Self-contained, on-line, real-time bulk material analyzer

A self-contained, portable apparatus for measuring the elemental content of bulk material, comprising;

• a portable container;
• a radiation source within the container;
• a gamma ray detector within the container for detecting gamma rays secondarily emitted by materials that are bombarded by radiation from the source and for producing signals in response to the detected gamma rays;
• means for receiving bulk material in an activation region between the source and the detector, whereby said produced signals are characteristic of the elemental content of said received bulk material;
• means within a separate compartment within the container for processing said produced signals to provide a measurement of the elemental content of said received bulk material;
• means for shielding the separate compartment from radiation derived from the radiation source;
• and
• means for sealing the separate compartment from the environment outside the separate compartment to protect the processing means from dust and weather conditions outside the separate compartment;
• wherein the means for receiving the bulk material comprises
• an open-ended vertical chute through the container for channeling bulk material fed from outside the container through the activation region and hence to outside the container.

A self-contained, portable apparatus for measuring the elemental content of bulk material, comprising;

• a portable container;
• a radiation source within the container;
• a gamma ray detector within the container for detecting gamma rays secondarily emitted by materials that are bombarded by radiation from the source and for producing signals in response to the detected gamma rays;
• means for receiving bulk material in an activation region between the source and the detector, whereby said produced signals are characteristic of the elemental content of said received bulk material;
• means within a separate compartment within the container for processing said produced signals to provide a measurement of the elemcntal content of said received bulk material;
• means for shielding the separate compartment from radiation derived from the radiation source;
• and
• means for sealing the separate compartment from the environment outside the separate compartment to protect the processing means from dust and weather conditions outside the separate compartment;
• wherein the means for receiving the bulk material comprises
• an open-ended chute having an elongated rectangular cross-section of approximately one foot (30 cm) by three feet (90 cm) for channeling bulk material fed from outside the container through the activation region and hence to outside the container;
• and
• wherein the apparatus comprises three of said radiation source and two of said detectors, wherein the sources and detectors are relatively disposed for causing the measurement to be independent of the lateral distribution of the bulk material within the chute, to wit:
• the three sources are symmetrically disposed on one of the three-foot (90 cm) long sides of the chute from one end of said one side to the other and aligned normal to the three-foot (90 cm) long sides of the chute;
• and
• the two detectors are symmetrically disposed on the other of the three-foot (90 cm) long sides of the chute between positions opposing the positions of the sources on the one side of the chute, and aligned normal to the three-foot (90 cm) long sides of the chute.

An apparatus for measuring the elemental content of bulk material, comprising

• three radiation sources;
• two gamma ray detectors for detecting gamma rays secondarily emitted by materials that are bombarded by radiation from the source, and for producing signals in response to the detected gamma rays;
• an open-ended vertical chute having an elongated rectangular cross-section of approximately one foot (30 cm) by three feet (90 cm) for channeling bulk material through an activation region between the radiation sources and the detectors whereby the combined signal is characteristic of the elemental content of said channeled bulk material;
• and
• means for processing said produced signals to provide a measurement of the elemental content of said channeled bulk material;
• wherein the sources and detectors are relatively disposed for causing the measurement to be independent of the lateral distribution of the bulk material within the chute, to wit:
• the three sources are symmetrically disposed on one of the three-foot (90 cm) long sides of the chute from one end of said one side to the other end and aligned normal to the three-foot (90 cm) long sides of the chute;
• and
• the two detectors are symmetrically disposed on the other of the three-foot (90 cm) long sides of the chute beiween positions opposing the positions of the sources on the one side of the chute, and aligned normal to the three-foot (90 cm) long sides of the chute.

An apparatus for measuring the elemental content of bulk material, comprising

• a radiation source;
• a gamma ray detector for detecting gamma rays secondarily emitted by materials that are bombarded by radiation from the source and for producing signals in response to the detected gamma rays;
• means for continuously transporting bulk material through an activation region between the source and the detector, whereby said produced signals are characteristic of the elemental content of said transported bulk material;
• means for continuously processing said produced signals as the bulk material is continuously transported through the activation region to provide periodic measurements of the elemental content of said transported bulk material;
• and
• means for measuring and indicating the mass of said bulk material transported through the activation region during each periodic measurement interval;
• wherein the processing means further processes said measured mass indications together with said elemental content measurements over several measurements intervals to provide a weighted average measurement of the elemental content of said bulk material over time periods representing average lots of said bulk material.