A new automated sealed sampler for use in hydrograph analysis

A new type of water sampler was developed. The sampler was designed to be robust and use minimal power, for use in remote locations where solar panels are used to recharge portable batteries, and to operate unattended for long periods of time. The capacity of the sampler is limited only by the size of the hopper from which the sample bottles are fed continuously. Electronically controlled stepper motors allow the sample vials to be positioned precisely; the sample is then automatically injected through a septum. The initial models were designed to inject water samples into vials which could be placed directly in the carousel of an auto-injector attached to a VG AQUA-SIRA mass spectrometer, but minor modifications allow other bottle sizes to also be used. 2 refs, 1 fig