An innovative optical and chemical drill core scanner

Abstract. We describe a new innovative drill core scanner that semi-automatedly analyses drill cores directly in drill core trays with X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, without the need for much sample preparation or operator intervention. The instrument is fed with entire core trays, which are photographed at high resolution and scanned by a 3-D profiling laser. Algorithms recognise the geometry of the core tray, number of slots, location of the drill cores, calculate the optimal scanning path, and execute a continuous XRF analysis of 2 cm width along the core. The instrument is equipped with critical analytical components that allow an effective QA/QC routine to be implemented. It is a mobile instrument that can be manoeuvred by a single person with a manual pallet jack.

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Energy-Dispersive XRF Analysis of Intact Salt Drill Cores

Advances in X-ray Analysis ◽

10.1154/s0376030800013963 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 28 ◽

pp. 189-194

Author(s):

R. J. Arthur ◽

J. C. Laul ◽

N. Hubbard

Keyword(s):

Laboratory Analysis ◽

Energy Dispersive ◽

Drill Core ◽

Chemical Analyses ◽

Chemical Profile ◽

Xrf Analysis ◽

The Core ◽

Drill Cores

Several kilometers of drill core are sometimes obtained when the geology of a particular area is explored. The cores are visually inspected and a limited number of samples are taken for laboratory analysis. Accurate chemical analyses are usually performed on only a small number of core sections because of the expense involved. A chemical profile along the core may provide useful information not available by any other means. This information may be of primary value for geological investigations or it may provide an additional basis for selecting samples for detailed laboratory analyses.

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Accuracy improvement in XRF analysis for the quantification of elements ranging from tenths to thousands μg g−1 in human tissues using different matrix reference materials

Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry ◽

10.1039/d0ja00307g ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (12) ◽

pp. 2920-2927

Author(s):

Jorge Machado ◽

Patrícia Miguel Carvalho ◽

Ana Félix ◽

Delfin Doutel ◽

José Paulo Santos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Determination ◽

Reference Materials ◽

Fluorescence Spectrometry ◽

Human Tissues ◽

Accuracy Improvement ◽

External Calibration ◽

X Ray ◽

Xrf Analysis ◽

Calibration Approach

In this work, we aim at achieving the most accurate quantitative determination of elements in human tissues by means of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry using the external calibration approach.

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Three Dimensional X-Ray Computed Tomography in Materials Science

MRS Bulletin ◽

10.1557/s0883769400066525 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 13-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

J.H. Kinney ◽

Q.C. Johnson ◽

U. Bonse ◽

M.C. Nichols ◽

R.A. Saroyan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

High Resolution ◽

Sample Preparation ◽

Visible Light ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Materials Characterization ◽

Imaging Technology ◽

X Ray ◽

X Ray Imaging ◽

Visible Light Imaging

Imaging is the cornerstone of materials characterization. Until the middle of the present century, visible light imaging provided much of the information about materials. Though visible light imaging still plays an extremely important role in characterization, relatively low spatial resolution and lack of chemical sensitivity and specificity limit its usefulness.The discovery of x-rays and electrons led to a major advance in imaging technology. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy allowed us to characterize the atomic structure of materials. Many materials vital to our high technology economy and defense owe their existence to the understanding of materials structure brought about with these high-resolution methods.Electron microscopy is an essential tool for materials characterization. Unfortunately, electron imaging is always destructive due to the sample preparation that must be done prior to imaging. Furthermore, electron microscopy only provides information about the surface of a sample. Three dimensional information, of great interest in characterizing many new materials, can be obtained only by time consuming sectioning of an object.The development of intense synchrotron light sources in addition to the improvements in solid state imaging technology is revolutionizing materials characterization. High resolution x-ray imaging is a potentially valuable tool for materials characterization. The large depth of x-ray penetration, as well as the sensitivity of absorption crosssections to atomic chemistry, allows x-ray imaging to characterize the chemistry of internal structures in macroscopic objects with little sample preparation. X-ray imaging complements other imaging modalities, such as electron microscopy, in that it can be performed nondestructively on metals and insulators alike.

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Multi-element analysis of environmental samples by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry using a simple thin-layer sample preparation technique

The Analyst ◽

10.1039/a803706j ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 123 (9) ◽

pp. 1813-1816 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Tomohiro Kyotani

Keyword(s):

Sample Preparation ◽

Thin Layer ◽

Environmental Samples ◽

Fluorescence Spectrometry ◽

Preparation Technique ◽

Element Analysis ◽

X Ray ◽

Sample Preparation Technique ◽

Layer Sample ◽

Multi Element Analysis

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Application of Fusion sample preparation X Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry in the Identification of Solid Waste Characteristic of Imported Coated Fibre Cloth

IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science ◽

10.1088/1755-1315/508/1/012214 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 508 ◽

pp. 012214

Author(s):

Chuan Luo ◽

Qian Wang ◽

Zhihong Liu ◽

Hao Wang ◽

Tieshan Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sample Preparation ◽

Solid Waste ◽

Fluorescence Spectrometry ◽

X Ray

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Comparison of Two Sample Preparation Methods for X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry in the Determination of Ni and Cr

Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research ◽

10.1111/j.1751-908x.2010.00047.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. 183-192 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Surendra P. Verma ◽

Rosalinda González-Ramírez ◽

Rodolfo Rodríguez-Ríos

Keyword(s):

Sample Preparation ◽

Fluorescence Spectrometry ◽

Preparation Methods ◽

X Ray ◽

Sample Preparation Methods

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Hyperspectral drill-core imaging for ore characterization

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-8035 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Laura Tusa ◽

Mahdi Khodadadzadeh ◽

Margret Fuchs ◽

Richard Gloaguen ◽

Jens Gutzmer

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Remote Sensing ◽

High Resolution ◽

Hyperspectral Imaging ◽

Mineral Exploration ◽

Electromagnetic Spectrum ◽

Drill Core ◽

Ore Characterization ◽

Ore Types ◽

Drill Cores

Mineral exploration campaigns represent an essential step in the discovery and evaluation of ore deposits required to fulfil the global demand for raw materials. Thousands of meters of drill-cores are extracted in order to characterize a specific exploration target. Hyperspectral imaging is recently being explored in the mining industry as a tool to complement traditional logging techniques and to provide a rapid and non-invasive analytical method for mineralogical characterization. The method relies on the fact that minerals have different spectral responses in specific portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Sensors covering the visible to near-infrared (VNIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) are commonly used to identify and estimate the relative abundance of minerals such as phyllosilicates, amphiboles, carbonates, iron oxides and hydroxides as well as sulphates (Clark, 1999). The distribution of these mineral phases can frequently be used as a proxy for the distribution of ore minerals such as sulphides. Typical core imaging systems can acquire hyperspectral data from a whole drill-core tray in a matter of seconds. Available sensors record data in several hundreds of contiguous spectral bands at spatial resolutions around 1 mm/pixel.&#8203;&#8203;In this work, we apply a local high-resolution mineralogical analysis, such as SEM-MLA&#160;(Kern&#160;et al., 2018), for a precise and exhaustive mineral mapping of some selected small samples. We then upscale these mineralogical data acquired from thin sections to drill-core scale by integrating hyperspectral imaging and machine learning techniques. Our proposed method is composed of two main steps. In the first step, after initially co-registering the hyperspectral and high-resolution mineralogical data and making a training set, a machine learning model is trained. In the second step, we apply the learned model to obtain mineral abundance and association maps over entire drill-cores.&#8203;&#8203;The mapping is further used for the calculation of other mineralogical parameters essential to exploration and further mining stages such as modal mineralogy, mineral association, alteration indices, metal grade estimates and hardness. The proposed methodological framework is illustrated on samples collected from a porphyry type deposit, but the procedure is&#160;easily adaptable to other ore types. Therefore, this approach can be integrated in the standard core-logging routine, complementing the on-site geologists and can serve as background for the geometallurgical analysis of numerous ore types. &#160;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;&#8203;Clark, R. N., 1999,&#160;&#8220;Spectroscopy&#160;of rocks and minerals, and principles of spectroscopy,&#8221; in&#160;Remote sensing for the earth sciences: Manual of remote sensing, vol. 3, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, pp. 3&#8211;58.&#8203;&#8203;Gandhi, S. M. and Sarkar, B. C., 2016,&#160;&#8220;Drilling,&#8221;&#160;in&#160;Essentials of Mineral Exploration and Evaluation, pp. 199&#8211;234.&#8203;&#8203;Kern, M., Mo&#776;ckel, R., Krause, J., Teichmann, J., Gutzmer, J., 2018. Calculating the deportment of a fine-grained and compositionally complex Sn skarn with a modified approach for automated mineralogy. Miner. Eng. 116, 213&#8211;225.

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