Fluid sampler and method

Sampling apparatus for obtaining discrete samples of fluid product from a flow stream of product flowing through a process line, wherein the product is of a type that forms a dead layer of product on inner walls of the process line, comprising:

• a sampler body having a bore and a forward opening from said bore at a forward end of said sampler body;
• means for coupling said sampler body to the process line at an opening to the process line for reciprocation of said sampler body forward end within the process line;
• a sampler plunger received in said sampler body bore, said plunger having a fluid sample receiver intermediate forward and rearward ends thereof, and
• motor means for reciprocating said sampler body forward end forward from a first position that is to the exterior of the flow stream to a second position in the interior of the flow stream and then rearward from said second position to said first position, said motor means, when said sampler body forward end is in said second position, being operable to reciprocate said plunger in said bore forward, from a sample delivering position, to extend said plunger and said sample receiver from said forward bore opening and into the interior of the fluid stream to a sample obtaining position to obtain a sample of product in said sample receiver and then in a rearward direction from said sample obtaining position to said sample delivering position.

A method of sampling a fluid product in a flow stream in a process line, comprising the steps of:

• providing a sampler body having a longitudinal bore and a forward opening from the bore at a forward end of the sampler body;
• positioning a plunger, having a sample obtaining recess intermediate forward and rearward ends thereof, in the bore;
• extending the forward end of the sampler body from a first position to the exterior of the flow stream through an opening in the process line to a second position in the interior of the flow stream;
• while the sampler body forward end is at the second position, reciprocating the plunger to extend the plunger forward through the sampler body bore from a sample delivering position to a sample obtaining position where the plunger recess is projected out of the forward opening from the sampler body bore and into the flow stream to obtain in the recess a sample of the product, and to then retract the plunger rearward through the sampler body bore from the sample obtaining position to the sample delivering position in the bore;
• collecting the sample from the recess at the sample delivering position;
• sequentially repeating said plunger reciprocating step, and
• periodically retracting the sampler body forward end from the second position to the first position.