Portable XRF analyzer for low atomic number elements
OwnerPeter John Hardmaninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A portable XRF analyzer includes a pressure measurement device disposed to measure the ambient air pressure and a processing subsystem responsive to a detector subsystem and the pressure measurement device. The processing subsystem is configured to calculate the concentration of at least one low atomic number element in the sample based on the intensity of the x-rays detected by the detector subsystem at an energy level corresponding to the element. The intensity value is corrected based on the ambient air pressure. An XRF method is also disclosed wherein the concentration of an element is determined automatically by taking into account the barometric pressure.
Claims25
A portable analyzer comprising:
- an x-ray source configured to emit x-rays to a sample;
- a detector subsystem responsive to x-rays irradiated by the sample and outputting intensities of x-rays detected at different energy levels;
- a pressure measurement device disposed to measure the pressure of ambient air;
- a processing subsystem responsive to the detector subsystem and the pressure measurement device and configured to:
- calculate the concentration of at least one low atomic number element in the sample based on the intensity of the x-rays detected by the detector subsystem at an energy level corresponding to the element including correcting the intensity based on the ambient air pressure.
An XRF analysis method comprising:
- emitting x-rays to a sample;
- detecting x-rays irradiated by the sample and measuring the intensities of x-rays detected at different energy levels;
- measuring the pressure of ambient air;
- automatically calculating a concentration of at least one element in the sample based on the intensity of the x-rays detected at an energy level corresponding to the element including automatically correcting the intensity based on the ambient air pressure.
An XRF analysis method comprising:
- using an XRF analyzer to induce fluorescence in a calibration sample with a known concentration of an element at a calibration pressure and temperature;
- detecting said fluorescence and storing count rates for said element at the calibration pressure and temperature in the XRF analyzer;
- using the XRF analyzer to induce fluorescence in a field sample with an unknown concentration of said element at an ambient pressure and temperature;
- detecting said fluorescence and determining a count rate for said element;
- measuring the ambient pressure and temperature;
- and
- correcting the determined count rate based on the ambient pressure and temperature and the stored count rates for the element at the calibration pressures and temperatures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.