Device for electrically discharging samples of an electrically nonconductive liquid

A device for electrically discharging samples of an electrically non-conductive liquid comprising:

• an outer member having upper and lower apertures, said outer member being manufactured from an electrically resistive material;
• an inner member disposed within said outer member, said inner member being manufactured from an electrically resistive material, said electrically resistive inner and outer members being fabricated from materials having resistivity parameters ranging between 10E5 and 10E12 ohms per inch;
• means for allowing an electrically non-conductive liquid to enter said electrically resistive outer member when said device is disposed in the non-conductive liquid;
• means for electrically discharging the non-conductive liquid entering said outer resistive member;
• means for maintaining a selected volume of the non-conductive liquid in said outer resistive member after said device is removed from the non-conductive liquid, said maintaining means includes a manually positioned biasing means, said biasing means ultimately engaging said inner member, thereby promoting the electrical discharge of the non-conductive liquid while preventing the liquid from escaping said outer member irrespective of the orientation of said outer member;
• and
• means for electrically grounding said electrically resistive inner and outer members, whereby a spark is not generated when the device engages the non-conductive liquid or when the device is removed from the non-conductive liquid with the sample therein.

A system for electrically discharging non-conductive liquid samples such that a spark is not generated when removing the liquid sample from a vessel comprising:

• means for receiving a predetermined quantity of non-conductive liquid, said receiving means having electrically resistive parameters;
• means for electrically discharging the non-conductive liquid as the non-conductive liquid enters and fills said receiving means, said electrical discharging means comprising:
• an electrically resistive inner member that engages the non-conductive liquid entering said receiving means, said inner member being fabricated from materials having resistivity parameters ranging between 10E5 and 10E12 ohms per inch;
• and
• means for grounding said inner member, said grounding means being detachably secured to said electrically resistive inner member and an electrically grounded structure;
• means for manually sealing a predetermined quantity of the non-conductive liquid in said receiving means;
• and
• means for manually releasing the non-conductive liquid from said receiving means, thereby providing a sample of the non-conductive liquid for evaluation.