USGS Patents the Multifunction Bedrock-Aquifer Transportable Testing Tool

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientist Dr. Allen M. Shapiro has designed, constructed, and patented (patent number 6,761,062) a Multifunction Bedrock-Aquifer Transportable Testing Tool (BAT³). BAT³ is designed to conduct tests that measure the permeability of fractures, and collect water samples for geochemical analyses from short intervals of boreholes in fractured-rock aquifers. The equipment was designed so that it is readily transportable from site to site, easily assembled, and can be adjusted to accommodate different borehole conditions, such as fracture density that may vary from one location to the next. The BAT³ is also designed with data-acquisition equipment that integrates with a laptop computer to store, display, and interpret hydraulic data as it is collected. The BAT³’s compact and portable design has enabled it to be shipped at reasonable cost to several sites throughout the eastern United States, including sites with contaminated ground water, in order to characterize these fractured rock aquifers. The BAT³ has a unique design when compared to conventional packer systems: it has the ability to conduct multiple types of hydraulic tests, geochemical sampling, and tracer tests; to monitor the operational integrity of tests; and to conduct real-time data analysis and visualization.

More Information on the BAT³

• Characterizing Ground-Water Chemistry and Hydraulic Properties of Fractured-Rock Aquifers Using the Multifunction Bedrock-Aquifer Transportable Testing Tool (BAT³): USGS Fact Sheet FS-075-01
• What Makes the Multifunction Bedrock-Aquifer Transportable Testing Tool (BAT³) Unique?
• Multifunction Bedrock-Aquifer Transportable Testing Tool (BAT³) Photo Gallery
• Examples of Where BAT³ Technology Has Been Applied

More Information on Fractured Rock Hydrology

• Fractured-Rock Aquifers--Understanding an Increasingly Important Source of Water: USGS Fact Sheet FS-112-02
• New Paradigm for Fractured Rock Cleanup
• What Controls the Migration of Chlorinated Solvents in Fractured Rock?
• Transport Phenomena in Fractured Rock Research
• Hydrology of Fractured Rocks Research
• Geochemical and Microbiological Processes that Affect Migration and Natural Attenuation of Chlorinated Solvents in Fractured Sedimentary Rock, Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) Research Site, West Trenton, NJ
• Multidisciplinary Characterization of Fluid Flow and Solute Transport in Fractured Rock, Mirror Lake , New Hampshire

Reference

• Shapiro, A.M., 2004, Borehole Testing System: Washington, D.C., U.S. Government Patent and Trademark Office, United States Patent 6,761,062.

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