US 12,496,617 B2
X-ray separator for sorting metals from recycled material
Stefano Danesi, Montichiari (IT); Francesco Olian Fannio, Brescia (IT); and Gabriele Turini, Martignana di Po (IT)
Assigned to SGM MAGNETICS S.P.A., Manerbio (IT)
Appl. No. 18/846,015
Filed by SGM MAGNETICS S.P.A., Manerbio (IT)
PCT Filed Mar. 10, 2023, PCT No. PCT/IB2023/052302
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 11, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/175459, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 21, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 102022000005012 (IT), filed on Mar. 15, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2025/0196191 A1, Jun. 19, 2025
Int. Cl. B07C 5/34 (2006.01); G01N 23/083 (2018.01); G01N 23/223 (2006.01)
CPC B07C 5/3416 (2013.01) [G01N 23/083 (2013.01); G01N 23/223 (2013.01); B07C 2501/0054 (2013.01); G01N 2223/643 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A metal separator comprising:
an X-ray source configured to produce a radiation beam capable of passing through a ground material containing scrap metal;
first array of transmission sensors arranged transverse to the feed direction of said ground material and aligned with said radiation beam, said array being positioned on the side of the stream of ground material opposite with respect to said X-ray source; and
a control unit configured to receive reading data from said array of transmission sensors and to control a valve for emitting an air jet;
an array of fluorescence sensors positioned adjacent to the radiation beam and arranged transverse to said feed direction, said array being positioned on the same side of the stream of ground material as the X-ray source and being operatively connected to said control unit for transmitting the reading data of the array of fluorescence sensors to the control unit;
and the control unit is configured to analyze- and compare the reading data from both the transmission sensors and the fluorescence sensors relating to the same piece of ground material;
and the X-ray source has the following characteristics
the anode-cathode voltage is between 100 kV and 130 kV;
the current intensity is at least 20 mA;
its distance from the array of transmission sensors is between 300 mm and 700 mm;
further comprising a second array of transmission sensors identical in size and pitch to the first array of transmission sensors but having different energy sensitivity, said two arrays being overlapped so that the upstream array, with respect to the direction of origin of the radiation beam, generates a signal integrating absorption at low energies emitted by the X-ray source, while the downstream array integrates absorption at high energies.