Mobile sampler for use in acquiring samples of terrestial atmospheric gases

A mobile air sampler for use in acquiring tracer samples from a free body of atmospheric gasses, comprising:

• a cylindrical body having an axial opening disposed at each of its opposite ends and a linear flow path for gasses extended therebetween,
• a pair of pivotal, spring-biased sealing caps, each being mounted adjacent one of said openings and continuously urged into an hermetic sealing relationship therewith, each of said caps being spring-biased by a torsion spring connected thereto for urging the cap in pivotal displacement, and each of said caps including a base member having a tapered plug affixed to one face thereof adapted to seat within one of said openings,
• restraint means for securing said caps away from said openings against said spring-urged pivotal displacement including a separable, tensioned line interconnecting said caps, said restraint means including an arm projected normally with respect to said base member to which one end of said line is attached when said caps are secured against pivotal displacement, whereby said line is tensioned, and operable release means for initiating a separation of said line for thereby releasing said caps for simultaneous spring-urged pivotal displacement, said release means comprising a remotely controlled, electrically energizable hot wire cutter disposed adjacent to the midportion of said line and adapted to cut said line upon being heated.

A mobile sampler for use in acquiring samples of terrestial atmospheric gasses comprising:

• A. a plurality of tubular bodies adapted to be mounted in side-by-side relation on a motorized highway vehicle in mutual parallelism with the axis of a path of travel for said vehicle, each body of said plurality of bodies being formed from a length of cylindrical tubing and having,
• i. a first opening and a second opening, said openings being defined at the opposite ends of said body,
• ii. a first and a second sealing cap, each cap being pivotally mounted on the body, said first cap being characterized by a first pivotal plate mounted adjacent said first opening having an arm angularly projected therefrom, and a first plug releasably mounted on one face of the first plate tapered to be received in hermetically sealed relation within said first opening and sized to pass axially through the body while maintaining a sealed engagement with the internal surface of the body, said second cap being characterized by a second pivotal plate having an arm projected therefrom, and a second plug affixed to one face of said second plate and tapered to be received in hermetically sealed relation with said second opening,
• iii. a mandrel affixed to the first plug and projected through the first plate, and a nipple affixed to the second plug and extended through said second plate adapted to receive a gas-extraction tube in communicating relation with the interior of said body,
• iv. a pair of torsion springs, each being connected to one of said caps, independently of the other, for urging said caps in pivotal displacement toward adjacent openings defined in the ends of said body,
• v. releasable restraint means for securing said caps against pivotal displacement including a tensioned line having its opposite ends connected to the arms projected from the first and second plates,
• vi. release means including a remotely controlled, electrically energizable hot wire cutter mounted adjacent the mid-portion of said line for severing the line, and
• vii. a push-rod adapted to be connected to said mandrel in axial alignment therewith for accommodating application of an axial force to said first plug for causing said first plug to separate from said plate and axially pass through said body for discharging entrapped quantities of gas through said nipple.

Apparatus for capturing a tracer sample of atmospheric gasses comprising:

• a container having an opening at each of its opposite ends:
• a push rod and a tubular conduit;
• a pair of pivotal, spring-biased plates, each plate supporting a sealing plug, one plug having affixed thereto means for attaching said tubular conduit in communicating relation with the interior of said container, and the other plug having affixed thereto means for attaching said push rod to the plug through its supporting plate,
• releasable restraint means for holding each of said plates away from openings at both ends of said cylindrical container against the spring bias thereof;
• means for establishing a stream of atmospheric gasses through said container while open at both ends;
• and
• means for releasing said restraint means to allow said plates to simultaneously close the opening at each end of said container with said plugs;
• whereby, upon releasing said restraint means, a sample of terrestial atmospheric gasses is trapped in said container, and by pushing said rod the sample may be extracted from said container.