Claims
- 1. A suction lysimeter for sampling subsurface liquids, comprising:
a lysimeter casing having a drive portion, a reservoir portion, and a tip portion spaced apart along a length dimension, the tip portion including a membrane through which subsurface liquids may be sampled, the reservoir portion having an inner cylindrical wall; a fluid conduit coupled in fluid flowing relation relative to the membrane, and which in operation facilitates the delivery of the sampled subsurface liquids from the membrane to the reservoir portion; a plurality of tubes coupled in fluid flowing relation relative to the reservoir portion, the tubes in operation facilitating delivery of the sampled subsurface liquids from the reservoir portion for testing; and a spacer assembly in the reservoir portion, the spacer assembly including first and second disks spaced apart relative to the length dimension and having respective circumferences closely spaced relative to the inner cylindrical wall of the reservoir portion, the disks having apertures through which at least one of the tubes passes, the disks further having apertures through which sampled liquids may flow, the spacer assembly further including rods extending from the first disk to the second disk, wherein the spacer assembly is configured to act as a impact delimiter to absorb vibrational energy, minimize tube lateral deflection, and thereby impede damage.
- 2. A suction lysimeter in accordance with claim 1 wherein the lysimeter is reusable and comprises replaceable components including the membrane.
- 3. A suction lysimeter for sampling subsurface liquids, comprising:
a lysimeter casing having a drive portion, a reservoir portion, and a tip portion, the tip portion including a porous stainless steel membrane through which subsurface liquids may be sampled, and a tip; a fluid conduit coupled in fluid flowing relation relative to the membrane, and which in operation facilitates the delivery of the sampled subsurface liquids from the membrane to the reservoir portion; and a plurality of tubes coupled in fluid flowing relation relative to the reservoir portion, the tubes in operation facilitating delivery of the sampled subsurface liquids from the reservoir portion for testing, the porous stainless steel membrane being held in place by the tip.
- 4. The suction lysimeter of claim 3, wherein the lysimeter casing comprises stainless steel.
- 5. The suction lysimeter of claim 3, wherein the reservoir portion is defined by a structural, load bearing member.
- 6. The suction lysimeter of claim 3, wherein the tip is defined by a structural, load bearing member.
- 7. A suction lysimeter for sampling subsurface liquids, comprising:
a lysimeter casing having a drive portion, a reservoir portion, and a tip portion, the tip portion including a membrane through which subsurface liquids may be sampled; a fluid conduit coupled in fluid flowing relation relative to the membrane, and which in operation facilitates the delivery of the sampled subsurface liquids from the membrane to the reservoir portion; and a plurality of tubes coupled in fluid flowing relation relative to the reservoir portion, the tubes in operation facilitating delivery of the sampled subsurface liquids from the reservoir portion for testing.
- 8. The suction lysimeter of claim 7, wherein the drive portion of the lysimeter casing includes a drive connection joint configured to selectively couple to an insertion tube, and wherein the drive connection joint includes a drive connection seal which functions as a substantial barrier to contaminants.
- 9. The suction lysimeter of claim 8, wherein the drive connection seal comprises a plurality of drive connection seals.
- 10. The suction lysimeter of claim 8, wherein the drive connection seal comprises two drive connection seals.
- 11. The suction lysimeter of claim 8, wherein bearing surfaces at the drive connection joint isolate the drive connection seal from large loads.
- 12. The suction lysimeter of claim 7, wherein the membrane for sampling subsurface liquids comprises a porous stainless steel membrane having a nominal pore opening of about 0.2 micron to about 1 micron.
- 13. The suction lysimeter of claim 7, wherein the reservoir portion has a volume of about one liter.
- 14. The suction lysimeter of claim 7, wherein the membrane for sampling subsurface liquids comprises a replaceable porous membrane having a predetermined pore size, the membrane being selectively replaceable with another membrane having a different pore size.
- 15. The suction lysimeter of claim 7, wherein the membrane for sampling subsurface liquids comprises a steel membrane.
- 16. The suction lysimeter of claim 7, wherein the lysimeter casing comprises stainless steel.
- 17. The suction lysimeter of claim 7, wherein the lysimeter casing comprises stainless steel, and wherein the lysimeter is of adequate durability for installation into a media by direct push.
- 18. The suction lysimeter of claim 7, wherein the lysimeter casing comprises stainless steel, and wherein the lysimeter is of adequate durability for installation into a media by sonic drilling.
- 19. The suction lysimeter of claim 7, wherein the lysimeter casing comprises stainless steel, and wherein the lysimeter is of adequate durability for installation into a media by a combination of direct push and sonic drilling.
- 20. An apparatus for sampling subsurface liquids, comprising:
a lysimeter casing having a drive portion, a reservoir portion, and a tip portion, the tip portion including a membrane through which subsurface liquids may be sampled; a fluid conduit coupled in fluid flowing relation relative to the membrane, and which facilitates the delivery of the sampled subsurface liquids from the membrane to the reservoir portion; a plurality of probe casings selectively coupled to form an insertion tube, the insertion tube having an instrument receiving end, a surface end, and an insertion tube wall which together define a center cavity, and wherein the instrument receiving end is configured to selectively couple with the drive portion of the lysimeter casing; and a plurality of sampling tubes coupled in fluid flowing relation relative to the reservoir portion, the sampling tubes passing though the center cavity of the insertion tube, and which in operation facilitate delivery of the sampled subsurface liquids for testing.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the plurality of probe casings have first and second ends, the first end of one probe casing being configured to selectively couple with the second end of another probe casing at a casing joint to form the insertion tube, and wherein the casing joint includes a seal which functions as a substantial barrier to contaminants.
- 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the seal comprises a plurality of seals.
- 23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the seal comprises two seals.
- 24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the instrument receiving end of the insertion tube is configured to selectively couple with the drive portion of the lysimeter casing at a drive connection joint, and wherein the drive connection joint includes a drive connection seal which functions as a substantial barrier to contaminants.
- 25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein selectively coupling the instrument receiving end of the insertion tube to the drive portion of the lysimeter casing requires less than four turns to fully engage the drive connection joint and drive connection seal.
- 26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein selectively coupling the instrument receiving end of the insertion tube to the drive portion of the lysimeter casing requires about two and one-half turns to fully engage the drive connection joint and drive connection seal.
- 27. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the lysimeter has a maximum outside diameter of less than five and five-eighths inches.
- 28. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the lysimeter includes a surface having an outside diameter of about two and one half inches.
- 29. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the membrane for sampling subsurface liquids comprises a porous stainless steel membrane having a nominal pore opening of about 0.2 micron to about 1 micron.
- 30. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the insertion tube functions as a conduit through which the plurality of sampling tubes may pass.
- 31. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the insertion tube functions as a conduit through which the plurality of sampling tubes may pass, and wherein in operation, at least one of the plurality of sampling tubes transfers sampled subsurface liquids.
- 32. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the insertion tube and the lysimeter casing are of adequate durability for installation into the ground by direct push.
- 33. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the insertion tube and the lysimeter casing are of adequate durability for installation into the ground by sonic drilling.
- 34. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the insertion tube and the lysimeter casing are of adequate durability for installation into the ground by a combination of direct push and sonic drilling.
- 35. A suction lysimeter for sampling subsurface liquids, comprising:
a lysimeter casing having a drive portion, a reservoir portion, and a tip portion, the tip portion including a porous stainless steel membrane through which subsurface liquids may be sampled, a tip member, and a nose portion having an outer cylindrical surface, and having an enlarged diameter portion defining an abutment surface, the membrane being received on the nose portion, the membrane having a first end that abuts the abutment surface and having a second end, and the tip portion further including a tip member that is secured to the nose portion and includes an abutment surface that abuts the second end of the membrane, such that the membrane is held between the tip member and the enlarged diameter portion of the nose portion; a fluid conduit coupled in fluid flowing relation relative to the membrane, and which in operation facilitates the delivery of the sampled subsurface liquids from the membrane to the reservoir portion; and a plurality of tubes coupled in fluid flowing relation relative to the reservoir portion, the tubes in operation facilitating delivery of the sampled subsurface liquids from the reservoir portion for testing.
- 36. The suction lysimeter of claim 35, and further comprising a seal between the tip member and the membrane.
- 37. The suction lysimeter of claim 36 wherein the seal comprises a plurality of seals.
- 38. The suction lysimeter of claim 37, wherein the seal comprises two seals that function as a substantial barrier to contaminants.
- 39. The suction lysimeter of claim 35 wherein the tip portion and nose member are configured to shield the membrane from compressive and tensive loads.
- 40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the nose portion has a length, wherein the membrane has a length, and wherein the length of the nose portion is longer than the length of the membrane.
- 41. A method of sampling subsurface liquids, comprising:
providing a lysimeter having a lysimeter casing comprising stainless steel, the lysimeter casing having a drive portion, a reservoir portion, and a tip portion, the tip portion including a stainless steel membrane and a tip member; providing an insertion tube comprising a plurality of probe casings which have been selectively coupled at casing joints, the casing joints including a seal which functions as a substantial barrier to contaminants, the insertion tube having an instrument receiving end, a surface end, and an insertion tube wall which together define a center cavity; selectively coupling the instrument receiving end of the insertion tube and the drive portion of the lysimeter casing at a drive connection joint, the drive connection joint including a drive connection seal which functions as a substantial barrier to contaminants; providing a fluid conduit coupled in fluid flowing relation relative to the stainless steel membrane, and which facilitates the delivery of sampled subsurface liquids from the stainless steel membrane to the reservoir portion; and providing a plurality of sampling tubes coupled in fluid flowing relation relative to the reservoir portion, and which extend though the center cavity of the insertion tube to facilitate delivery of the sampled subsurface liquids from the reservoir portion for testing, and wherein the plurality of sampling tubes includes at least one pressure tube and at least one sample tube.
- 42. The method of claim 41, and further comprising placing the insertion tube and the selectively coupled lysimeter into a media by direct push.
- 43. The method of claim 41, and further comprising placing the insertion tube and the selectively coupled lysimeter into a media by sonic drilling.
- 44. The method of claim 41, and further comprising placing the insertion tube and the selectively coupled lysimeter into a media by a combination of direct push and sonic drilling.
- 45. The method of claim 41, and further comprising placing the lysimeter into a media to a depth of more than 10 meters.
- 46. The method of claim 41, and further comprising:
driving the lysimeter into a media so that the stainless steel membrane will be in contact with subsurface liquids; providing vacuum pressure to the pressure tube to pull a sample of subsurface liquids through the stainless steel membrane and into the reservoir portion; and providing air pressure to the pressure tube to push the sample of subsurface liquids elevationally upwards through the sample tube.
- 47. The method of claim 46, and further comprising removing and reusing the lysimeter.
- 48. The method of claim 46, and further comprising driving the lysimeter into the media as a unitary device, such that no assembly of lysimeter components are required in the media.
- 49. The method of claim 41, and further comprising forming the reservoir portion of a structural, load bearing member.
- 50. The method of claim 41, and further comprising forming the tip member of a structural, load bearing member.
GOVERNMENT RIGHTS
[0001] This invention was made with Government support under Contract DE-AC07-99ID13727 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Government has certain rights in the invention.