Mechanical plug device
OwnerWilliam F. Watts, IIIinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mechanical plug device for an environmental monitoring well is disclosed for sealing the exposed top end of a well casing in order to prevent pollutants from entering the monitoring well. The plug is lockable to prevent unauthorized access to the monitoring well. A valve assembly is attached to the plug so as to allow a user to selectively fluidly communicate with a sampling port and the interior of the monitoring well, thereby permitting fluid samples to be extracted through the plug without removing the plug from the well and without exposing the well interior to the outside atmosphere.
Claims16
A monitoring plug device adapted to be sealingly connected to the top end of a well casing, the plug device comprising:
- a first plate having a first aperture defined therein and a flange adapted to fit over the top end of the well casing;
- a second plate adapted to fit into the well casing, said second plate having a second aperture defined in;
- an annular expandable sealing member sandwiched between said first and second plates so that when said first and second plates are forced toward one another, the sealing member expands into sealing contact with the interior of the well casing;
- an elongated member having an axially extending sampling aperture defined therethrough, said elongated member adapted to be positioned within said first and second apertures so that said sampling aperture is in fluid communication with the interior of the well casing;
- and
- a valve connected to a top end of said elongated member, said valve for selectively permitting fluid samples to be taken from the interior of the well casing by way of said sampling aperture without having to remove the plug device from the top end of the well casing thereby permitting sampling without exposing the well interior to the outside atmosphere.
A sampling plug for permitting fluid samples to be taken from the interior of a well casing without having to remove the plug, the sampling plug comprising:
- a sealing cap adapted to be sealingly affixed to an end of the well casing so as to prevent fluid from entering or leaving the interior of the well casing, said cap including opposing plates with an expandable sealing member disposed therebetween, wherein said sealing cap has an aperture defined therein for allowing an elongated rigid sampling member to be disposed within said cap;
- and
- wherein said elongated sampling member has an axially extending sampling aperture defined throughout its length for permitting fluid samples to be taken from the interior of the casing without removing said cap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.