Claims
- 1. A device for use in taking samples of groundwater flowing into a hollow, cylindrical well casing, said well casing having an interior surface, and a plurality of perforations through which groundwater can pass, said samples being taken for analysis at a location remote from said device, said device comprising:
- a hollow chamber having a first end and an opposing, second end, and an outside surface and an inside surface, said inside surface defining an interior space, said chamber dimensioned to fit coaxially within said well casing so as to form a gap between said inside surface of said well casing and said outside surface of said chamber and into which gap groundwater passing through said perforations of said well casing can flow, said chamber having a diameter and said first end having a second diameter smaller than said first diameter and said second end having a third diameter smaller than said second diameter;
- means carried by said chamber on said exterior surface between said first end and said second for sealing said exterior surface of said chamber to said interior surface of said well casing, thereby defining the axial limits of said gap,
- wherein said sealing means further comprises:
- a first resilient, water-proof disk about said first end;
- first means carried by said first end for supporting said first disk in sealing engagement with said interior surface of said well casing;
- a second resilient, water-proof disk about said second end; and
- second means carried by said second end for supporting said second disk in sealing engagement with said interior surface of said well casing;
- a pump carried by said chamber and communicating with said gap, said pump adapted for pumping said sample of groundwater from said gap to said remote location;
- a hose in operational connection with said pump and said remote location for conveying said sample from said pump to said remote location, said interior of said chamber dimensioned for carrying at least two of said hoses and said pump; and
- means formed on said first and second ends of said chamber for connecting said chamber to another chamber, said first end of said chamber connectable to said second end of said another chamber, so that several chambers can be attached and aligned axially in said well casing for taking samples at several axial locations, said sealing means defining a different axial location for taking a sample of groundwater by each of said several chambers.
- 2. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein said pump is a submersible pump having a diameter less than five centimeters.
- 3. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein said first end and said second end of said chamber are threaded so that two such chambers can be threadably connected together, a second end of a first of said such chambers connected to a first end of a second of said such chambers.
- 4. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein said first and said second resilient, water-proof disk are non-reactive.
- 5. An apparatus for taking simultaneously two samples of groundwater from a well lined with a well casing, said well casing having multiple perforations through which perforations groundwater may pass, each sample of said two samples to be taken at a different location along the axis of said well for analysis at a location remote to said well, said apparatus comprising:
- a first hollow chamber;
- a second hollow chamber,
- said first and said second hollow chambers each having a first end and a second end and dimensioned to fit within, said well casing leaving a gap between said well casing and said first and second chamber;
- means for connecting said first chamber to said second chamber to form an axial array of chambers, said second chamber following said first chamber in said axial array, said second end of said first chamber attachable to said first end of said second chamber;
- means carried by said first and said second chambers for sealing said first and second ends of said first and second chambers, respectively, to said well casing thereby defining a first axial portion of said gap and a second axial portion of said gap, respectively; and
- said first and said second chambers carrying a first and a second pump and a first and second hose, respectively, said first and said second pumps in fluid communication with said first and said second axial portions of said gap, respectively, said first and second hoses carrying samples from said first and second pumps, respectively, to said remote location,
- said first chamber dimensioned to carry within it said first pump, said first hose, and said second hose.
- 6. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, for use with a source of electrical power, wherein said first and said second pumps have a first and a second power line, respectively, for activating said first and second pumps, said first and said second power lines running from said source of power to said first and said second pumps, respectively, and said first chamber is dimensioned to carry within it said first and said second power lines.
- 7. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein said, sealing means further comprises:
- a first resilient, water-proof disk about each of said first ends of said first and second chambers; and
- first means carried by said first ends for supporting said first disks, in sealing engagement with said well casing;
- a second resilient, water-proof disk about each said second ends; and
- second means carried by said second ends for supporting said second disks in sealing engagement with said well casing.
- 8. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein said sealing means further comprises:
- a first resilient, non-reactive, water-proof disk about each of said first ends of said first and second chambers; and
- first means carried by said first ends for supporting said first disks in scaling engagement with said well casing;
- a second resilient, non-reactive, water-proof disk about each said second ends; and
- second means carried by said second ends for supporting said second disks in sealing engagement with said well casing.
- 9. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein said first and said second pumps are submersible pumps having a diameter less than approximately five centimeters.
- 10. Apparatus for taking simultaneously two samples of groundwater from a well lined with a well casing, said well casing having multiple perforations through which perforations groundwater may pass, each sample of said two samples to be taken at a different location along the axis of said well for analysis at a location remote to said well, said apparatus comprising:
- a first hollow chamber with a first diameter and having
- a first end with a second diameter smaller than said first diameter, and an opposing second end with a third diameter smaller than said first diameter,
- an exterior surface and an interior surface,
- said interior surface defining an interior space,
- a pump carried by said chamber in said interior space,
- said pump adapted for pumping a fluid sample from said chamber to said remote location,
- a hose for carrying said fluid sample to said remote location from said pump,
- first means for sealing said first end to said well casing, and
- second means for sealing said second end to said well casing;
- a second hollow chamber with a first diameter and having
- a first end with a second diameter smaller than said first diameter, and an opposing second end with a third diameter smaller than said first diameter,
- an exterior surface and an interior surface,
- said interior surface defining an interior space,
- a pump carried by said chamber in said interior space,
- said pump adapted for pumping a fluid sample from said chamber to said remote location,
- a hose for carrying said fluid sample to said remote location from said pump,
- first means for sealing said first end to said well casing, and
- second means for sealing said second end to said well casing;
- said first and said second hollow chambers each having a first end and a second end and dimensioned to fit within said well casing leaving a gap between said well casing and said first and second chamber;
- means for connecting first chamber to said second chamber to form an axial array of chambers, said second chamber following said first chamber in said axial array, said second end of said first chamber attachable to said first end of said second chamber;
- means carried by said first and said second chambers for sealing said first and second ends of said first and second chambers, respectively, to said well casing thereby defining a first axial portion of said gap and a second axial portion of said gap, respectively; and
- said first and said second chambers carrying a first and a second pump and a first and second hose, respectively, said first and said second pumps in fluid communication with said first and said second axial portions of said gap, respectively, said first and second hoses carrying samples from said first and second pumps, respectively, to said remote location,
- said first chamber dimensioned to carry within it said first pump, said first hose, and said second hose.
Government Interests
The United States Government has rights in the present invention pursuant to Contract No. DE-AC09-89SR18035 between the U. S. Department of Energy and Westinghouse Savannah River Company.
US Referenced Citations (11)