Amplified Industries Electrical Engineering Intern
![](https://sites.duke.edu/kenkalin/files/2023/05/IMG_7275-300x168.png)
Amplified Industries (formerly Acoustic Wells) builds specialized IOT sensors to monitor operating performance of oil wells, collect and analyze data, and automatically notify oil producers of environment-threatening conditions (such as methane leaks).
This summer I designed custom embedded C firmware to control Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) operating on-shore oil well assets. My firmware used the MODBUS/RS485 protocol to vary the speed and acceleration of a three phase AC motor in real time throughout the stroke cycle of an oil pump based on command data generated remotely through a python program I also designed. I architected the backend design to remotely monitor and operate VFDs as well as designing my system to be compatible with any MODBUS enabled device.
At the end of my internship I traveled to Ardmore, Oklahoma to test my firmware on a production oil well. I was successfully able to reduce mechanical strain on the oil well by over 20% and my firmware was able to dynamically control the speed of the pump in real time and send alarm and monitor information to a remote computer over a 4G connection.
As a Hardware Intern, I had a number of responsibilities:
- Wrote FreeRTOS firmware in C to allow PLC operation over RS485/MODBUS of a VFD-controlled 3 phase AC industrial motor
- Designed Python GUI to generate MODBUS speed/acceleration commands and send to firmware over cellular connection
- Trained other employees on production process Used EAGLE CAD software and LTspice to redesign schematic and layout of production boards and design custom PCBs
- Wrote Python test script to automate QA testing of device. Traveled to production oil field to replace devices and document causes of failure of existing devices
- Analyzed feasibility of increasing ADC resolution to enable redesign of circuity
- Performed EMI pre-compliance testing to prepare for formal CISPR FCC compliance testing
Skills: C++ · Variable Frequency Drives · Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Design · Electrical Engineering · Python (Programming Language)
![](https://sites.duke.edu/kenkalin/files/2022/05/Greentown-Labs-Location-1024x657.png)