Ernesto R. Cespedes
Engineering at Hwy 61 Byp, Vicksburg, MS

5757484, May 26, 1998

Mar 9, 1995

8/401601

Brian Herndon Miles - Tucson AZ
Stafford S. Cooper - Vicksburg MS
Ernesto R. Cespedes - Vicksburg MS
Greg A. Theriault - Encinitas CA

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army - Washington DC

G01N 2163

356318

The present invention describes a subsurface soil contaminant identificat system method using a cone penetrometer unit for in-situ elemental composition identification in the form of solids, liquids or gasses. Elemental identification is achieved by using atomic spectral analysis of the contaminants that are stimulated by a laser induced breakdown of the soil contaminants to be determined. The system includes a high resolution spectrometer with array detector, a controller for control/data acquisition, a penetrometer push operation controller and data gathering equipment, an optical fiber link to a cone penetrometer with improved optical focusing components. The improved method of using the system entails: i) soil characterization during an initial penetrometer push, then ii) contaminant identification during the penetrometer retrieval phase from a soil bore hole formed during the initial push. The LIBS based system and method is applicable to elemental atomic detection, identification and concentration quantification of soil contaminants. The method can simultaneously detect several metals during a one data sampling.

5902939, May 11, 1999

Jun 4, 1996

8/660321

John H. Ballard - Clinton MS
Ernesto R. Cespedes - Vicksburg MS
Dan Y. Eng - Vicksburg MS

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as represented by the Secretary of the Army - Washington DC

E21B49/08

7386312

The present invention pertains to a direct push small diameter fluorescence ased penetrometer system for performing in situ spectral analysis on subsurface liquid or gaseous samples. The invention is configured to collect liquid or gaseous analyte samples within the penetrometer's sample chamber through a port that is juxtaposed to a heating element that accelerates the separation of volatile chemical materials from the soil matrix. Fiber optic cables are linked to surface mounted real-time data acquisition/processing equipment from the sample chamber. The penetrometer sampling device is also equipped with a standard penetrometer electric cone sensor module containing cone and sleeve strain sensors that are used to calculate soil classification/layering in real-time during penetration. The invention integrates soil classification/layering data with spectral signature data of suspect subsurface liquid or gaseous fluids for assessing whether the subsurface soil and ground water regions are contaminated without the requirement of transporting the sample and/or analyte to the surface for analysis. Moreover, the system integrates a means for grouting the bore hole upon retrieval of the penetrometer.