SBIR Phase II: Development of a Cone Penetrometer Membrane Inlet

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*** 9629305 Schmidt This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will demonstrate the feasibility of two cone penetrometers chemical detection systems. These systems have the potential to reduce the cost of remediation site characterization, which is currently estimated at over $400 billion in the United States, by 25%. This cost savings will be achieved by using chemical sensor-equipped cone penetrometers in place of the expensive soil boring and well monitoring processes currently used to characterize remediation sites. The Phase I effort demonstrated the feasibility of a membrane inlet assembly for cone penetrometers. The Phase II effort will demonstrate the feasibility of combining the membrane inlet assembly with two types of chemical sensors capable of detecting volatile organic hydrocarbons (VOCs). Prototype detection systems will be fabricated, calibrated in the laboratory, and then tested using standard cone penetrometer rigs at actual contaminated sites. The performance of the cone penetrometer sensors will be correlated with the results of EPA-approved analytical techniques. Two products are expected to result from this research. The first is a system which can measure the concentration of both chlorinated and non-chlorinated hydrocarbons in soil in real time. The second is an adapter which permits one to mount a miniature gas chromatograph in a cone penetrometer. ***