Sea floor sampling device and method

• US 8,994,527 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2010
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Galen G. Verhulst
• Original Assignee: Galen G. Verhulst
• Inventors: Verhulst, Galen G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, QUANG
• Application Number:
  US12/661,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20100238025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,841 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.22, 738/646.3, 116/264, 324/334, 367/16, 367/19, 367/24
• US Class Current: 340/539.22
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/025 of underwater soil, e.g. with grab devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/08 involving an extracting tool, e.g. core bit
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/241 for hydrocarbon content

Abstract

A device for collecting samples of the sea floor, including a collection apparatus, a diving apparatus and a control apparatus.

Claims

1. A deep sea floor sampling device for collecting containments when the device sinks to a deep sea floor comprising:

a) a sampling apparatus having a sample ampule with first and second ends and an ampule chamber for receiving the containments from the deep sea floor, a sampling spike with a tip having a barrel opening with an interior surface and connected to the first end of the sample ampule through an actuation valve located between the sampling spike and the sample ampule, the actuation valve having an open position wherein the ampule chamber of the sample ampule is in fluid flow communication with the barrel of the sampling spike and a closed position wherein the fluid flow is blocked between the barrel and the ampule chamber so that the containments of the ampule chamber are sealed in the ampule chamber and not released to and exterior of the ampule chamber when the device rises from the deep sea floor to the top surface of the fluid;

b) a diving apparatus comprising a balance weight operably joined to the sampling apparatus by a selectively activatable release and a float, wherein the balance weight is releasably attached to the sampling apparatus in a manner that the sampling spike extends downwardly a predetermined distance from the bottom surface of the balance weight for penetrating the sampling spike into the deep sea floor to receive the containments including a core sample and a fluid sample from the deep sea floor though the barrel opening of the sampling spike, and wherein the float is attached to the second end of the sample ampule, whereby the device is maintained in a substantially vertical orientation;

the balance weight being relative to the sampling apparatus such that an overall density of the device is greater than a fluid the device is to be submerged in when the weight is attached, so that the device sinks and the float being sized relative to the sampling apparatus such that, when the balance weight is released from the diving apparatus after the containments are inserted into the ampule chamber, the density of the device is less than the fluid which the device is submerged in and the float being attached to the sampling apparatus rises to a top surface of the fluid; and

wherein the balance weight comprises a metal sinker configured and arranged to sink the device to a depth of at least 5000 feet;

c) a sensor system comprising a sensor for sensing when the device on the sea floor and a drift information sensor for collecting drift information of the device as the device sinks to the deep sea floor and rises to the top surface of the fluid, whereby the position of the sampling device relative to the ambient environment thereof both during descent and ascent between the top surface of the fluid and the deep sea floor is calculable so as to provide a specific location of the sampling device relative to the floor surface when the containments are collected;

d) a control apparatus located within a control housing of the diving apparatus comprising the sensor system and configured to activate the activation valve from the closed position to the open position when the device is on the deep sea floor, to activate the activation valve from the opened position to the closed position after the containments enter the ampule chamber, and to release the balance weight after the valve is in the closed position; and

e) a communication subassembly, in communication with the control apparatus and located on top of the float of the diving apparatus, having an antenna for transmitting location information of the device to a remote location when the device is on the top surface of the fluid.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the float comprises an amount of air sufficient to raise the device from the deep sea floor to the top surface of the fluid.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the sample ampule is pressurized.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the communication subassembly comprises one of:

an RF antenna, a G.P.S. antenna, and a light.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the communications assembly comprises a radar reflector.

6. The device of claim 1, the sensor system further comprising a sensor selected from a group consisting of a depth sensor, a pressure sensor, and a temperature sensor.

7. A method of collecting containments of a deep sea floor using a deep sea floor sampling device, comprising:

a) sinking the deep sea floor sampling device from a surface of a fluid to the deep sea floor;

wherein the device comprising a sampling apparatus, a diving apparatus, a sensor system, a control apparatus, and a communication subassembly;

b) detecting the device being on the deep sea floor by the sensor system of the device;

wherein the sensor system comprising a sensor for sensing when the device is on the sea floor and a drift information sensor for collecting drift information of the device as the device sinks to the deep sea floor and rises to the top surface of the fluid, whereby the position of the sampling device relative to the ambient environment thereof both during descent and ascent between the top surface of the fluid and the deep sea floor is calculable so as to provide a specific location of the sampling device relative to the floor surface when the containments are collected

c) activating an actuation valve which opens a passageway from a sampling spike of the sampling apparatus to a sample ampule by the control apparatus, thereby transferring the containments including a core sample and a fluid sample from a barrel of the sampling spike into the sample ampule of the sampling apparatus;

d) collecting the containments of the deep sea floor in the barrel of the sampling spike to the sample ampule, having first and second ends and an ampule chamber;

wherein the sampling spike with a tip having the barrel opening with an interior surface and connected to the first end of the sample ampule through the actuation valve located between the sampling spike and the sample ampule, the actuation valve having an open position wherein the ampule chamber of the sample ampule is in fluid flow communication with the barrel and a closed position wherein fluid flow is blocked between the barrel and the ampule chamber;

e) deactivating the actuation valve by the control apparatus after the containments are inserted in the ampule chamber by closing the actuation valve to seal the containments in the sample ampule so as to prevent leakage of the containments from the ampule chamber as the device rises from the deep sea floor to the top surface of the fluid;

f) returning the device to the fluid top surface by releasing a balance weight of the diving apparatus under a control of the control apparatus after the actuation valve is in the closed position, wherein the diving apparatus comprising the balance weight operably joined to the sampling apparatus by a selectively activatable release and a float, wherein the balance weight is releasably attached to the sampling apparatus and wherein the float is attached to the second end of the sample ampule, whereby the device is maintained in a substantially vertical orientation;

the weight being relative to the sampling apparatus such that an overall density of the device is greater than a fluid which the device is to be submerged in when the weight is attached, so that the device sinks to the soil surface and the float being sized relative to the sampling apparatus such that, when the weight is released from the diving apparatus after the containments are inserted into the ampule chamber, the density of the device is less than the fluid which the device is submerged in and the float being attached to the sampling apparatus rises the device to the fluid top surface, wherein the weight is attached to the sampling apparatus in a manner that the sampling spike extends downwardly a predetermined distance from a bottom surface of the weight for penetrating the sampling spike into the sea floor to receive the containments;

wherein the balance weight comprises a metal sinker configured and arranged to sink the device to a depth of at least 5000 feet; and

g) emitting a signal to provide location information of the device when the device is on the fluid top surface using the communication subassembly, in communication with the control apparatus and located on the top of the float of the diving apparatus, having an antenna for transmitting location information of the device to a remote location.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein step of the apparatus returning the sample ampule to the fluid top surface further includes the steps of adjusting the density of the apparatus at the fluid top surface to be greater than that of the fluid and after collecting the sample modifying the density of the apparatus to be less than the density of the fluid.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of continuously collecting information by the sensor system selected from a group consisting of depth information, temperature information, and pressure information.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein step of the apparatus emitting a signal further comprises the signal being emitted selected from a group consisting of an RF signal, a G.P.S. signal, and light.