Seabed Suction Corer - US Patent 7,918,287
March 2011
Svitzers single stroke 10ft. self-extracting corer
This corer is a single-stroke
10ft. corer with a 4” sample diameter that:
a)
Sucks itself into the seabed with a suction
pump,
b)
Rejects itself from the seabed with
compressed gas and
c)
Floats to the surface for retrieval.
Svitzer's suction corer is simple to both
operate and handle, providing a means for retrieving large volumes of sediment
from the sea floor without requiring large winches or A-frames. Our target
market is nearshore seabed testing and inshore
pre-dredge work in 10 – 60 ft. waterdepths. The
Suction Corer maintains the mechanical competence of the core samples, in
contrast to a vibrating corer which destroys the sample continuity. This
Suction Corer can be operated from one of the small surface vessels, generally
18 – 30feet in length, that are used for piston
coring. An optional jetting system
provides a method to penetrate sand bodies.
Version 3 of the suction
corer, see picture below, is similar to a smaller survey AUV
(autonomous underwater vehicle)
generally about 0.5 meter in diameter and around 3 meters in length. The small
size and light weight allow the suction corer to be launched and operated from
an inshore support craft with little vessel modification.
Shear
seismic source: once
embedded the jetted corer can act as a vibratory S-wave seismic source, call
for applications
NB: The Suction Corer described herein is protected by US Patent and any duplication or copying of this system without express, written permission is prohibited.
This is version 1 of the prototype - will it float?
This is version 2 of the prototype - with modified pump, housing and core barrel
This is version 3 of the prototype - with an aluminum forerunner, 4" sample barrel and twin 6" suction tubes
We seek development
partners to improve field deployment and operation of the Suction Corer; we
offer a limited license for scientific, non-commercial use at no cost in
exchange for implementing the next version of the suction corer.
If you would like information
on seismic data, geohazard data and geotechnical
sampling contact us at (713) 526-6832 or contact Svitzer Surveys,
3311 Richmond Avenue, #227, Houston, TX 77098
This webpage
is authored by Steve Stephens, Houston, TX Feedback? WebMaster
Photographs on
this page are copyright Alan Foley, 2010, used with permission
Hits to Date: 