Vertical section aircraft for deep sea layered filtering and sampling

Abstract

The invention discloses a vertical section aircraft for deep sea layered filtering and sampling. The vertical section aircraft comprises a dry cabin, a wet cabin and a buoyancy cabin which are arranged from bottom to top, the dry cabin comprises a sealing cavity with an outer joint at the top end and an electronic component arranged in the sealing cavity, and a load and a release mechanism for mounting or releasing the load are arranged at the outer bottom end of the sealing cavity; the wet cabin comprises a wet cabin barrel with an opening in one end and a sampling mechanism arranged in the wet cabin barrel, and the opening end of the wet cabin barrel is in sealing connection with the top end of the sealing cavity; the buoyancy cabin comprises a floating body material, a connecting plate arranged at the bottom end of the floating body material and used for being connected with the wet cabin barrel, and a propeller arranged at the top of the floating body material and used for driving the floating body material to dive. The device provided by the invention can realize a sampling detection task in the vertical direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention pertains to seabed sampling technology, and particularly relates to a vertical profiling vehicle for deep-sea stratified filtration sampling. Background Technology

[0002] Throughout the Earth's environment, the cycling and availability of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, and other essential nutrients and cofactors are strongly influenced by processes occurring at the watershed scale within the ocean. This process is driven by planktonic marine microbes, which constitute half the volume of primary producers on Earth. To decouple marine organisms, particularly marine plankton, from environmental chemistry, and to facilitate water column ocean mapping of microbial and biochemical data, it is necessary to extract microbial and mineral samples from specific depths in the ocean. Currently, this process primarily involves using Niskin samplers, which are deployed to specific depths to obtain seawater samples, which are then returned to the ship for filtration. This process is cumbersome, time-consuming, and labor-intensive.

[0003] The Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering has developed an In-Situ Microbial Filtration and Fixation Device (ISMIFF). ISMIFF is mounted on an ultra-deep-sea lander, enabling sampling during dives. It consists of four parts: a filtration chamber, a reagent container, a filtration pump, and an electronic valve. Upon reaching the target depth, it obtains samples by in-situ filtration of seawater, unlike the Niskin sampler which requires venturing up to the surface for filtration. ISMIFF can obtain well-filtered and preserved microorganisms in situ within a depth range of 5000 to 10,911 meters, and its sampling results are better than the Niskin sampler, which may be contaminated with upper-layer seawater.

[0004] Compared to the Niskin sampler, the ISMIFF device represents a significant improvement in sampling performance, but it still requires deployment on a lander, just like the Niskin sampler. However, mounting the sampler on the lander means it can only sample at the lander's landing depth, acquiring samples from only one depth per deployment. Since the sampler is fixed to the lander and does not move with the water mass, the samples it acquires cannot represent the entire water layer or the water mass itself.

[0005] Patent CN114540185A discloses a high-flux in-situ filtration device for marine microorganisms based on a multi-channel circulation distributor. This invention uses a gear pump to force seawater into the filter membrane frames for microbial enrichment filtration. It employs a multi-channel circulation distributor to achieve single-channel selection and closure of eight membrane frames, driven by a servo motor. A water meter camera and LED lights are used to measure the filtration volume. A key feature of this invention's multi-channel circulation distributor is that it has a single internal water passage; when the rotor rotates to the corresponding position, the pump connects to the corresponding filter membrane frame.

[0006] The main purpose of this patent is to achieve high-throughput in-situ filtration at a fixed location in the deep sea. It cannot perform in-situ filtration at multiple depths. Furthermore, the patent uses a pump-pressurized filtration method, which can contaminate the sampled material.

[0007] Patent CN114367144A discloses an in-situ multi-channel water enrichment filtration and fixation device. This device uses a peristaltic pump with multiple pump heads and a multi-channel rotating valve body to achieve high-throughput filtration of water and injection of various base solutions. The peristaltic pump has at least two channels, one for filtration and the others for connecting the fixative. The device is characterized by first injecting the fixative into a fixative storage container; after reaching a predetermined depth, enrichment filtration is performed before filling the buffer tank with fixative. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a vertical profiling vehicle for deep-sea stratified filtering and sampling, which can perform sampling and detection tasks in the vertical direction.

[0009] To achieve the purpose of this invention, the following technical solution is provided: a vertical profile vehicle for deep-sea stratified filtration sampling, comprising a dry compartment, a wet compartment, and a buoyancy compartment arranged from bottom to top; The dry chamber includes a sealed cavity with an external connector at the top, electronic components arranged inside the sealed cavity, and a load and a release mechanism for installing or releasing the load at the bottom of the sealed cavity. The wet chamber includes a wet chamber barrel with one open end and a sampling mechanism disposed inside the wet chamber barrel, wherein the open end of the wet chamber barrel is connected to the top of the sealed cavity. The buoyancy chamber includes a float material, a connecting plate disposed at the bottom of the float material for connecting to the wet tank, and a thruster disposed at the top of the float material for driving descent.

[0010] Specifically, the sampling mechanism includes a fixed frame in the wet chamber for dividing the upper chamber and the lower chamber. The upper chamber is provided with a multi-channel clamp valve and multiple Y-shaped tee pipes. Each Y-shaped tee pipe includes a first branch channel, a second branch channel and a main channel. The first branch channel is controlled by the multi-channel pinch valve and its end, which is away from the main channel, is led out of the wet tank to connect to seawater; The second branch channel has an RNAlater bag at the end furthest from the main channel and is controlled by a one-way valve; The main channel is used to connect to the corresponding filter disc; The lower chamber is equipped with a water pump and a flow meter.

[0011] Specifically, after entering the sampling mechanism, the seawater passes through a multi-channel clamp valve, a filter plate, and a water pump in sequence, and finally returns to the outside through a flow meter.

[0012] Specifically, the connecting plate and the wet tank are coupled using a mortise and tenon structure.

[0013] Specifically, the top of the floating material is provided with a conical lifting ring, which facilitates the transfer of the vehicle by a shore crane.

[0014] Specifically, the top of the floating material is equipped with a GPS beacon and an LED beacon for easy remote positioning and close-range retrieval.

[0015] Specifically, the wet chamber uses internal oil filling and external oil tanks for each component to ensure the sealing and waterproof function inside the chamber, while also addressing the impact of deep-sea high pressure on the components.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The single thruster is positioned at the top, the buoyancy material is placed at the bow of the vehicle, and the dry compartment and counterweight are fixed at the tail of the vehicle, thus achieving a slightly positive buoyancy state for the entire system after jettisoning. Simultaneously, a separate RANlater bag 42 is used to ensure that each filter disc can be immersed in RANlater; a pump-suction seawater filtration method is adopted, and a clamp valve is used to control the conduction of each channel to achieve a metal-free connection between the seawater inlet and the filter disc pipeline, ensuring the purity of the sample. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a vertical profile vehicle for deep-sea stratified filtration sampling provided in this embodiment; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the top of the buoyancy chamber provided in this embodiment; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the external shape of the buoyancy chamber provided in this embodiment; Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the buoyancy material provided in this embodiment; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom of the dry compartment provided in this embodiment; Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the external shape of the dry compartment provided in this embodiment; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the interior of the wet chamber provided in this embodiment; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the piping arrangement of the wet chamber provided in this embodiment; In the diagram, 1. Thruster; 2. GPS beacon; 3. LED beacon; 4. Top fairing; 5. Buoyancy chamber; 6. Wet chamber; 7. Dry chamber; 8. Bottom fairing; 9. Steel cable; 10. Weight; 11. First flange coupling; 12. Second flange coupling; 13. Third flange coupling; 14. Counterweight; 15. Release mechanism; 16. Conical lifting ring; 17. Top end cover of buoyancy chamber; 18. Buoyancy material; 19. Bottom end cover of buoyancy chamber; 20. Locking screw; 21. Lock 21. Tightening nut; 22. Dry compartment round end cap; 23. Sealing cavity; 24. Dry compartment bottom end cap; 25. Multi-channel clamp valve; 26. Filter disc fixing plate; 27. Filter disc; 28. Fixing bracket; 30. Pump fixing clamp; 31. Gear pump; 32. Wet compartment tank; 33. Hexagonal stud; 34. Hexagonal stud; 35. First branch channel; 36. Main channel; 37. Four-way connector; 38. Three-way connector; 39. Check valve; 40. RNAlater bag interface; 41. Second branch channel Detailed Implementation

[0018] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] like Figure 1 As shown, the vertical profile vehicle provided in this embodiment includes a dry compartment 7, a wet compartment 6, and a buoyancy compartment 5.

[0020] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the buoyancy chamber 5 consists of a conical lifting ring 16, a top end cap 17, a bottom end cap 19, buoyancy material 18, locking screws 20, and locking nuts 21. The conical lifting ring 16, the top end cap 17, the bottom end cap 19, and the buoyancy material 18 are fastened together using four locking screws 20 and eight locking nuts 21.

[0021] like Figure 4 As shown, the buoyancy material 18, the top end cap 17 of the buoyancy chamber, and the bottom end cap 19 of the buoyancy chamber are coupled using a tenon-and-mortise structure to achieve radial positioning. More specifically, the buoyancy material 18 is pressure-resistant and has a density less than water to provide buoyancy. The conical lifting ring 16 is used for the movement, deployment, and recovery of the vehicle. The GPS beacon 2, LED beacon 3, and thruster 1 are fixed on the top end cap 17 of the buoyancy chamber using a first flange coupling 11, a second flange coupling 12, and a third flange coupling 13.

[0022] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the dry compartment 7 consists of a dry compartment round end cap 22, a sealing cavity 23, a dry compartment bottom end cap 24, and a release mechanism 15 fixed on the dry compartment bottom end cap 24.

[0023] The dry compartment's round end cap 22 has a threaded fixing hole for a watertight cable connector, allowing the control and power lines of external electronic devices to be introduced into the dry compartment 7. The dry compartment 7 contains a battery, power conversion circuitry, and control circuitry. The motor and position sensor of the release mechanism 15 are also located inside the dry compartment. The dry compartment is a pressure-resistant chamber, using a sealing ring to isolate it from the internal and external environments.

[0024] The bottom end cover of the dry compartment is equipped with a counterweight 14, and the release mechanism 15 can be used to hang steel cable 9 and counterweight 10.

[0025] like Figure 7 As shown, the wet chamber 6 consists of a wet chamber tank 32, a multi-channel clamp valve 25, a filter disc 27, a flow meter 29, a gear pump 31, a spring check valve 39, an RNAlater bag, and fixing components (filter disc fixing plate 26, hexagonal studs 33 and 34, pump fixing clamps 30, and fixing brackets 28). The flow path is formed by a Y-shaped tee pipe connected by a first branch channel 35, a main channel 36, and a second branch channel 41. In this embodiment, the first branch channel 35 is made of silicone tubing, the main channel 36 is made of PU tubing, and the second branch channel 41 is made of Teflon tubing.

[0026] The filter disc 27 is fixed to the multi-channel clamp valve 25 by the filter disc fixing plate 26 and the hexagonal stud 33. The multi-channel clamp valve 25 is fixed to the bottom of the buoyancy chamber bottom end cover 19 of the buoyancy chamber 5 by the hexagonal stud 34. The gear pump 31 is fixed to the fixing frame 28 by the pump fixing clamp 30.

[0027] The flow meter 29 is fixed to the mounting bracket 28 via a threaded hole at its bottom. The mounting bracket 28 is threaded onto two wet tanks 32, which are cut open along a central axis. The RNAlater bag is secured to a hexagonal stud with cable ties. One end of the one-way valve 39 is connected to a branch line leading from the first branch channel 35 connecting the filter disc 27 and the multi-channel pinch valve 25, and the other end is connected to the RNAlater bag via the RNAlater bag interface 40 through a small-diameter second branch channel 41. The wet tank 32 is fixed to the bottom end cap 19 of the buoyancy chamber and the round end cap 22 of the dry tank.

[0028] More specifically, the maximum operating pressure of the aircraft is 40 MPa, and the maximum filtration volume is 270 L. The working process of the aircraft provided in this embodiment is as follows: A single dive can collect samples from up to six different water depths, and RNAlater can be used to preserve the samples. The propeller 1 mounted on top of the buoyancy chamber 5 is used for depth control, and there is a GPS beacon 2 and an LED beacon 3 on each side for locating markers after surfacing. A hole is left in the center of the bottom fairing 8 at the bottom of the dry chamber 7, through which a steel cable 9 passes, with a weight 10 fixed to the end of the cable 9. When carrying the weight 10 and the steel cable 9, the vehicle exhibits negative net buoyancy.

[0029] Relying on this negative buoyancy, the vehicle descends to the target maximum working depth. Upon reaching this depth, release mechanism 15 releases steel cable 9 and weight 10. At this point, the entire vehicle exhibits a weak positive net buoyancy, ensuring that it can still surface and be recovered in case of emergencies. This weak positive net buoyancy is maintained by counterweight 14 mounted on the bottom of the dry compartment. Simultaneously, the weights of the counterweights on both sides are adjusted to ensure that the vehicle's center of gravity, center of buoyancy, and the central axis of thruster 1 are collinear. The vehicle can be set to a maximum of six in-situ filtration depths. After releasing weight 10 and steel cable 9, the vehicle surfaces and reaches the nearest working depth (generally the target maximum working depth for this dive), then thruster 1 is activated. Thruster 1 provides a downward force to overcome the positive net buoyancy, maintaining the vehicle at a constant depth. At this time, the lateral movement of the vertical profile sampler is uncontrolled and moves with the current water mass. During this process, the multi-channel pinch valve 25 controls the opening of one of the flow paths. Under the action of the gear pump 31, seawater passes through the silicone hose of the multi-channel pinch valve 25 to one of the filter discs 27, then through the PU tube to the inlet of the gear pump 31, and then flows out from the outlet of the gear pump 31, flowing back to the ocean through the PU tube and the flow meter 29. During the vertical movement of the vehicle, all flow paths of the multi-channel pinch valve 25 are closed. According to the sampling sequence, after reaching the predetermined depth, the corresponding flow paths are opened sequentially using the multi-channel pinch valve 25, and the gear pump 31 is turned on for in-situ filtration sampling. The volume of filtered seawater is obtained through the flow meter 29. After filtration sampling at all depths is completed, all channels of the multi-channel pinch valve 25 are closed, the gear pump 31 is run, and the flow rate is detected using the flow meter 29. When the flow rate value no longer changes, the gear pump 31 is turned off, and the sample anti-corrosion treatment is completed.

[0030] Compared with existing technologies, the solution provided in this embodiment uses a segmented configuration of a dry compartment 7, a wet compartment 6, and a buoyancy compartment 5. The wet compartment 6 can be equipped with different sampling and detection devices for vertical sampling and detection tasks. After jettisoning, the entire system exhibits a state of weak positive buoyancy, reducing energy loss during depth determination. The three compartments are connected by the central wet compartment tank 32 and shear-resistant bolts, eliminating the need for a load-bearing truss structure and simplifying the layout.

[0031] The dry compartment 7 uses a structure with a ball-shaped end cap 22 at one end and a flat end cap 24 at the other, connected in the middle by a body tube 23. This arrangement allows equipment at the stern, such as the release mechanism 15, to be easily placed at the stern of the aircraft. The ball-shaped end cap 22 at the top allows the dry compartment 7 to have a larger internal space while using the same materials and weight, and the same pressure resistance, providing higher buoyancy and allowing more equipment to be packed inside the dry compartment.

[0032] like Figure 8As shown, a filtration system has been specially introduced in wet compartment 6. This filtration system consists of a multi-channel pinch valve 25, filter discs 7, a flow meter 29, and a gear pump 31. Six first branch channels 35 pass through the six channels of the multi-channel pinch valve 25 and connect to the six filter discs 27. The output end of the filter discs is connected to the main channel 36. Through two four-way connectors 37, each four-way connector 37 connects to three main channels 36. The remaining ends of each four-way connector 37 are connected together to a three-way connector 38. The remaining end of the three-way connector 38 is then connected to the input end of the gear pump 31. The output end of the gear pump 31 is connected to the input end of the flow meter 29. The output end of the flow meter 29 is connected to the seawater.

[0033] The design employs a single thruster 1, which has been elongated and fitted with a conical lifting ring 16 to minimize its impact. Furthermore, the thruster 1 is coplanar with the plane containing the GPS beacon 2, LED beacon 3, and the curved centerline of the conical lifting ring 16, facilitating the design and installation of the top fairing 4. This single-thruster construction ensures sufficient downward thrust while utilizing only one thruster, reducing costs.

[0034] The single thruster, positioned at the top, results in low stability due to the opposing forces of downward pressure and weak net buoyancy. A dry compartment (7), with counterweights (14) at the bottom and buoyancy material (18) at the top, lowers the center of gravity below the center of buoyancy. This creates opposing forces between gravity and buoyancy, improving stability. The overturning moment caused by the thruster's thrust and net buoyancy not being aligned can be offset by the restoring moment generated by gravity and buoyancy.

[0035] The filtration system inside the wet chamber 6 uses a pump suction method. Because the section from the multi-channel pinch valve 25 to the filter disc 27 uses silicone tubing, which cannot withstand internal pressure, as the filter paper inside the filter disc 27 accumulates more particles during filtration, the fluid resistance of the filter disc 27 increases, creating a pressure difference across the disc. If a pump suction method is used, the outlet of the filter disc 27 is at ambient pressure, while the inflow end, due to the pressure difference, exceeds the ambient pressure, causing internal pressure in the silicone tubing, potentially leading to leakage or even rupture. Using a pump suction method avoids this problem, making it safer.

[0036] The pressure differential provided by the one-way valve 39 and the small-diameter Teflon tubing 41 ensure that the RANlater solution in the RANlater bag 42 does not flow out when the pump 30 is drawing in, provided that one channel of the multi-channel pinch valve 26 is open. When all channels of the multi-channel pinch valve 26 are closed, the gear pump 31 draws in the RANlater solution, allowing it to flow into the filter disc 27 for corrosion protection. The use of a detachable RANlater bag ensures that each filter disc can be immersed in RANlater.

[0037] Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "front," and "rear" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative steps, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention.

[0038] Of course, the above description is only a specific embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. All equivalent changes or modifications made to the structure, features and principles described in the claims of the present invention should be included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

[0039] Finally, it should be noted that the above-described embodiments are merely specific implementations of the present invention, used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit it. The scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that any person skilled in the art can still modify or easily conceive of changes to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features; and these modifications, changes, or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and should all be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A vertical profiling vehicle for deep-sea stratified filtration sampling, characterized in that, It includes dry compartments, wet compartments, and buoyancy compartments arranged from bottom to top; The dry chamber includes a sealed cavity with an external connector at the top, electronic components arranged inside the sealed cavity, and a load and a release mechanism for installing or releasing the load at the bottom of the sealed cavity. The wet chamber includes a wet chamber barrel with one end open, and a sampling mechanism disposed inside the wet chamber barrel, wherein the open end of the wet chamber barrel is connected to the top of the sealed cavity. The buoyancy chamber includes a float material, a connecting plate disposed at the bottom of the float material for connecting to the wet tank, and a thruster disposed at the top of the float material for driving descent.

2. The vertical profiling vehicle for deep-sea stratified filtration sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sampling mechanism includes a fixed frame in the wet chamber for dividing the upper chamber and the lower chamber. The upper chamber is provided with a multi-channel clamp valve and multiple Y-shaped tee pipes. Each Y-shaped tee pipe includes a first branch channel, a second branch channel and a main channel. The first branch channel is controlled by the multi-channel pinch valve and its end, which is away from the main channel, is led out of the wet tank to connect to seawater; The second branch channel has an RNAlater bag at the end furthest from the main channel and is controlled by a one-way valve; The main channel is used to connect to the corresponding filter disc; The lower chamber is equipped with a water pump and a flow meter.

3. The vertical profiling vehicle for deep-sea stratified filtration sampling according to claim 2, characterized in that, After entering the sampling mechanism, the seawater passes through a multi-channel clamp valve, a filter plate, and a water pump in sequence, and finally returns to the outside through a flow meter.

4. The vertical profiling vehicle for deep-sea stratified filtration sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting plate and the wet tank are coupled using a mortise and tenon structure.

5. The vertical profiling vehicle for deep-sea stratified filtration sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the buoyant material is provided with a conical lifting ring.

6. The vertical profiling vehicle for deep-sea stratified filtration sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the buoy material is equipped with a GPS beacon and an LED beacon.

7. The vertical profiling vehicle for deep-sea stratified filtration sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the bottom of the dry compartment and the top of the buoyancy compartment are equipped with fairings.

8. The vertical profiling vehicle for deep-sea stratified filtration sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wet chamber uses internal oil filling and external oil container for each component.

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