DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF MULTIPORT SOCK SAMPLERS FOR GROUNDWATER

A new concept of multiport sock samplers for open boreholes (uncased or screened) is developed and tested. The concept involves displacing the water column and sealing the borehole with a long, low-pressure packer, which can be of modular construction. Samples are brought to the surface by low-flow sampling pumps which can be located inside or outside the packer and are connected to individual ports situated at the borehole wall. Two different styles were designed, constructed and tested. The first was a partly disposable single packer system, the Multilevel Packer System (MLPS). The second, the Birmingham Modular Sampler (EMS) was designed to be reusable in alternative configurations. The two devices were developed through laboratory and field tests. A number of technical problems were experienced; these have led to revised designs, which are presented. The advantages and disadvantages of each system, and the concept of the multiport sock sampler are discussed.