In order to balance out fluctuations in the feed-in of renewable energies and to be able to fully utilize the potential of wind power and photovoltaics, the development of tailor-made local energy storage technologies for different temporal and spatial scales is necessary. In order to balance out seasonal fluctuations, the conversion of renewable electrical (surplus) energy into the material energy carriers hydrogen and/or methane with subsequent storage in geological units is particularly suitable.

For all laboratory investigations that analyze the flow through porous rocks or other materials, a cost-effective apparatus design is of interest. It was developed and successfully tested at the German Research Center for Geosciences for geothermal applications, but can also be used in the chemical or process engineering industry as soon as the flow of (aggressive) fluids through porous materials is important.

The holding mechanism is usable with sediment core devices using replaceable acrylic tubes, which do not have steel-tubed liner housings. The patented product and the respective process connect the pipe firmly and tightly to the holder. The proposed combination of holder and seal results in a simple handling and reduces the susceptibility to errors of sediment core devices.

The automated sampler enables autonomous, robust sampling. It can be used in the field for several years to obtain and store water samples for environmental analysis (including isotope analysis). Sample storage takes place without atmospheric exchange and enables the following analyses: environmental monitoring, water analysis, isotope analysis, tracer analysis.