Measuring and testing – Sampler – sample handling – etc. – Capture device
Reissue Patent
1998-02-04
2001-02-27
Oen, William (Department: 2855)
Measuring and testing
Sampler, sample handling, etc.
Capture device
C073S864450
Reissue Patent
active
RE037066
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to soil sampling systems and, more particularly, to hollow-tubed soil samplers. A major objective of the present invention is to provide for enhanced collection of soil samples for chemical or physical analysis.
Contamination of soils is a major environmental concern. Toxic compounds can remain in the soil for years, and can seep into groundwater, causing serious environmental and health problems. Because contamination is often located many feet below the surface, identifying and treating contaminated soils can be problematic.
In a typical system for sampling for soil contamination, soil samples are collected at discrete levels. A hollow-stem auger powered by a large motor drill rig is typically used. The drilling rig can weigh as much as 30 tons, and is typically mounted on a large truck. The auger is typically about 8″ in diameter. The outside has a spiral flighting that aids travel through the soil and that removes the waste dirt (“cuttings”) from the borehole. During drilling, the hollow auger is plugged.
After the initial soil depth to be investigated is reached, and while the auger is in place in the ground, the plug is removed. Next, a hollow cylindrical drive sampler is inserted into the hole created by the auger. The drive sampler is driven, via a drive rod and hydraulic or pneumatic hammer, ahead of the lead auger into the soil to be sampled. Soil is forced into the hollow center of the drive sampler, which can contain stainless steel or brass sample sleeves. A large winch, usually attached to a mast about 20′ tall, then engages the drive rod, and the drive rod, sampler, sleeves, and soil are removed, leaving an open hole. For the next sample, the auger drills to the next depth to be sampled, and the process is repeated.
In cases of chemical contamination, contaminated soil may be confined to thin soil layers, sometimes only an inch or two thick. The discrete sampling of many previous systems, often taken at intervals of several feet, can miss areas of contamination and yield false negative results.
Furthermore, where contamination is encountered, the cuttings created by the typical augering system and brought to the ground surface, are also often contaminated, and must be disposed of as hazardous waste. Such disposal is often difficult and very expensive, because the soil requires special handling and disposal.
Single-rod non-auger drilling systems are sometimes used to sample relatively shallow depths. Single-rod systems can often be driven by more compact drilling rigs, but they are associated with other problems. To retrieve the sampler from the soil, skin friction of the soil must be overcome, requiring a significant amount of pull. In addition, because the borehole is not continuously cased off, contaminants from upper levels often slough off and contaminate lower levels, leading to false positive readings.
The drilling rig and winch in the typical prior art system can often harm the environment around the area to be tested. As described above, the entire system can be over 20′ tall, weigh 30 tons, and be mounted on a truck 20′ long. A rig in place can disrupt traffic. Landscaping around the area to be tested can be destroyed. If the area to be tested is under an existing structure, roofs or walls may have to be removed. Providing access for the equipment can also be destructive, time-consuming, and expensive.
What is needed is a soil sampling system that is compact and efficient, that allows for continuous, accurate soil samples to be collected, and that minimizes the amount of cuttings created during sampling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a soil sampling system includes a double-rod sampler and a driving rig. The double-rod sampler includes a casing and inner sample barrel, along with sample liners, that are driven simultaneously into the soil to be sampled. The system allows a vertically continuous sample to be collected while casing off the hole, thus sealing the borehole from sloughed-off contaminants from higher levels to minimize false readings of contamination.
The drive casing and sample barrel (with sample liners) are driven simultaneously into the ground. The barrel and liners are then removed, while the drive casing stays in place. New sample liners are placed in the sample barrel, and a new length of drive casing and an inner rod are attached. The liners, barrel, drive casing, and inner rod are then driven a further distance into the ground, and the process is repeated.
Minimal cuttings are created by the double-rod sampling system. Since the sample rod system is narrow (for example, the system can be only 2.25″ in diameter at the widest point that enters the ground as opposed to 8″ typical of systems in the prior art), far fewer cuttings are created. Most of the soil displaced by the double-rod system is retrieved in the sample barrel; the rest is compressed into the surrounding soil. The double rod system also does not have flightings that can carry contaminated cuttings to the surface, as does the hollow-stem auger.
Removal of the sample from the soil is much easier than in the prior art. Because the borehole is sealed off by the drive casing, there is no soil-skin friction to overcome when retrieving the sample barrel. Removal of the sample barrel (containing the soil samples in the sample liners) is easier and quicker, improving the speed and efficiency of the system of the invention as compared to previous systems.
The rig driving the soil sampling system can be significantly more compact than is typical in the prior art. It can be mounted on a conventional skid loader, and thus can be conveniently moved into locations that would not accommodate a conventional drilling rig. The rig can be configured to slant drill and can even drill horizontally. The double-rod sampling system can thus sample under buildings or existing structures without the necessity of dismantling or destroying them. Thus, the invention provides for reliable and effective sampling of contaminated soils, even at sites where access is restricted.
In a method in accordance with the invention, a drive casing, sample barrel, and sample liners are driven simultaneously into the soil to essentially the same depth. Thus, all portions of the borehole are sealed off while the sample is obtained, preventing sample contamination from sloughed-off soil from higher levels. In addition, the sample barrel and liners can be removed and replaced while the drive casing stays in place.
The method of the invention of taking and retrieving samples facilitates the taking of continuous samples. The bottom sample depth attained by one round of sampling becomes the top sample depth of the next round of sampling. A continuous sample is thus obtained and even thin layers of contamination are retrieved, thus maximizing sampling reliability. These and other features and advantages of the present invention are apparent in the following description with reference to the drawings below.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4316393 (1982-02-01), Philipenko
patent: 4456079 (1984-06-01), Rassieur
patent: 4518050 (1985-05-01), Sollie et al.
patent: 4735269 (1988-04-01), Park et al.
patent: 4770030 (1988-09-01), Smith
patent: 4953637 (1990-09-01), Starr et al.
patent: 5211248 (1993-05-01), Nosewicz et al.
patent: 9301477 (1994-01-01), None
Diedrich Drill—7 pages of advertising materials (undated).
Linda Aller, et al., Handbood of Suggested Practices for the Design and Installation of Ground—Water Monitoring Wells, (Dublin, Ohio: National Water Well Association), pp. 80-123.
Advertising Brochure—Simco 2800.
Advertising Brochure—Metaprobe.
Advertising Brochure—Drill Systems Drilling Accessories.
Advertising Brochure—Solinst Soil Core Sampler.
Advertising Brochure—Drill Systems CSR 1000AV.
Advertising Brochure—CME Drill Rigs/Well Exploration.
Advertising Brochure—Mobile Drill Model B-24 Surveyor.
Advertising Brochure—Canterra Equipment Bulldog.
Advertising Brochure—Halco Drill Tools.
Advertising B
Casey Michael B.
Einarson Murray D.
Kerins John C.
Miles & Stockbridge P.C.
Oen William
Precision Sampling Incorporated
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