Patent Publication Number: US-2022235633-A1

Title: Wellsite monitoring system and method

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a National Phase Entry of PCT International Application No. PCT/US2020/034130 filed May 22, 2020, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/852,594, filed May 24, 2019, titled “Wellsite Monitoring System and Method,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The time required to bring a hydrocarbon well into production can vary substantially. For example, the time required to drill a well may vary from less than a month to over a year. After drilling is complete, additional time (e.g., another month or more) is needed to prepare the well for production. The various wellsite activities performed during drilling and completion a well are undertake by employees and/or contractors commissioned by the wellsite operator to execute specific tasks with regard to the well. For example, a wellsite operator may hire a first contractor to construct and operate a drilling rig, a second contractor to cement casing in the wed, a third contractor to provide logging services, etc. The wellsite is generally active  24  hours a day, seven days a week to minimize the time needed to bring a well to production, with each of the various contractors present at the wellsite as needed to perform a specific task. 
     SUMMARY 
     A wellsite monitoring system and method are disclosed herein. In one example, a wellsite monitoring system includes a base station, a plurality of access points, and a wellsite communication interface. The base station is configured to provide communication between the wellsite and a remote system. Each of the access points is configured to communicate with base station. The wellsite communication interface is interfaced to well service equipment, and is configured to communicate with the access points via a wellsite protocol used by the base station, and to present an authentication credential to the base station. The base station is also configured to verify an identity of the wellsite communication interface via the authentication credential, and to enable communication with the wellsite communication interface based on verification of the identity of the wellsite communication interface. The wellsite communication interface may be configured to communicate with the base station responsive to detection of transmissions from the access points. The wellsite communication interface may be configured to receive well service information from the well service equipment, to translate well service information received from the well service equipment to the wellsite protocol, and to transmit the well service information to the base station. The wellsite monitoring system may also include a camera coupled to the base station, and configured to capture images of the wellsite. The base station may be configured to identify the well service equipment based on the images captured by the camera, and determine whether the authentication credential is assigned to the well service equipment identified via the images. The wellsite communication interface may be configured to synchronize a clock in the wellsite communication interface to a time value transmitted by the access points, and to add a time stamp, provided by the clock and indicating time of acquisition, to well service information received from the well service equipment. The base station may be configured to time align the well service information with data received from a plurality of well service systems operating at the wellsite based on the time stamp. The access points may be configured to form a mesh network that provides communication within a perimeter of the wellsite. The authentication credential may be a digital certificate. The base station may be configured to authenticate the digital certificate, and to disable communication with the wellsite communication interface responsive to finding the digital certificate to be inauthentic. The base station may be configured to measure efficiency of the well service equipment by measuring a time needed for the well service equipment to perform a task. 
     In another example, a method for wellsite communication includes detecting, by a wellsite communication interface, transmissions of a wellsite communication network formed at a wellsite. Authentication information is transmitted to a base station of the wellsite communication network by the wellsite communication interface. The authentication information is validated by the base station. Acceptance of the authentication information is transmitted to the wellsite communication interface by the base station. Well service information acquired by well service equipment coupled to the wellsite communication interface is transmitted by the wellsite communication interface. The well service information is received by the base station. The well service information is transmitted, by the base station, to a computing system remote from the wellsite. The method may also include translating, by the wellsite communication interface, the well service information to a wellsite protocol used by the base station, and transmitting the translated well service information to the base station. The method may also include capturing, by a camera coupled to the base station, images of the wellsite, identifying, by the base station, the well service equipment based on the images, and determining, by the base station, whether the authentication information is assigned to the well service equipment identified via the images. The method may also include synchronizing a clock in the wellsite communication interface to a time value transmitted by access points of the wellsite communication network, and adding, by the wellsite communication interface, a time stamp, provided by the clock and indicating time of acquisition, to the well service information received by the wellsite communication interface from the well service equipment. The method may also include time aligning, by the base station, the well service information with data received from a plurality of well service systems operating at the wellsite based on the time stamp. The method may also include measuring, by the base station, efficiency of the well service equipment by measuring, based on the time stamp, a time needed for the well service equipment to perform a task. 
     In a further example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is encoded with instructions that when executed cause one or more processors to receive authentication information transmitted by a wellsite communication interface to a base station of a wellsite communication network formed at a wellsite, to validate the authentication information in the base station, and to . transmit, from the base station, acceptance of the authentication information to the wellsite communication interface. The instructions also cause the one or more processors to receive, in the base station, well service information acquired by well service equipment coupled to the wellsite communication interface, and transmit, from the base station, the well service information to a computing system remote from the wellsite. The instructions may also cause the one or more processors to receive images of the wellsite captured by a camera at the wellsite, and identify the well service equipment based on the images. The instructions may also cause the one or more processors to determine, by the base station, whether the authentication information is assigned to the well service equipment identified via the images. The instructions may also cause the one or more processors to time align the well service information with data received from a plurality of well service systems operating at the wellsite based on a time stamp included in the well service information. The instructions may also cause the one or more processors to measure efficiency of the well service equipment by measuring, based on the time stamp, a time needed for the well service equipment to perform a task. The instructions may also cause the one or more processors to disable communication with the wellsite communication interface responsive to finding the authentication information to be invalid. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a detailed description of various examples, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a schematic level diagram of a wellsite that includes a wellsite monitoring system in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  shows a block diagram for a wellsite monitoring system in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  shows a block diagram for a wellsite base station of a wellsite monitoring system in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  shows a block diagram for a wellsite communication interface in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  shows a block diagram for a computing node suitable for use in a wellsite monitoring system in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  shows a flow diagram for a method for operating a wellsite communication interface in accordance with the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 7  shows a flow diagram for a method for operating a wellsite base station of a wellsite monitoring system in accordance with the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Certain terms have been used throughout this description and claims to refer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different parties may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In this disclosure and claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . .” Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either a direct or indirect connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection or through an indirect connection via other devices and connections. The recitation “based on” is intended to mean “based at least in part on.” Therefore, if X is based on Y, X may be a function of Y and any number of other factors. 
     The various activities undertaken at a wellsite to drill and complete a well may be performed by any number of different entities commissioned by the wellsite operator. Each activity may generate a substantial quantity of data that can be analyzed by the wellsite operator to determine the condition of the well and the wellsite at a given time. In conventional practice, a contractor collects data pertinent to operations performed by the contractor at the wellsite, identifies a portion of the collected data to be provided to the well site operator (e.g., data the contractor is required to provide by contractual agreement with the wellsite operator), and forwards the identified data to the wellsite operator. The time required for the contractor to analyze and identify the data acquired at the wellsite, and provide the data to the wellsite operator may reduce the value of the data to the wellsite operator. For example, timely presentation of the data acquired by a contractor provides the wellsite operate with a more complete view of wellsite activities, and may allow the wellsite operator to select an appropriate course of action before conditions at the wellsite change. 
     The wellsite monitoring system of the present disclosure automates the transfer of information from the entities working at the wellsite to the wellsite operator. The system automatically identifies each contractor present at the wellsite, and facilitates the transfer of data acquired by the contractor to the wellsite operator as the data is collected by the contractor, or at an earliest time that the data is available to the contractor. Thus, the wellsite monitoring system ensures the timely transfer of data from the contractor to the wellsite operator. 
     The wellsite monitoring system disclosed herein includes a wellsite data communication network. The wellsite data communication network may include multiple access points that provide access to a wireless network covering the wellsite. The access points may be arranged to optimize network coverage within the wellsite and reduce access to the network outside a perimeter of the wellsite. The access points are communicatively coupled to a wellsite base station that transfers wellsite data to the wellsite operator. 
     Each contractor working at the wellsite provides the equipment needed to perform a designated task. The equipment includes data collection systems that acquire data, such as wellsite measurements, associated with the designated task. The acquired data may include hundreds or thousands of different control signals and/or measurement (e.g., sensor output) signals. The equipment also includes a wellsite network interface. The wellsite network interface communicates with the wellsite base station to establish a communication channel between the wellsite base station and the wellsite communication interface included in the contractor&#39;s equipment. Establishing a communication channel may include verification of the identity of the wellsite network interface. For example, each wellsite communication interface may include authentication information, such as a digital certificate that uniquely identifies the wellsite network interface as authorized to access the wellsite data communication network. The wellsite base station may grant network access to the wellsite communication interface only if the authentication credentials are verified to be valid. As the contractor performs a designated task at the wellsite, the contractor&#39;s data collection system provides the acquired data to the wellsite communication interface, which, in turn, transmits the acquired data to the wellsite base station. The wellsite base station transmits the data received from the contractor&#39;s wellsite communication interface to data storage and processing systems managed by the wellsite operator. 
     To further facilitate identification of entities operating at the wellsite, the wellsite monitoring system may include multiple cameras connected to the wellsite data communication network. Each camera transmits images to the wellsite base station. The wellsite base station may include an image processing system that identifies objects in the received images. In one implementation, the image processing system identifies vehicles and particular markings of the vehicles that indicate which contractor controls the vehicle. For example, a contractor may mark its vehicles with a particular color and or pattern, and may provide alphanumeric identification on the vehicle exterior, which the image processing system may apply to identify the contractor and the particular vehicle. On identification of a particular vehicle, the wellsite base station may confirm that received authentication credentials are assigned to the wellsite communication interface installed in the identified vehicle. 
     The wellsite monitoring system also facilitates measurement of contractor efficiency by adding context information to the data collected by the contractor. In some implementations, the wellsite operator subdivides the task to be performed by the contractor into a series of sub-tasks. The sub-tasks may be sequentially performed by the contractor to complete the task. As the contractor performs each sub-task, the contractor notifies the wellsite base station of initiation and completion of the sub-task, thereby allowing the wellsite operator to correlate the data received from the contractor with the sub-task performed to generate the data, and to measure the time required to perform each sub-task. With this information, the wellsite operator can determine the efficiency of the contractor in performing the task with respect to different contractors that also perform the task. 
       FIG. 1  shows a schematic level diagram of a wellsite  100  that includes a wellsite monitoring system  101  in accordance with the present disclosure. The wellsite monitoring system  101  includes a wellsite base station  102 , and a number of access points  104 A,  1046 ,  104 C, and  104 D (also referred to herein individually or collectively as access point(s)  104 ). The access points  104  may be communicatively coupled to the wellsite base station  102 , and to one another, to form a mesh network that provides communication, within the perimeter of the wellsite  100 , to and from the wellsite base station  102 . While four access points  104  are shown in  FIG. 1 , the wellsite  100  may include any number of access points  104 . 
     The wellsite  100  also includes wells  106 A,  106 B,  106 C, and  106 D (also referred to herein individually or collectively as well(s)  106 ). While four wells  106  are shown in  FIG. 1 , the wellsite  100  may include any number of wells  106 . At any given time, each of the wells  106  may be at a different life stage. For example, the well  106 A is being drilled, the well  106 C is undergoing completion, and the well  106 D is in production. A wellsite operator (e.g., the lessee of the wellsite  100 ) engages various entities to drill and to service the wells  106 . For example, the wellsite operator engages a first company to drill the well  106 A, a second company to log the well  106 A, a third company to cement casing in the well  106 A, etc. 
     Each entity engaged in operations with respect to a well  106 , provides equipment to perform the desired operations. For example, a company engaged to drill the well  106 A provides a drilling rig and associated equipment needed to drill the well  106 A. The equipment provided to operate on the wells  106  produces a wide variety of control signals and parameter measurements as operations are performed on the wells  106 . In some implementations, the equipment may produce hundreds or thousands of different control signals or parameter measurement signals while performing operations on a well  106 . The wellsite monitoring system  101  can transfer the control signals and parameter measurements to the wellsite operator for analysis as the operations are performed. 
     In  FIG. 1 , equipment  112 A is operating on well  106 A and equipment  112 B is operating on well  106 C. Equipment  112 A may be a drilling rig and associated equipment, and equipment  112 B may include equipment for logging the well  106 C, completing the well  106 C, etc. In practice, the equipment  112 A and  112 B may include any equipment that operates on the well  106 A or the well  106 C. Equipment  112 A and/or equipment  112 B may referred to herein (collectively or individually) as equipment  112 . 
     The equipment  112  includes a wellsite communication interface  110 . The wellsite communication interface  110  communicates with the wellsite base station  102  via the access points  104 . The wellsite communication interface  110  is communicatively coupled to the control and parameter measurement systems of the equipment  112  so that when the equipment  112  is operated, the control and parameter measurement signals generated by the equipment  112  are provided to the wellsite communication interface  110  for transmission to the wellsite base station  102 . The equipment  112  provides the control and parameter measurement signals to the wellsite communication interface  110  using any of a variety of communication protocols (e.g., OPC/UA, OPC, PLC, Modbus, CANbus, etc.). The wellsite communication interface  110  receives the control and parameter measurement signals generated by the equipment  112 , converts the signals to the protocol expected by the wellsite base station  102 , and transmits the signals to the wellsite base station  102 . For example, the protocol expected by the wellsite base station  102  may be OPC/UA or a modified version thereof. 
     The wellsite communication interface  110  transmits the control and parameter measurement signals to the base station  102  when the signals are received from the equipment  112 . In some implementations, the equipment  112  provides the signals to the wellsite communication interface  110  as soon as the signals are generated by the equipment  112 . However, in some implementations of the equipment  112  the control and parameter measurement signals may be provided to the wellsite communication interface  110  sometime after generation. For example, if the equipment includes a down hole tool that measures conditions of the subsurface environment (e.g., temperature, pressure, etc.) and stores the measurements in a memory of the down hole tool, the measurement signals are not provided to the wellsite communication interface  110  when generated. Rather, when the down hole tool is extracted from the borehole, the measurement signals are read from the memory of the downhole tool and provided to the wellsite communication interface  110  for transmission to the base station  102 . 
     When the equipment  112  is located at the wellsite  100  and powered-on, the equipment  112  detects the transmissions of the access points  104  and communicates with the wellsite base station  102  to connect to the wellsite monitoring system  101 . For example, when a vehicle transporting the equipment  112  drives onto the wellsite  100  and the equipment  112  is powered on, the equipment  112  detects the transmission of the access points  104  and attempts to communicate with the wellsite base station  102  and connect to the wellsite monitoring system  101 . The wellsite communication interface  110  includes a digital certificate that identifies the wellsite communication interface  110  as authorized to communicate with the wellsite base station  102  and transfer data to the wellsite operator. When the wellsite communication interface  110  detects the transmissions of the access points  104 , the wellsite communication interface  110  presents the digital certificate to the wellsite base station  102 . The wellsite base station  102  authenticates the digital certificate and establishes a communication channel with the wellsite communication interface  110 . 
     If the wellsite base station  102  is unable to authenticate the digital certificate presented by the wellsite communication interface  110  (e.g., the digital certificate is expired), or the wellsite communication interface  110  presents no digital certificate to the wellsite base station  102 , then the wellsite base station  102  does not establish a channel for communication with the wellsite communication interface  110 , and the wellsite communication interface  110  is unable to transfer data to the wellsite operator. Performing any operation with respect to a well  106  may be contingent on being enabled to transfer data generated by the operation to the wellsite operator via the wellsite base station  102 . 
     The wellsite monitoring system  101  may also include cameras.  FIG. 1  shows camera  114 A, camera  114 B, camera  114 C, and camera  114 D (also referred to herein collectively or individually as camera  114 ). The cameras  114  capture images of the wellsite  100  and the equipment  112  operating on the wellsite  100 . The cameras  114  are communicatively coupled to the access points  104  for transferring captured images to the wellsite base station  102 . The wellsite base station  102  analyzes the images received from the cameras  114  to identify objects in the images. For example, the wellsite base station  102  may identify the equipment  112 A and/or the equipment  112 B based on indicia of identity (e.g., alphanumeric markings, pictorial markings, etc.) provided on the equipment. Having used the images received from the cameras  114  to identify equipment on the wellsite  100 , the wellsite base station  102  may determine whether the equipment is known to be assigned a digital certificate. Thus, the wellsite base station  102  may apply the images received from the cameras  114  to correlate the equipment on the wellsite  100  with digital certificates received from the wellsite communication interface  110 . 
     The wellsite base station  102  may also be configured to measure the efficiency of the equipment  112 , and/or the efficiency of the entity controlling the equipment  112 . The wellsite base station  102  may measure the time required for the equipment  112  to perform a task, and/or one or more sub-tasks into which the task is divided. For example, the equipment  112  may transmit an indication of the time at which each sub-task is started and/or completed. The wellsite base station  102  or other system coupled to the wellsite base station  102  and controlled by the wellsite operator may compare the times required by each of multiple entities to complete a task, and thereby determine the relative efficiency of each entity at performing the task. 
     In addition to transmission to sub-task timing information, the equipment  112  may provide an interface for interpersonal communication between a representative of the wellsite operator (e.g., an expert in the operations being performed at the wellsite) at a remote location and a representative of the entity operating the  112 . For example, the equipment  112  may provide a “chat box” on a user interface device that allows communication the wellsite operator&#39;s representative. Provision of “real-time” interpersonal communication with wellsite operator&#39;s representative allows for the timely resolution of issues that arise at the wellsite  100 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a block diagram for a wellsite monitoring system  200  in accordance with the present disclosure. The wellsite monitoring system  200  is an implementation of the wellsite monitoring system  101 . The wellsite monitoring system  200  includes a base station  202 , a number of access points  204 , and one or more cameras  206 . The access points  204  and the cameras  206  are communicatively coupled to the base station  202 . The wellsite communication interfaces  208  are communicatively coupled to the base station  202  via the access points  204 . The access point  204  is an implementation of the access point  104 , the camera  206  is an implementation of a camera  114 , and the wellsite communication interface  208  is an implementation of the wellsite communication interface  110 . 
     The access points  204  includes antennas, a wireless transceiver coupled to the antennas, power generation systems coupled to the wireless transceiver, and other systems and circuitry for transferring data between the base station  202  and the cameras  206  or the wellsite communication interfaces  208 . The cameras  206  includes an image sensor and transceiver circuitry to communicate images captured by the image sensor to the access points  204 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a block diagram for an example of the base station  202 . The base station  202  includes authentication circuitry  304 , wellsite communication circuitry  306 , wellsite operator communication circuitry  308 , and power system  310 . The power system  310  includes an electrical generator, batteries, solar cells, and/or other circuitry and sub-systems capable of generating power for continuously operating the base station  202 . The wellsite operator communication circuitry  308  includes a transceiver for transmitting wellsite data to a remote computer system controlled by the wellsite operator and for receiving transmissions from the remote system. For example, the wellsite operator communication circuitry  308  may include a satellite data transceiver, a long-term evolution (LTE) transceiver, a high-bandwidth wireline transceiver, or other data transceiver capable of high-bandwidth transfer of data between the base station  202  and the remote computer system controlled by the wellsite operator. 
     The wellsite communication circuitry  306  includes a transceiver for communicating with the access points  204 . For example, the wellsite communication circuitry  306  may include a wireless network transceiver (e.g., an IEEE 802.11 compliant transceiver) or a wired network transceiver (e.g., an IEEE 802.3 compliant transceiver) for communicating with the access points  204 . 
     The authentication circuitry  304  includes circuitry that authorizes communication between the base station  202  and the wellsite communication interfaces  208 . For example, the authentication circuitry  304  determines whether a digital certificate received from a wellsite communication interfaces  208  is valid. In some implementations, the authentication circuitry  304  may communicate, via the wellsite operator communication circuitry  308 , a digital certificate received from a wellsite communication interfaces  208  to a certificate authorization server that verifies the certificate is issued and signed by a trusted certificate authority, verifies that the certificate is not expired, verifies that the certificate has not been revoked, and/or verifies proof of certificate possession. If the certificate authorization server verifies the digital certificate, then the base station  202  enables communication between the wellsite communication interfaces  208  and the base station  202 . That is, if the digital certificate is verified, then the base station  202  allows the wellsite communication interfaces  208  to join the wellsite monitoring system  101  and transfer data collected while operating at the wellsite  100  to the base station  202 . If the digital certificate is not verified, then the base station  202  may deny the wellsite communication interfaces  208  access to the wellsite monitoring system  101 , and the equipment  112  may be unable to operate on the wellsite monitoring system  101 . 
     Implementations of the base station  202  may also include the image processing circuitry  302 . The image processing circuitry  302  processes the images received from the cameras  206  to identify objects and equipment at the wellsite monitoring system  101 . The image processing circuitry  302  may include segmentation and classification circuitry based on convolutional neural networks or other visual imagery analysis technology. In some implementations of the wellsite monitoring system  101 , the image processing circuitry  302  may be provided at a location remote from the base station  202 , and coupled to the base station  202  via the wellsite operator communication circuitry  308 . 
     Because weather conditions affect operations at the wellsite  100 , some implementations of the  202  may also include weather monitoring equipment to measure weather conditions at the wellsite  100 . The  202  may transmit weather measurements to the remote computing system of the wellsite operator in conjunction with the control and measurement signals generated at the wellsite  100 . The weather monitoring equipment may measure wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity, rainfall, and/or other weather conditions, and provide the weather measurements to the wellsite operator communication circuitry  308  for transmission. 
       FIG. 4  shows a block diagram for an example of the wellsite communication interfaces  208 . The wellsite communication interfaces  208  includes wellsite communication circuitry  402 , data segmentation circuitry  404 , credentials  406 , and data acquisition communication circuitry  408 . The data acquisition communication circuitry  408  includes circuitry that interfaces with a data collection system  410  of the equipment  112 . For example, the data acquisition communication circuitry  408  includes a receiver compliant with the protocol and electrical interface specifications of the data collection system  412  to receive the data collected by the data collection system  412  while operating at the wellsite  100 . 
     The data acquisition communication circuitry  408  includes protocol conversion circuitry  410 . The protocol conversion circuitry  410  converts the data received from the data collection system  412  to the protocol used to communicate with the base station  202 . For example, the data collection system  412  uses a protocol such as OPC/UA, OPC, PLC, Modbus, CANbus, or other protocol to communicate data collected during operation of the equipment  112  to the wellsite communication interface  208 . Data transfer to the base station  202  uses a different protocol, such as OPC/UA or a modified version thereof. The protocol conversion circuitry  410  includes circuitry to convert from OPC/UA, OPC, PLC, Modbus, CANbus, or other protocol used by the data collection system  412  to the protocol used to communicate with the base station  202 . 
     The wellsite communication circuitry  402  includes a transceiver for communicating with the access points  204 . For example, the wellsite communication circuitry  306  may include a wireless network transceiver (e.g., an IEEE 802.11 compliant transceiver) or a wired network transceiver (e.g., an IEEE 802.3 compliant transceiver) for communicating with the access points  204 . 
     The credentials  406  include the digital certificate assigned to the wellsite communication interfaces  208  by a trusted certificate authority. In some implementations, a single trusted certificate authority manages distribution of digital certificates to all instances of the wellsite communication interface  208 . The credentials  406  are transmitted to the base station  202  to verify that the wellsite communication interface  208  is authorized to join the wellsite monitoring system  101 . The base station  202  allows the wellsite communication interfaces  208  to join the wellsite monitoring system  101  if the credentials  406  are valid. The credentials  406  should be validated prior to the equipment  112  performing any operations with respect to a well  106 . 
     The data segmentation circuitry  404  routes the data received from the data collection system  412  to a selected destination. For example, while operating on a well  106 , the equipment  112  may generate N control or measurement signals and transfer a first portion of the data received from the data collection system  412  (e.g., a first set of the signals (M of the N signals)) to the base station  202  via the wellsite monitoring system  101 , and transfer a second portion of the data received from the data collection system  412  (e.g., a second set of signals (N-M of the N signals)) to the external and/or remote computer system controlled by the entity operating the equipment  112 . In some implementations, the equipment  112  includes a transceiver, such as a satellite transceiver, for transferring the second set of signals to the external system controlled by the entity operating the equipment  112 . Identification (a listing) of the particular signals to be transferred to a destination may be determined prior to operation of the equipment  112  at the wellsite  100 , and stored in the data segmentation circuitry  404  for use in routing the signals when the equipment  112  is operating at the wellsite  100 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a block diagram for a computing system  500  suitable for use in the wellsite monitoring system  101 . Examples of the computing system  500  may be applied to implement the base station  202 , the access points  204 , and/or the wellsite communication interfaces  208  in implementations of the wellsite monitoring system  101 . The computing system  500  includes one or more computing nodes  502  and secondary storage  516  that are communicatively coupled (e.g., via the storage interface  515 ). One or more of the computing nodes  502  and associated secondary storage  516  may be applied to provide the functionality of each of the base station  202 , the access point  204 , and/or the wellsite communication interface  208  described herein. 
     Each computing node  502  includes one or more processors  504  coupled to memory  506 , network interface  512 , and user I/O interface  514 . In various embodiments, a computing node  502  may be a uniprocessor system including one processor  504 , or a multiprocessor system including several processors  504  (e.g., two, four, eight, or another suitable number). Processors  504  may be any suitable processor capable of executing instructions. For example, in various embodiments, processors  504  may be general-purpose or embedded microprocessors implementing any of a variety of instruction set architectures (ISAs), such as the x86, PowerPC, SPARC, or MIPS ISAs, or any other suitable ISA. In multiprocessor systems, each of the processors  504  may commonly, but not necessarily, implement the same ISA. 
     The memory  506  may include a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium configured to store program instructions  508  and/or data  510  accessible by processor(s)  504 . The memory  506  may be implemented using any suitable memory technology, such as static random-access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), nonvolatile/Flash-type memory, or any other type of memory. Program instructions  508  and data  502  implementing the functionality disclosed herein are stored within memory  506 . For example. instructions  508  may include instructions that when executed by processor(s)  504  implement the base station  202 , the access point  204 , or the wellsite communication interface  208  disclosed herein. 
     Secondary storage  516  may include volatile or non-volatile storage and storage devices for storing information such as program instructions and/or data as described herein for implementing the base station  202 , the access point  204 , or the wellsite communication interface  208 . The secondary storage  516  may include various types of computer-readable media accessible by the computing node  502  via the storage interface  515 . A computer-readable medium may include storage media or memory media such as semiconductor storage, magnetic or optical media, e.g., disk or CD/DVD-ROM, or other storage technologies. 
     The network interface  512  includes circuitry configured to allow data to be exchanged between computing node  502  and/or other devices coupled to the wellsite monitoring system  101  (such as other computer systems, communication devices, input/output devices, or external storage devices). For example, the network interface  512  may be configured to allow data to be exchanged between a first instance of the computing system  500  configured to operate as the wellsite communication interface  208  and a second instance of the computing system  500  configured to operate as the access point  204 . Similarly, the network interface  512  may be configured to allow data to be exchanged between a first instance of the computing system  500  configured to operate as the base station  202  and a second instance of the computing system  500  configured to operate as the access point  204 . The network interface  512  may support communication via wired or wireless data networks. 
     The computing node  502  may also include a network interface  513  that allows the computing node  502  to exchange data with devices coupled to a network external to the wellsite monitoring system  101 . For example, the network interface  513  may be configured to allow data to be exchanged between an instance of the computing system  500  configured to operate as the base station  202  and a remote computing system controlled by the wellsite operator. 
     The user I/O interface  514  allows the computing node  502  to communicate with various input/output devices such as one or more display terminals, keyboards, keypads, touchpads, scanning devices, voice or optical recognition devices, or any other devices suitable for entering or retrieving data by one or more computing nodes  502 . Multiple input/output devices may be present in a computing system  500 . 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the computing system  500  is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope of embodiments. In particular, the computing system  500  may include any combination of hardware or software that can perform the functions disclosed herein, including computers, network devices, internet appliances, PDAs, wireless phones, pagers, etc. Computing node  502  may also be connected to other devices that are not illustrated, in some embodiments. In addition, the functionality provided by the illustrated components may in some embodiments be combined in fewer components or distributed in additional components. Similarly, in some embodiments the functionality of some of the illustrated components may not be provided and/or other additional functionality may be available. 
       FIG. 6  shows a flow diagram for a method  600  for operating a wellsite communication interface  208  in accordance with the present disclosure. Though depicted sequentially as a matter of convenience, at least some of the actions shown can be performed in a different order and/or performed in parallel. Additionally, some embodiments may perform only some of the actions shown. In some embodiments, at least some of the operations of the method  600  may be provided by instructions executed by an instance of the computing system  500  implementing the wellsite communication interface  208 . 
     In block  602 , the wellsite communication interface  208  is located at the wellsite  100  and powered on. The wellsite communication interface  208  scans for and detects transmissions of the access points  204  indicating that the wellsite monitoring system  101  is active. 
     In block  604 , the wellsite communication interface  208  transmits authentication information to the base station  202 . Transmission of authentication information includes transmission of the digital certificate assigned to the wellsite communication interface  208  by a trusted certificate authority for controlling access to the wellsite monitoring system  101 . 
     In block  606 , the wellsite communication interface  208  receives, from the base station  202 , acceptance of the authentication. That is, the wellsite communication interface  208  receives, from the base station  202 , confirmation of the digital certificate&#39;s validity. The wellsite communication interface  208  joins the wellsite monitoring system  101  and is allowed to transmit, to the base station  202 , data acquired by the equipment  112  while operating on a well  106 . 
     In block  608 , the equipment  112  is operating on a well  106  and generating control and measurement signals related to the operations being performed on the well  106 . The control and measurement signals are provided to the wellsite communication interface  208  using a first protocol. The base station  202  receives data using a second protocol that is different from the first protocol. The wellsite communication interface  208  converts the control and measurement signals to the second protocol, and using the second protocol transmits the control and measurement signals to the base station  202  via the access points  204 . 
     The wellsite communication interface  208  timestamps the control and measurement signals transmitted to the base station  202 . The timestamps may be derived from time values received via the wellsite monitoring system  101 . For example, the access points  204  may transmit beacon signals that include a time value. The wellsite communication interface  208  may synchronize an internal clock to the time values received from the access points  204  and timestamp the control and measurement signals transmitted to the base station  202  using time values provided by the internal clock. The base station  202 , or other system that receives control and measurement signals produced at the wellsite  100 , can time align the signals received from multiple wellsite communication interfaces  208  using the timestamps. 
       FIG. 7  shows a flow diagram for a method  700  for operating a wellsite base station  202  of a wellsite monitoring system  101  in accordance with the present disclosure. Though depicted sequentially as a matter of convenience, at least some of the actions shown can be performed in a different order and/or performed in parallel. Additionally, some embodiments may perform only some of the actions shown. In some embodiments, at least some of the operations of the method  700  may be provided by instructions executed by a computing system  500  implementing the base station  202 . 
     In block  702 , the base station  202  is installed at the wellsite  100  and is communicating with the access points  204 . The base station  202  receives the authentication information (e.g., the digital certificate) transmitted by the wellsite communication interfaces  208 . 
     In  704 , the base station  202  validates the authentication information received from the wellsite communication interfaces  208 . The validation may be performed by the base station  202 , or the base station  202  may transmit the authentication information to another system for validation. For example, the base station  202  may transmit the authentication information to a certificate authorization server for validation. Validation may include verifying that the certificate is issued and signed by a trusted certificate authority, verifying that the certificate is not expired, verifying that the certificate has not been revoked, and/or verifying proof of certificate possession. 
     In block  706 , in some implementations of the method  700 , the base station  202  receives images captured by the cameras  206 . The base station  202  processes the images to identify objects at the wellsite  100 . For example, in an image, the base station  202  may identify the equipment  112  at the wellsite  100 , where the equipment  112  includes the wellsite communication interface  208  that transmitted the authentication information received in block  702 . 
     In block  708 , the base station  202  confirms the identity of the wellsite communication interface  208  based on the authentication information received in block  702 , and in some implementations, based on the images received in block  706 . The base station  202  transmits confirmation information to the wellsite communication interface  208  that allows the wellsite communication interfaces  208  to join the wellsite monitoring system  101 . 
     In block  710 , the base station  202  receives the control and measurement signals, and any other data, transmitted to the base station  202  by the wellsite communication interfaces  208  via the wellsite monitoring system  101 . 
     In block  712 , the base station  202  transmits the control and measurement signals, and other information received form the equipment  112  via the wellsite monitoring system  101 , to an external computing system controlled by the wellsite operator for storage and further analysis. For example, the base station  202  transmits the data via a satellite transceiver or an LTE transceiver to the wellsite operator&#39;s remote computing system. 
     Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that in some embodiments the functionality disclosed herein may be provided in alternative ways, such as being split among more software modules or routines or consolidated into fewer modules or routines. Similarly, in some embodiments illustrated methods may provide more or less functionality than is described, such as when other illustrated methods instead lack or include such functionality respectively, or when the amount of functionality that is provided is altered. In addition, while various operations may be illustrated as being performed in a particular manner (e.g., in serial or in parallel) and/or in a particular order, those skilled in the art will appreciate that in other embodiments the operations may be performed in other orders and in other manners. The various methods as depicted in the figures and described herein represent illustrative embodiments of methods. The methods may be implemented in software, in hardware, or in a combination thereof in various embodiments. Similarly, the order of any method may be changed, and various elements may be added, reordered, combined, omitted, modified, etc., in various embodiments. 
     The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various embodiments of the present invention. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.