Portable XRF for Mining and Exploration

Call us at 800.281.0650 for 24/7 XRF Positive Materials Identification Applications Assistance or email us now.

Mining Applications

Chemical assay data is used to guide mining operations at every step of the mining process. Obtaining accurate geochemical data quickly in order to guide operations is one of the biggest obstacles to high-productivity operations. Maintaining permanent on-site labs or dispatching samples to off-site laboratories can be expensive, untimely, and impractical.

Handheld Thermo Scientific Niton XRF analyzers for positive materials identifications is the state-of-the-art in elemental analysis for geochemical applications, providing rapid, on-the-spot qualitative screening directly in-situ, or lab-quality quantitative analysis on prepared samples, all with the simple pull of a trigger. Niton® 500 Series mining analyzers provide real-time data for:  

• Exploration
• Mine Mapping
• Grade Control
• Process Monitoring (Heads, Concentrates and Tailings)
• Environmental Compliance

Exploration – Thermo Scientific Niton 500 Series analyzers provide geochemical data within seconds, allowing for immediate ore flagging, avoidance of lab turnaround delays, and rapid delineation of ore boundaries.

These high-performance analyzers provide users with real-time elemental analysis from a variety of sample forms:

• Directly on the mine face
• Bagged samples from survey or drilling operations
• Drill cores and cuttings
• Prepared samples

Simply superior, Niton® analyzers can identify elements ranging from Mg (12) to U (92) including:

Mine Mapping – Correlating in-situ analysis data with exact location during exploration is an important component of predicting ore deposits to drive mining operation. During excavation, this same type of correlation can be used to further refine the drive path. Thermo Scientific Niton 500 Series analyzers greatly simplify the task of mine mapping. They can easily be paired with a Bluetooth™ equipped GPS receiver, and configured to automatically store latitude, longitude, and altitude coordinates along with the analysis data for each reading.

Coordinates and readings can then be downloaded to a PC and imported into a mapping program for immediate map representation of ore boundaries.

• Fast, simple GPS integration
• Automatic storage of location coordinates with assay data
• Quick and easy download and import into external mapping software

Grade Control – Ore-grade assessment helps manage blasting, excavation, and hauling activities, optimizing the site blend provided to the concentrator, while preventing grade dilution or the erroneous transport of ore to the waste dump.

Effective grade control requires accurate elemental composition data in large numbers of samples. Handheld Thermo Scientific Niton XRF analyzers provide several distinct benefits to geochemists and mine program managers:

• Perform trend analysis by averaging readings in real-time on the instrument or quickly download readings to a PC for advanced data analysis
• Convert the instrument into a bench top analyzer by simply placing the analyzer into the included test stand and operate via wireless connection to a PC or PDA
• Realize high speed and sample throughput to ensure that the samples sent to a laboratory are representative of the local geochemical values.

Process Monitoring – Heads, Concentrates, and Tailings

Thermo Scientific Niton XRF analyzers are valuable assets in mills and refineries, providing fast, accurate analysis of feed stocks (heads), concentrates, and tailings to quickly and easily gauge the efficiency of extraction and enrichment processes.

The real-time assay data provided by a Niton® analyzer allows you to make process adjustments in a timely manner – improving productivity and reducing the need for reprocessing.

• Fast, nondestructive at-line lab-quality assay
• Real-time information for process adjustment decisions
• Ability to store multiple calibration parameters
• Easy to switch parameters between heads, concentrates and tails

Environmental Compliance – Mining processes produce large volumes of waste, some of it highly toxic. This waste can result in acid mine drainage and groundwater contamination, and needs close monitoring to ensure that it has been neutralized before being returned to the earth.

Thermo Scientific Niton analyzers effectively perform "double-duty” when used to monitor elemental contaminants at mine sites and in waste streams, in addition to being used for exploration and mining applications. Niton® analyzers quantify a wide range of elements – including sulfur, lead, and arsenic – the elevated presence of which is an indicator of hazardous waste material.

• Quantify RCRA and EPA priority pollutants in waste streams
• Secure legally defensible data to prove financial, environmental, and social responsibility

Contact us at 800.281.0650 or email us for more information on XRF PMI screening procedures, and analysis options.