Software Design of a Data Acquisition System for the Hydraulic Fracturing Experiment of Rock at Tongkuangyu Copper Mine

Abstract

To cooperate with the research on the fragmentation pre-conditioning technology of large hard rock in natural caving mining, we perform a large flow hydraulic fracturing test in Tongkuangyu Copper Mine to investigate the relationship between the occurrence and expansion of fractures in ore bodies and the pressure and flow of water injection. Five sensors of four different types are used in the test. Each sensor uses independent acquisition software. The operation is cumbersome and complex, and data synchronization is difficult and can be easily lost. Therefore, an integrated data acquisition software is needed. The pressure sensor used in the test adopts a non-standard communication protocol, which cannot be used in secondary development by configuration software. Thus, a primary development under the Windows platform using C++ is adopted. The data acquisition module is developed and deployed in background service mode and automatically runs after the acquisition computer OS started. Each communication link establishes an independent data read thread, which reads and analyses the data stream according to the protocol and pushes it to the data processing thread. Such a thread saves the data and provides data service to the data display unit through a TCP/IP service port. All threads in the data acquisition module are synchronized by event signals, and the data read threads have high priority in them to avoid data loss. Multiple data display units are allowed to be connected to the data acquisition module at the same time, which is conducive to the coordination among the field staff. The data display unit shows the field pressure, flow, temperature, and water level. Key data are also developed using multi-thread technology to keep a friendly operation. Such data can be deployed in any computer connected with the acquisition module to assist the staff in performing any operation in the test. Through the field work in a complex environment, this software for data acquisition system can manage types of sensors, with flexible configuration, reliable operation, and convenient expansion and provide further support for the field investigation work.