Oceanit Laboratories, Inc.

Dayananda Vithanage

Patrick K Sullivan

Robert E Bourke

Warren E Bucher

A lysimeter has an elongated, relatively narrow sample pipe with flanges at upper and lower ends. A lysimeter assembly is connected to the lower end of the sample pipe by connecting an upper end of a central tube in the assembly to a lower end of the sample pipe. A circular lysimeter pan extends around the central tube. Vertical slits in the central tube provide a screen to permit water flow into the central tube from the pan but to prevent granular materials from the filter pack. Vertical webs in the pan rigidify the pan, and radial supporting webs and a ring beneath the pan support the pan. A relatively large diameter collection chamber has a spheroidal lower end and an upper end which receives the ring for centering the lysimeter pan at the upper end of the collection chamber. An outward and upward sloping flange at an upper end of the collection chamber with an elastic seal supports the lower conical wall of the lysimeter pan. A wick in the pan extends through slits in the central tube to wick water from the pan into the central tube and to flow water down along the inner wall of the central tube. The bottom of the central tube is open and is sloped, and an upward opening inner groove is formed around the lower end of the central tube. A drain tube is connected to a lower portion of the groove. A sampler is raised and lowered and positioned by a rod or chain extending through the sample pipe and central tube, so that a funnel at the upper end of a flask is aligned with the drain tube. Drain openings are provided in the canister bottom.

Lysimeter for collecting chemical samples from the vadose zone

A flexible pipe diffuser receives dewatering discharge and maintains water quality standards at harbors, lakes and ponds. The diffuser is designed for long-term construction use. It is rugged enough to work under construction conditions but simple enough to be easily assembled and deployed. The flexible pipe diffuser is a fabric tube with minimum 10 feet diameter suspended vertically in the water from a floating platform. Turbid discharge enters the top of the tube and is conducted to the harbor bottom, where sediment is allowed to separate and settle. Floatable materials such as oil and grease separate from dewatering discharge and collect at water surface in the flexible pipe diffuser. The collected floatable materials are removed for disposal by skimmers. The flexible pipe diffuser tube is made of sailcloth and vinyl sewn together. The flexible pipe diffuser has a float platform to which the tube is attached. The float platform is attachable to a pier. The float platform has four polystyrene blocks in a timber frame. The flexible pipe diffuser is moored to the pier with a cable to restrict freedom of motion in the waves. The flotation platform and mooring system keep the diffuser in place beneath the dewatering discharge pipe. A 10 feet diameter diffuser tube handles flow rates up to 1700 gpm with no difficulties when operating at a 30 foot depth.

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Honolulu, HI, United States of America

Dayananda Vithanage