Installation for taking fluid samples in a confined area

Installation for taking fluid samples in a confined area located below a protective slab, said installation comprising a sampling vessel located below the slab, at least one sampling needle traversing a bottom of the slab and remote handling means for transferring individually sampling pots into and out of the vessel through the slab and for engaging each pot individually on a said at least one sampling needle in order to perform a sampling operation, wherein said remote handling means comprise:

• a pot transfer duct, traversing a slab element, which is vertically mobile between an upper waiting position and a lower sampling position;
• a drum rotatably mounted beneath said slab element, about an axis displaced with respect to that of the duct, and having a pot reception nacelle which can be brought, by the rotation of the drum, into an angular pot reception and evacuation position, in which the nacelle is placed below the duct, and into at least one-angular sampling position, in which the nacelle can be brought above the said at least one sampling needle;
• and
• means for the pneumatic transfer of the pots upwards and downwards in said duct.