Underwater vehicle and sensor

• US 9,404,906 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2014
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chevron USA Incorporated (Chevron Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Chevron USA Incorporated (Chevron Corp.)
• Inventors: Thomas, David Glynn, Kalli, Christopher John, Stine, Eric Randal
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen, Andre
• Application Number:
  US14/564,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20150177212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 2008/004 autonomously operating
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 2008/005 remotely controlled
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/001 Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations self-propelled or direction controlled diving chambers with mechanical link to a base B63C11/42
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/08 Propulsion schnorkels B63G8/36; nuclear propulsion B63H21/18; submerged exhausting apparatus F01N13/12
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/14 Control of attitude or depth of torpedoes F42B19/00
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 1/00 Investigation of foundation soil in situ investigation involving boring or specially adapted to earth drilling E21B25/00, E21B49/00; investigating or analysing materials by determining their chemical or physical properties, in general G01N, e.g. sampling G01N1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 13/00 Surveying specially adapted to open water, e.g. sea, lake, river or canal liquid level metering G01F
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/12 Dippers; Dredgers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/14 Suction devices, e.g. pumps; Ejector devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/16 with provision for intake at several levels G01N1/2035 G01N1/12, G01N1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/1826 organic contamination in water
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/1886 using probes, e.g. submersible probes, buoys
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/1893 using flow cells

Abstract

Described herein is an underwater vehicle having a vehicle body with a buoyancy controller adapted to vary the buoyancy of the vehicle in order to control motion of the vehicle through an underwater environment. The vehicle further includes a sampling system and a sensor arrangement. The sampling system is adapted to sequentially sample fluid from the underwater environment at specified sampling times resulting in a sample sequence, each sample associated with a sample time and a fluid flow rate. The sensor arrangement includes a plurality of molecule sensors adapted to sense organic molecules in each respective sample of the sample sequence.

Claims

1. A sensor comprising:

i) a sensing unit comprising;

a cartridge having a sequence of slots, and

a molecule sensor in each slot for sensing organic molecules; and

ii) a sampling system adapted to sequentially sample fluid from an underwater environment at specified sampling times, the sampling system comprising;

a fluid inlet on an upstream side of the sensing unit, and

a valve system adapted to open and close successive slots in the cartridge to provide fluid samples at the specified sampling times from the fluid inlet to respective slots of the sensing unit.

2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the molecule sensor comprises a sorbtive material adapted to retain the organic molecules.

3. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the valve system comprises a single valve positioned on the upstream side of the cartridge or a double valve positioned on a downstream and the upstream sides of the cartridge on either side of one of said slots.

4. The sensor of claim 1, further comprising a transport mechanism for moving the valve system relative to successive slots.

5. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism includes a threaded base.

6. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the valve system comprises one or more valve arrays.

7. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the organic molecules are hydrocarbon molecules.

8. The sensor of claim 1, wherein said molecule sensors are removable from the cartridge.

9. The sensor of claim 1, further comprising a controller and a memory in communication with the controller, wherein the controller controls a relative position of the sequence of slots with respect to the valve system, and controls operation of the valve system.

10. The sensor of claim 9, wherein the memory stores log data associated with respective slots of the sensing unit, the log data selected from the group consisting of:

a location at which the respective fluid sample was taken, the specified sampling times, durations of sampling, an inferred fluid flow rate, and a measured temperature.

11. The sensor of claim 10, further comprising one or more flow meters measuring flow rate of the fluid samples through respective slots, and wherein the memory further stores said measured flow rate.

12. The sensor of claim 11, wherein said flow rate of the fluid samples through respective slots consists of a passive flow rate resulting from movement of the organic-molecule sensor through the underwater environment and/or an active flow rate caused by operation of a flow controller.