US 11,680,913 B2
X-ray fluorescence analyzer system and a method for performing X-ray fluorescence analysis of an element of interest in slurry
Heikki Sipilä, Espoo (FI); Antti Pelli, Espoo (FI); and Tommi Koskinen, Espoo (FI)
Assigned to Outotec (Finland) Oy, Espoo (FI)
Appl. No. 17/49,261
Filed by Outotec (Finland) Oy, Espoo (FI)
PCT Filed Feb. 18, 2019, PCT No. PCT/FI2019/050126
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 20, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/202201, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 24, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. PCT/FI2018/050281 (WO), filed on Apr. 20, 2018; application No. PCT/FI2018/050282 (WO), filed on Apr. 20, 2018; and application No. PCT/FI2018/050283 (WO), filed on Apr. 20, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0325321 A1, Oct. 21, 2021
Int. Cl. G01N 23/223 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 23/223 (2013.01) [G01N 2223/616 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An X-ray fluorescence analyzer system, comprising:
an X-ray tube for emitting incident X-rays in the direction of a first optical axis,
a slurry handling unit configured to maintain a constant distance between a sample of slurry and said X-ray tube,
a first crystal diffractor located in a first direction from said slurry handling unit, said first crystal diffractor being configured to separate a predefined first wavelength range from fluorescent X-rays that said incident X-rays generate in said sample of slurry and that propagate into said first direction, and configured to direct the fluorescent X-rays in the separated predefined first wavelength range to a first radiation detector,
a processing part configured to receive and process output signals produced by said first radiation detector, wherein said processing part is configured to estimate a proportion of background radiation using at least a first proportion of said output signals indicative of detected X-rays that are within said first wavelength range but apart from the wavelength of said characteristic fluorescent radiation of said element of interest wherein:
the first crystal diffractor comprises a pyrolytic graphite crystal,
said predefined first wavelength range comprises characteristic fluorescent radiation of a predefined element of interest with its atomic number Z between 41 and 60 the ends included,
an energy resolution of said first radiation detector is better than 600 eV at the energy of said characteristic fluorescent radiation, and
said processing part is configured to calculate a detected amount of said characteristic fluorescent radiation of said element of interest by subtracting from output signals at wavelengths of said characteristic fluorescent radiation said estimated proportion of background radiation.