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US 8,418,760 B2Granted
Sampling system and method
AssigneeBoard of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education, on behalf of the Desert Research Institute
InventorsDavid L. Decker, Brad F. Lyles, Richard G. Purcell, Ronald Lee Hershey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides an apparatus and method for coupling conduit segments together. A first pump obtains a sample and transmits it through a first conduit to a reservoir accessible by a second pump. The second pump further conducts the sample from the reservoir through a second conduit.
Claims17
A sampling method comprising, in a downhole environment:
- obtaining a fluid sample;
- pumping the fluid sample from a first positive displacement pump to a reservoir operatively coupled to a positive displacement staging pump, the reservoir being open to the atmosphere;
- pumping the fluid sample from the reservoir with the staging pump to a collection vessel;
- and
- controlling the flow rates of the first positive displacement pump and the positive displacement staging pump to avoid cavitation of the positive displacement staging pump.
2 more elements
A pump assembly comprising:
- a staging pump assembly comprising:
- a housing, the housing defining a reservoir open to the atmosphere;
- a first positive displacement pump having an air supply inlet, an exhaust air outlet, a sample inlet, and a sample outlet;
- an air supply manifold coupled to the air supply inlet of the first positive displacement pump;
- an exhaust air manifold coupled to the exhaust air outlet of the first positive displacement pump;
- an upstream pump assembly comprising a second positive displacement pump having a pump inlet and a pump outlet, the pump outlet coupled to the sample inlet of the first positive displacement pump;
- and
- a computing device coupled to the first positive displacement pump and the second positive displacement pump and programmed to synchronize the pump rates of the first displacement pump and the second displacement pump in order to avoid cavitation in the first displacement pump.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.