Patent · US Expired

Penetrometer sampler system for subsurface spectral analysis of contaminated media

US5902939A · kind A · utility

29Cited by
9References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 4, 1996
Grant dateMay 11, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 4, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
  • CPC primaryE21B49/081
  • WIPO fieldCivil engineering
  • WIPO sectorOther fields

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a direct push small diameter fluorescence ased penetrometer system for performing in situ spectral analysis on subsurface liquid or gaseous samples. The invention is configured to collect liquid or gaseous analyte samples within the penetrometer's sample chamber through a port that is juxtaposed to a heating element that accelerates the separation of volatile chemical materials from the soil matrix. Fiber optic cables are linked to surface mounted real-time data acquisition/processing equipment from the sample chamber. The penetrometer sampling device is also equipped with a standard penetrometer electric cone sensor module containing cone and sleeve strain sensors that are used to calculate soil classification/layering in real-time during penetration. The invention integrates soil classification/layering data with spectral signature data of suspect subsurface liquid or gaseous fluids for assessing whether the subsurface soil and ground water regions are contaminated without the requirement of transporting the sample and/or analyte to the surface for analysis. Moreover, the system integrates a means for grouting the bore hole upon retrieval of the …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.