The program uses this value until it is changed. Default values
help speed data input and aid consistency for values that typically remain
constant.

144 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Appendix A Glossary

depth
Anchor

The distance from the zero depth datum at the top of the well to the point in
question. Depth can be measured from the downhole end of a string, but
depth is not related to string position.

derived channels

These channels utilize input from sensors or other derived channel outputs
to calculate and record values specified by a user-defined equation. Addi-
tion, subtraction, multiplication, division and absolute values can be used
in the derived channel equation.

-E-

-F-

-G-

gain

Used to calibrate a sensor. Also called scale factor or multiplier.

gauge pressure

The pressure indicated by a pressure gauge. (0 psi gauge pressure = atmo-

spheric pressure) Gauge pressure plus atmospheric pressure equals abso-
lute pressure. Note that it is possible to have a negative gauge pressure.

-H-
Hercules

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 145

 Appendix A Glossary

Hercules is part of the Cerberus software. It is used to calculate tubing lim-

Anchor

its. When you run the Limit Monitor, you are actually running Hercules in
Orion mode.

-I-
inclination

The inclination in well survey data is the angle, in degrees, between the
well axis and the vertical axis at a given depth. A vertical section of well
has an inclination of 0 degrees. A horizontal section of well has an inclina-
tion of 90 degrees.

-J-

-K-

-L-

-M-
measured depth

The current depth, following the trajectory of the well, as indicated by the
depth counter at the surface. The actual depth may be slightly less due to
buckling. Note that measured depth is different from true vertical depth.

-N-

-O-
offset

Used to calibrate a sensor. Not used for digital sensors.

146 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Appendix A Glossary

Orpheus
Anchor

Orpheus is a module in the Cerberus software. It is used to calculate forces.

When operating the force monitor, the software is actually running
Orpheus in Orion mode.

-P-
POOH

An abbreviation for "pulling out of hole".

position

Position on a string is the distance measured from the core end of the CT
on the reel to the point in question. The core end of the CT on the reel is at
position zero. Position is not related to depth, although depth is measured
from the free end of a string.

-Q-

-R-

recording data

Recording data is the act of storing data to the hard drive. Before data can
be recorded, the system must be acquiring data and a database must be cre-
ated to store the data in.

reel back tension

The tension maintained at the reel to insure that the tubing on the reel does
not uncoil or become slack. Reel back tension only affects the surface
weight calculation, not the downhole forces, since the tubing is held at the
injector.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 147

 Appendix A Glossary

Reel-Trak
Anchor

Reel-Trak is a module in the Cerberus software. It is used to calculate

fatigue generated by a job. When operating fatigue monitor, the software is
actually running Reel-Trak.

RIH

An abbreviation for "running in hole".

RTKB

RTKB (Rotary Table Kelly Bushing) is the depth reference typically used
by conventional drilling rigs when they drill a well.

-S-

strategy

A special type of program which runs in the Orion hardware.

stripper friction

The frictional force caused by the compression of the stripper packing ele-
ments on the tubing. This friction always acts in the opposite direction of
the tubing movement. Although variable, its force is usually assumed to be
in the range of 300 to 1,000 pounds.

surface weight

The weight measured at the surface while running into and out of the well.

-T-

true vertical depth

148 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Appendix A Glossary

The true vertical depth is the absolute depth from the surface, not following
Anchor

the trajectory of the well.

-U-

-V-

-W-
WITS

The WELLSITE INFORMATION TRANSFER SPECIFICATION (WITS)

is a communications format used for the transfer of a wide variety of
wellsite data from one computer system to another. It is a recommended
format by which Operating and Service companies involved in the Explo-
ration and Production areas of the petroleum industry may exchange data
in either an online or batch transfer mode.

-X-

-Y-

-Z-
zero depth datum

The point from which depth is measured at the wellsite (depth = 0). This
may be the Master Valve, ground level, RTKB, at the reel, or any other user
specified position.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 149

 Appendix A Glossary

Anchor

150 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Anchor

Appendix B
Derived Channels

In certain situations it may be preferable to monitor data that is not calcu-

lated from sensor inputs from the Orion hardware system. For example
fluid volumes during job stages, cumulative fluid volumes from multiple
pumps throughout a job, and differential pressures are not generally moni-
tored by the hardware system. However, the Orion software provides for
adding derived channels which are calculated values from any number of
channels that Orion is monitoring. The channels used in the calculations
can be sensor inputs or other derived channels.

These channels are derived from an equation that can be entered in the
Orion Configuration Utility. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
and absolute values are supported in the equations. Standard mathematical
order of operations rules apply.

The equation can consist of any combination of numbers and channels.

Channels must be enclosed in curly brackets {}. When it is time to calcu-
late the derived channel's value, Orion scans the equation for the curly
brackets. It matches up the names of the channels in the brackets and sub-
stitutes their current values into the equation. It then calculates the value of
the resulting expression.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 151

 Appendix B Derived Channels

Example: Assume there are 3 individual pump volume channels and we

Anchor

desire to monitor the total volume in a derived channel. The equation for
this channel is as follows:

{Volume 1} + {Volume 2} + {Volume 3}

There are a two additional functions that are useful in some circumstances.
The first is a "delta time" function. This function returns how much time
has elapsed since the last time the equation was calculated. To use this
function insert {__DTime__} into the equation. This function is primarily
used when calculating flow rates from volumes or vice versa.

Example: A pump volume is known and we desire to calculate a pump

rate. This example is a little more complex because the change in volume
since the last calculation must be recorded. In order to do this two derived
channels are required: One to track the volume used in the last calculation,
and one for the rate.

The equation for the derived pump rate channel is:

({Pump Volume} - {Last Pump Volume}) / {__DTime__}

The equation for the last pump volume channel is:

{Pump Volume}
Anchor

The calculation order for these channels is critical. If the Last

Pump Volume channel is calculated first, then the change in volume will
always be 0 in the Pump Rate channel leading to the rate always being 0.
When adding these channels in the Orion Configuration Utility, the cal-
culation order is determined by the channel position property. Orion
begins calculating from the lowest position value to the highest position
value. For this example, the rate channel should have a position of 1 and
the last volume channel a position of 2 to calculate the rate correctly.

152 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Appendix B Derived Channels

The second function is an "if-then-else" function. The syntax for this func-
Anchor

tion is IIf(<condition expression>,<true expression>,<false expression>)

where <condition expression> is an expression to be evaluated, <true
expression> is the equation to calculate if <condition expression> is true,
and <false expression> is the equation to calculate if <condition expres-
sion> is false.

Example: A pipe heavy channel and a pipe light channel are present. We
would like to monitor and record a single weight channel. The equation for
the weight channel could be: IIf({Pipe Light} < 0,{Pipe Heavy},{Pipe
Light}) In this example, any time the Pipe Light channel value is less than
0, the Weight channel will be assigned the Pipe Heavy channel value.
When the Pipe Light channel is greater or equal to 0, the Weight channel
will be assigned the Pipe Light channel value.

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 153

 Appendix B Derived Channels

Anchor

154 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Anchor

Index

—A— Batch Monitor 108

Access database 65 beeping
acknowledging alarms 93 alarms 95
acquiring data Job Monitor 106
overview 59 benefits
starting 60 of Orion 2
troubleshooting 123 buffer size 70
Acrobat reader
installing 110 —C—
alarms 90 calibrating 29
acknowledging 93 analog sensor calibration (Orion IV)
configuring 91 41
enable 95 depth 34
preferences 94 flow meter 38
sound 95 magnetic proximity switch 40
analog sensor (Orion IV) pressure sensors 31
calibrating 41 weight 33
animation CD problems 18
Data Simulator 120 Cenelec zoning requirements 12
authorization Cerberus
changing 20 compatibility 2
extending 20 if you do not have 11
obtaining 19 using Orion with 76
averaging 62 channels
configuring 27
—B— derived 151
backup file 50 communications

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 155

 Index

troubleshooting 124 Control Panel 115

Anchor

compatibility Control Panel zoom 117

Cerberus 2 data source 118
controller 14 generating data automatically 120
computer requirements 13 generating data manually 121
configuration sliders 119
channels 27 starting 113
user 22 time scale 122
contacting CTES 9 using Orion with 55
Control Panel views 114
Data Simulator 115 Wellsite view 117
Control Panel zoom data source
Data Simulator 117 Data Simulator 118
controller database
compatibility 14 creating 67
downloading strategy to 132 format of 65
setting up Orion for 21 opening 67
status of 131 playing back 52
CTES DDE 24
Canadian location 10 depth
contacting 9 calibrating 34
UK location 10 filtering 69
USA location 9 depth encoder
web site 9 pulses per revolution 37
depth filtering 69
derived channels 151
—D— digital display 77
data custom 80
acquiring 59 decimal points 78
averaging 62 logo 83
filtering 68 selecting channels 78
recording 64 direct communication
data log 88 changing to from Opto MDS 22
selecting columns 90 troubleshooting 123
troubleshooting 130 display units 79
Data Simulator 113 downloading
animation 120

156 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Index

strategy to Orion controller 132 internet

Anchor

using Orion over 56

—E—
EMU —J—
retrieving data from 50 Job Monitor 103

—F— —K—
Fatigue Monitor 101 K factor
running 102 of flow meter 38
features
of Orion 2
filtering 68
—L—
available filters 69 large data files
flow meter troubleshooting 130
calibrating 38 Limit Monitor 96
Force Monitor 99 starting 97
starting 101 logo
displaying 83

—G—
gain and offset
—M—
setting manually 30 magnetic proximity switch
viewing 30 calibrating 40
generating data automatically mode
Data Simulator 120 selecting 46
generating data manually monitoring
Data Simulator 121 alarms and warnings 90
Batch Monitor 108
Fatigue Monitor 101
—I— Force Monitor 99
information Job Monitor 103
other sources of 11 Limit Monitor 96
installing Orion 13 troubleshooting 130
running setup 15
troubleshooting 17

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 157

 Index

—O— —Q—
Anchor

Opto 22 Ultimate I/O documentation 12 Quick Start 48

Opto MDS
changing to direct communication 22
Opto22 Data Sheets 12
—R—
Orion recording
benefits of 2 overview 64
features 2 starting 66
installing 13, 15 troubleshooting 130
options 71 Report Designer 135
overview 5 main screen 136
setting up for your controller 21 starting 135
setting up preferences 71 report objects 137
starting 46 adding to a report 139
using at job site 49 changing order of 140
using over the internet 56 changing properties of 139
using to play back a database 52 deleting from a report 139
using with Data Simulator 55 moving 140
what is 1 sizing 140
what’s new 7 types 137
overview report pages
of Orion 5 adding 141
deleting 141
orientation 141
—P— reports
password saving custom designs in Report De-
for saving channels 127 signer 136
playback rate 52 troubleshooting 131
playing back databases 52
pressure filtering 69
pressure sensors
—S—
calibrating 31 save rate 70
printing 109 saving
PDF 110 custom report designs in Report De-
reports 109 signer 136
pulses per revolution 37 sensors
calibrating 29

158 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide

 Index

serial data 24 update rate 63

Anchor

sliders updating strategy 132

Data Simulator 119 user configuration 22
starting
Report Designer 135
starting acquiring data 60
—V—
starting Orion views
troubleshooting 124 data log 88
starting recording 66 Data Simulator 114
strategy digital display 77
downloading to Orion controller 132 strip charts 84
strip charts 84 survey path 103
support 9 troubleshooting 130
survey path 103 units 79
system requirements 13 well geometry 103

—T— —W—
technical support 9 warnings 90
time filtering 69 web site
time scale CTES 9
Data Simulator 122 weight
training 12 calibrating 33
troubleshooting 123 welcome 1
acquiring data 123 well geometry 103
CD problems 18 troubleshooting 130
communications 124 Wellsite view
installation 17 Data Simulator 117
monitoring 130 what’s new 7
recording 130
reports 131
views 130

—U—
units
displayed 79

Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide CTES, L.P. 159

 Index

Anchor

160 CTES, L.P. Orion Software 8.0 User’s Guide