Abstract: A sampling device for sealed positioning within the casing of a well contains a stripping chamber for stripping a ground water sample of its volatile compounds at or near the point of collection. In one embodiment, the stripping chamber includes a piston which is raised above the top surface of the sample to create a head space, and an injector for injecting inert gas into the sample, causing the volatile compounds to be released into the head space, whereupon they exit the chamber via a vapor outlet duct leading out of the well. In a second embodiment, the stripping chamber includes a tube having a sidewall formed of a semi-permeable membrane, and an injector which injects an inert gas into the bore of the tube. The device may also include a sensor mounted within the stripping chamber, and a valve for directing a calibration gas into the chamber.

Abstract: A vertical separator for separating crude oil into liquid and gas phases composed of an outer casing and two further sets of concentric tubing to enclose two annuli and a central passage, one annulus having an inlet to receive crude oil, the other annulus having an outlet for separated gas, each at the top of the separator. The central passage collects produced oil with a pump near its base and a pump drive pipe extending up it. The crude oil may flow down its annulus with a swirling motion which can be induced and assisted by a tangential inlet, and/or a cyclone at the top, and one or more helices in the annulus. The separator may be used for underwater wells and may extend partially or wholly into the sea bed with a protective cemented external casing around it.