Suspension sampling

Claim 1

A suspension sampling device for taking periodic and timed samples of a liquid slurry of abrasive material flowing through a pipe, comprising a sampling tube, means for mounting said sampling tube in the wall of the pipe to permit fluid tight movement of said tube transversely into and out of said pipe, a single mechanical means for periodically inserting said tube into said pipe at timed intervals and for withdrawing said tube therefrom, said sampling tube being provided with an axial passage from a point adjacent the inner end of said tube to a point adjacent the outer end of said tube and an inlet port at the inner end of said tube and an outlet port at the outer end thereof, both ports communicating with the axial passage, said inlet port extending transversely of the axial passage and facing toward the flow of slurry in the pipe, and cap means composed of a resilient, abrasion resistant material at the inner end of said tube for engaging said mounting means when said tube is in the withdrawn position, said cap means having an outer concave cylindrical surface to conform with the inner cylindrical surface of the pipe, said tube being mounted perpendicular to said pipeline at the point of sampling and so positioned as to permit discharge of a sample means of gravity flow of said liquid slurry from said sampling tube whereby uniform periodic, timed samples are obtained when said tube is inserted in the pipe and substantially uniform flow with in the pipe is obtained when said tube is withdrawn, said tube further comprising a duct extending parallel to the axial passage in said tube and opening into said passage at the inner end thereof and communicating at the outer end of said tube with a source of flushing liquid and means for controlling the flow of flushing liquid through said axial passage when said tube is withdrawn from the pipe so as to remove any portions of the sample of slurry which may remain in said axial passage after withdrawn of said tube from the pipe.