AU651118B2 - Apparatus for measuring by pulsed neutronic irradiation the contents of the various constituents in a bulk material and method for determining such contents by implementation of the measuring apparatus - Google Patents

Apparatus for measuring by pulsed neutronic irradiation the contents of the various constituents in a bulk material and method for determining such contents by implementation of the measuring apparatus Download PDF

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AU651118B2
AU651118B2 AU80526/91A AU8052691A AU651118B2 AU 651118 B2 AU651118 B2 AU 651118B2 AU 80526/91 A AU80526/91 A AU 80526/91A AU 8052691 A AU8052691 A AU 8052691A AU 651118 B2 AU651118 B2 AU 651118B2
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bulk material
measuring
constituents
neutron
content
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AU8052691A (en
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Jacques Louis Eugene Alexandre
Jean-Pierre Joel Francois Baron
Leon Debray
Frederic Fleuret
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Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussees
LafargeHolcim Ciments SA
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Lafarge Ciments SA
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    • GPHYSICS
    • G01MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01NINVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N23/00Investigating or analysing materials by the use of wave or particle radiation, e.g. X-rays or neutrons, not covered by groups G01N3/00 – G01N17/00, G01N21/00 or G01N22/00
    • G01N23/22Investigating or analysing materials by the use of wave or particle radiation, e.g. X-rays or neutrons, not covered by groups G01N3/00 – G01N17/00, G01N21/00 or G01N22/00 by measuring secondary emission from the material
    • G01N23/221Investigating or analysing materials by the use of wave or particle radiation, e.g. X-rays or neutrons, not covered by groups G01N3/00 – G01N17/00, G01N21/00 or G01N22/00 by measuring secondary emission from the material by activation analysis
    • G01N23/222Investigating or analysing materials by the use of wave or particle radiation, e.g. X-rays or neutrons, not covered by groups G01N3/00 – G01N17/00, G01N21/00 or G01N22/00 by measuring secondary emission from the material by activation analysis using neutron activation analysis [NAA]
    • GPHYSICS
    • G01MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01NINVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N2223/00Investigating materials by wave or particle radiation
    • G01N2223/07Investigating materials by wave or particle radiation secondary emission
    • G01N2223/074Investigating materials by wave or particle radiation secondary emission activation analysis
    • G01N2223/0745Investigating materials by wave or particle radiation secondary emission activation analysis neutron-gamma activation analysis
    • GPHYSICS
    • G01MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01NINVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N2223/00Investigating materials by wave or particle radiation
    • G01N2223/30Accessories, mechanical or electrical features
    • G01N2223/302Accessories, mechanical or electrical features comparative arrangements
    • GPHYSICS
    • G01MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01NINVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N2223/00Investigating materials by wave or particle radiation
    • G01N2223/30Accessories, mechanical or electrical features
    • G01N2223/303Accessories, mechanical or electrical features calibrating, standardising
    • GPHYSICS
    • G01MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01NINVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N2223/00Investigating materials by wave or particle radiation
    • G01N2223/60Specific applications or type of materials
    • G01N2223/643Specific applications or type of materials object on conveyor

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
  • Biochemistry (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Immunology (AREA)
  • Pathology (AREA)
  • Analysing Materials By The Use Of Radiation (AREA)
  • Investigating Or Analysing Biological Materials (AREA)

Abstract

Installation for determining by pulsed neutronic irradiation the contents of the various constituents in a bulk material. Use is made of a measuring apparatus (1) including electronic irradiation source and the gamma radiation measuring region, means (2) which provide for the continuous circulation of said bulk material, means (6) for receiving data of resulting spectra and computing means (7) allowing to compare said data of the spectrum with the data resulting from the measurements carried out in similar conditions on each of the pure constituents whose presence is searched (4), as well as means (8) for reading the result of the averaged computation.

Description

,OPI DATE 1.8/02/92 AOJP DATE 26/03/92
DEMANDEINW
APPLN. ID 80526 91 PCT NUMBER PCT/FR91/00498 DE BREVETS (PCT) (51) Classification internationale des brevets 5 (11) Num~ro de publicatio? internationale: WO 92/01925 GOIN 23/222 Al (43) Date de publication internationale: 6 f~vrier 1992 (06.02.92) (21) Num~ro de ia demande internationale: PCT/FR91/00498 (74) Mandataire: HIRSCH, Marc-Roger; 34, rue de Bassano, (22) Date de d~p6t international: 21 juin 1991 (21.06.9 1) (81) Etats d~sign~s: AT (brevet europ~en), AU, BE (brevet euro- Donn6es relatives i la priorit6: p~en), BR, CA, CH (brevet europ~en), DE (brevet euro- 90/09505 25 juillet 1990 (25.07.90) FR p~en), DK (brevet europ~en), ES (brevet europ~en), FR (brevet europ~en), GB (brevet europ~en), GR (brevet europ~en), IT (brevet europ~en), JP, LU (brevet euro- (71) Diposants (pour tous les Etats d~sign~s sauf US): ETAT p~en), NL (brevet europ~en), SE (brevet europ~en), US.
FRANQAIS, MINISTERE DE L'EQUIPEMENT, DU LOGEMENT, DU TRANSPORT ET DE LA MER, LABORATOIRE CENTRAL DES PONTS ET Publi~e CHAUSSEES [FR/FR]; 58, boulevard Lef~bvre, F- Avec rapport de rechierche internationale.
75015 Paris CIMENTS LAFARGE [FR/FR]; boulevard Louis-Loucheur, F-922 10 Saint-Cloud (FR).
(771) Inventeurs; et 5 1 1 (7S) Inventeurs/Dkposants (US seulenent) ALEXANDRE, Jac- 6 1 1 ques, Louis, Eugene [FR/FR]; 18, rue des Tilleuls, Les Sorini~res, F-0d400 Rez6 BARON, Jean-Pierre, Jodl, Frangois [FR/FR]; 16, rue du Manoir, F-44620 La Montagne DEBRAY, Leon [FR/FR]; 35, rue les Charmilles, F-78590 Noisy-lo-Roi FLEURET, Fr6d~ric [FR/FR]; 23, rue Quentin, F-92400 Courbevoie (54) Title: APPARATUS FOR MEASURING BY PULSED NEUTRONI1C IRRADIATION THE CONTENTS OF THE VA- RIOUS CONSTITUENTS IN A BULK MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING SUCH CONTENTS BY IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MEASURING APPARATUS (54) Titre: APPAREIL DE MESURE PAR IRRADIATION NEUTRONIQUE PULSEE DE LA TENEUR EN SES DIVERS CONSTITUANTS D'UN MATERIAU EN VRAC ET PROCEDE DE DETERMINATION DE CETTE TENEUR METTANT EN (EUVRE CET APPAREIL DE MESURE (57) Abstract Installation for determtining by pulsed neutronic irradiation the contents of the various constituents in a bulk material. Use is made of a measuring appara1tus including electronic irradiation source and the gammna radiation measuring region, means which provide for the continuous circulation of said bulk material, means for receiving data of resulting spectra and computing means allowing to compare said data of the spectrum with the data resulting from the measurements carried out in similar conditions on each of the pure constituents whose presence is searched as well as means for reading the result of the averaged computation.
(57) AbrigE Installation de determination par irradiation neutronique puls~e de la teneur en ses diff~rents constituants d'un mat~riau en vrac. Elle fait emploi de l'appareil de mesure comportant une source d'irradiation neutronique et une zone de mesure du rayonnement gamma, des moyens assurant circulation en continu dudit mat~riau en vrac, des moyens de r~ception des donn~es des spectres resultants et des moyens de calcul permettant une comparaison de ces donn~es du spectre avec celles qui r~sultent des mesures effectu~es dans des conditions identiques sur chacun des constituants purs dont on recherche Ia presence, ainsi que des moyens de lecture du r~saltat du calcul moyenn6.
APPARATUS FOR MEASURING BY PULSED NEUTRONIC IRRADIATION THE CON'"ENTS OF THE VARIOUS CONSTITUENTS IN A BULK MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING SUCH CONTENTS BY IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MEASURING APPARATUS The present invention relates to novel measurement apparatus employing pulsed neutron radiation for determining the content of the various constituents of a bulk material.
It also relates to a method and an installation for determining this content and employing the measurement apparatus.
The problem often occurs in the mining and mineral industries, for example in mines and cement works, of determining the content of a material as regards its various elements in order to know the composition of the raw material during continuous extraction thereof or while, for example, it is being introduced into a cement making plant. Among those constituents or elements which are the most important in cement-making techniques the following can be mentioned: Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, K, C and H.
Various procedures are known for carrying out continuous analysis of a material in order to determine the content of its various constituents. As examples, we can cite, among others Pnd limiting ourselves to those of most recent design, methods employing neutron irradiation or emission and which enable a defined zone, forming a so-called sphere of influence produced by the emission source, to be investigated using highly accurate nuclear analysis techniques.
The simplicity of the principles employed is another advantage of the use of neutron analysis. The source is selected so that the nuclear reaction during interaction with the element to be analyzed takes place in the thermal neutron energy domain with an energy that is as low as possible, the neutrons producing various types of gamma radiation notably as a result of the so-called "neutronic activation" phenomenon and by the "capture" phenomenon an example of which is the reaction: Ca 48 gamma)Ca 49 which makes it possible to determine calcium. Generally speaking, when neutrons collide with the target nucleus (for example Ca as mentioned above) there is an initial brief emission of prompt gamma radiation after which the radioactive isotope formed returns to its stable state by emitting gamma radiation known as decay radiation. This behavior, which is typical for calcium (Ca) should not be considered however as characteristic for all neutron interactions with the various materials used as a target. Detection of the types of gamma radiation emitted by the isotope produced enables, firstly, identification of the body that is to be determined (by measuring the energy of the various radiations emitted and the half-life of the element produced) and, secondly, it enables the body to be determined by measuring the intensity of the radiation emitted (number of pulses received at the detector).
In order to put the principles mentioned above into practice, numerous systems have been proposed which, at best, enable results that are uniform to be obtained by continuous operation of a neutron bombardment analysis installation.
FR-A-2 618 225 describes a method, apparatus and installation employing a neutron source which is activated intermittently at fixed periods. A gamma radiation detector counts the photons only after neutron emission has stopped during the separate periods of time corresponding respectively to the capture and the neutronic activation phenomena. The different signals are numerically processed using two separate channels and the results from them are automatically "ombined. No actual taking of samples is necessary. Each application requires that the relevant energy bands be correctly defined in accordance with the elements that are being investigated.
The method and devices according to FR-A-2 618 225, while nevertheless constituting progress over known methods and devices, lead to difficulties which it has not yet been possible to overcome in an optimal fashion. Effectively, the sphere of influence produced starting from the point source and within which the nuclear reaction takes place, is tangential to the wall of the conical hopper used for pouring the material. Because of this, systematic sources of error may be present which are a result of the more or less permanent presence of residual heaps of material which get created during emptying of the hopper and which, because the particles are lumped together and tend to stick, can give rise to systematic errors in measurement. The fact should also be mentioned that two radioactive isotopes can decay while emitting radiation of close or equal energy which leads to interference in the energy area. This is the case for the reactions: Fe56(n, p)Mn 56 A127(n, p)Mg 27 Moreover, correct energy definition of the source needs to be guaranteed: effectively, the "effective activation cross-section" which is directly proportional to the collision probability and hence to nuclear reaction, varies with the energy of the projectile neutron. If this latter has a too broad spectral distribution, the same radioactive isotope can be obtained starting from two or several elements. Thus, to take an illustrative case: Al 27(n, gamma) Si28(n, p) Al 2 8 31 p a) 6 Such a phenomenon, if physically present, can make it impossible to determine an element. Only carefully performed standardization and the use of scanning using discrete and meaningfully distinct values can enable these sources of error to be eliminated.
Methods of this type are also described for example in EP-A-0 095 900, EP-A-0 171 256, AT-B-295 893, GB-A-2 101 304 and FR-A-1 514 030 which give rise to systematic disadvantages both as regards difficulties in carrying out measurement as well as regarding their accuracy.
The present invention enables the disadvantages of the methods and apparatuses described in the prior art, apart from FR-A-2 618 225, to be overcome. Moreover, it provides an improvement to the method and apparatus described in FR-A-2 618 225.
The present invention firstly provides an apparatus for measuring the content of the various constituents of a bulk material using pulsed neutron radiation comprising: g** o* *go *oo 7 an enclosure in which there is an endless belt providing continuous passage of the bulk material; said enclosure comprising a material the molecules of which include a high proportion of hydrogen and containing, on respective sides of the endless belt, a pulsed neutron radiation source; means for measuring all available gamma radiation energies produced by the bulk material when targeted by the source.
According to another aspect, there is provided a method for determining the content of the various constituents of a bulk material in which said bulk material is continuously conveyed through an irradiation and measurement region where said bulk material is i *g o*e
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(N:iLIBMM lGtj"63:LMM 8 irradiated and where the various types of gamma radiation produced by said irradiation are measured, said method being characterized in that the gamma radiation is measured over all available energies, and in that it further comprises: supplying the spectral data resulting from measurement to computing means where standard spectral data are stored, said standard spectral data resulting from measurements carried out under identical conditions for each one of said constituents in the pure state; and performing numerical processing in said computing means employing a method consisting of dividing the measured spectrum up into energy bands and comparing the height of each segment with the heights of the segments for each one of the corresponding 0 00*0 e 0
S
*o e 4 *e ft (N:\LIBMM100063:LMM 9 standard spectrum energy bands in order to determine, on at least part of said energy bands, values for each one of said contents and to deduce therefrom a resulting average value, According to another feature, there is provided an apparatus for determining the content of the various constituents of a bulk material using pulsed neutron irradiation comprising a measurement apparatus having a source of neutron irradiation and a means for measuring all available gamma radiation energies, means for providing continuous circulation of said bulk material, means for receiving the data for the resulting spectra and computing means enabling a comparison to be made of said spectral data with data resulting from measurements carried out under identical conditions on each one of the pure constituents the presence of which is being investigated, together with readout means for the averaged computed result.
C C
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INILIOMMIOOOL3MM Other aims, advantages and features of the invention will become more clear from a reading of the description that follows of an embodiment of the invention provided by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the attached drawing in which:- FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatical view of an installation according to the invention in which tt endless belt passes through the measuring apparatus according to the invention; FIGURE 2 is a cross-section on a larger scale along line Z-Z of figure 1; FIGURE 3 is a section through the endless belt of figure 2, shown on an enlarged scale; FIGURE 4 shows the general shape of the spectra detected on four pure elements these being Si, Ca, Al and Fe *e o *b go *N *LIIMI 6 M between 2.5 and 9 MeV; FIGURE 5 shows a part of the spectrum obtainad on a raw material the composition of which is being determined and, secondly, a spectrum that has been reconstituted starting from the spectra of pure elements; the graphs show the spectra obtained by counting between 0.5 and 2.5 MeV (left hand curves) and between 2.5 and 9 MeV (right hand curves).
Figure 1 is a diagrammatical view of the measuring device 1 through which an endless belt 2 carrying bulk material 3 passes, it being desired to determine the content of the various constituents of said material during travel of said belt 2. As it is required to carry out measurement on a layer 4 of material of preferably constant thickness, levelling means 5 arc provided ahead of the device 1. Spectral data receiving means 6, computing means 7 enabling said spectral data to be compared with those from standard spectra, and readout means for the average result are provided.
Figure 2 shows a section along plane Z-Z of figure 1 on an enlarged scale. The present device 1 in which the layer 4 of material supported by endless belt 2 circulates, consists of a high-density polyethylene housing 1 forming an enclosure 12. Polyethylene is a material whose molecule includes numerous hydrogen atoms, and the presence of said high proportion of hydrogen atoms renders the polyethylene material capable of eliminating, through elastic diffusion, the effect of very low .NALU1-X 11 energy gamma rays on the count.
The device 1 includes a neutron source 14 housed in a bottom compartment 13 and consisting of a neutron generator tube located below the moving endless belt 2. The device 1 actually includes a region providing pulsed neutron radiation resulting from the action of the neutrons emitted by source 14, and a gamma ray measuring region usir- a detector 16 which, in the present case, is a counter for the gamma radiation emitted by all the elements present in the continuously moving mass 4. Detector 16 is located in enclosure 12 on the opposite side of endless belt 2 to source 14. Screening covers source 14 in order to slow down or stop emitted neutrons, consisting of three walls 17 made of a heavy metal, for example lead. The neutrons emitted by source 14 thus pass through the moving bulk material 4, the thickness of which is determined by a straight edge means The nominal neutron flux can be of the order of 10 8 to 1010 particles per second. Detector 16 is a scintillation counter-type element employing, for example, thalliumactivated sodium iodide. The counter itself is associated with two protective shields 18 forming oblique screens made of lead which isolate it from reflections and other spurious influences.
Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view taken in the sense of travel of the layer 4 of material. More precisely, that part of the layer which is meaningful for the measurement has been shown; in a preferred embodiment of the invention, this consists of a slab 19 about 12 cm high and about 36 cm wide.
With a throughput of 1 000 metric tons/hour, this type of geometry has enabled reproducible and reliable measurements over an energy range of from 0 to 10 MeV to be obtained.
Detector 16 is linked to spectral data receiving means 6 which transmit their data to computing means 7 enabling comparisons to be made with standard data. Readout means 8 enable the result obtained to be displayed.
Those elements which are of interest and of which it is desired to know the content in raw material are for example eight in number. Adaptation of the methc~ to a different number of elements is readily accessible to those skilled in the art of radio-nuclear analysis. Those elements that are typically analyzed are, among others: Fe, Si, Ca, Al, K, C, Mg, H. In one embodiment, two measurement channels are employed: the first cne takes ;ccount of gamma radiation due to capture and activation phenomena, the second channel only handling activation gamma radiation. The final spectrum (number of hits per second) is obtained from the difference, giving the capture gamma radiation spectrum. Teaching in th3.
matter is provided in FR-A-2 618 225.
Obviously, if it were desired to take account of other types of gamma radiation, for example, those gamma rays known as "inelastic", one would suitably adapt the number of measurement channels.
Where two measurement channels are employed, the information is collected in the form of energy band spectra which essentially depend on four parameters: i. the neutron flow in the irradiatzd mass ("thermal" neutrons), 2. the density of the irradiated mass, 3. water content, 4. the concentrations C i of the various elements i to be identified and of which it is desired to determine the content.
Figure 4 shows the spectral curves obtained for 4 pure constituents: Si, Ca, Al and Fe for an energy of from 2.5 to 9 MeV. In order not to clutter the figure, the spectra have been limited to these four pure constituents; spectra obtained for other pure constituents are of the same type.
Figure 5 shows the energy spectral curve for a raw material in which the content of 8 components is required to be known. This firstly shows the experimental spectrum obtained on this raw material the composition of which is to be determined and, secondly, superimposed thereon, the spectrum obtained after calculating the composition, by combining the eight spectra for pure elements: it will be noticed that the computcs spectrum is very close to the spectrum measured on the raw material to such an extent that it is even difficult to see the differences between the two spectra in figure which shows them superimposed on each other. The computed spectrum in fact approaches the experimentally-obtained spectrum by better than Each ordinate NEi corresponding to an interval of energy [Ei, Ei AEi] is a combined value for the contribution of neut :n impacts with the constituents the content of which is to be determined. A similar situation holds in each one of the 1 024 spectral analysis channels of amplitude AEi.
Determination of the content of the various elements contained in the bulk material is based on a set of spectra of the type of those shown in figure 4. Where, for example it is desired to determine the content of eight elements, it will obviously be necessary to have obtained the eight spectra, all of which are different, corresponding to each one of the pure elements the content of which in the bulk material it is desired to be determined.
These spectra are recorded over a photon energy range of 0 to 10 MeV, for example on 1 024 channels (2 10). The y-axis is the number of pulses counted per channel. The spectrum obtained for a continuously moving material is split up into 1 024 energy bands and the height of the segment of at least part of the 1 024 energy bands is determined; moreover, the height obtained for each standard spectrum for these same energy bands is determined. Numerical analysis on a microcomputer enables the required contents to be obtained; in this case the eight contents required. The mathematical principle employed can be expresses by the following formulae expressed in matrix form, which are the basis of the numerical calculation enabling the content of the various components contained in the moving bulk material to be calculated and, in the example cited above, enabling the eight contents based on 1 024 (210) energy bands to be obtained. Numerical processing is based on calculation using numerical analysis methods for equations (one per channel) of the unknowns corresponding to the contents.
These are expressed analytically by: e F P t P5 t P t P t 8 t =P1 1 P 15 1 6 t8 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 8 St P+ p t p5 t p6 t P t7+ p8 1 2 2 21 2 23 2 4 2 5 26 2 7 28 e tl p 2 2 t p 3 t p5 p6 t P t P8 t n n 1 n 2 n3 n 4 n5 n 6 n7 n8 where: e. is the count relating to the jth channel selected, on the spectrum obtained for the unknown material; pj are the various counts on each pure element spectrum numbered i in this same channel numbered j; j stands for the jth channel selected from 1 024 (for this example), optionally this can be selected randomly; i is the number of elements the content of which it is desired to be known which, in the present example, can have a value of from 1 to 8; t. are the contents; 1 n is any value comprised between 8 and 1 024.
Although, by way of example, it has been stated that operation is carried out on 1 024 channels or segments, it is of course possible to employ a lower number of channels or a higher number of channels. It is essential in each case for n to be sufficiently large to enable a meaningful averaged value 1U to be obtained. The computing means can be programmed so that the channels can be selected at will to have a sufficiently large number to allow a meaningful average value to b3 obtained.
The method and the continuous determination device resulting therefrom have proved to be readily implementable industrially and the necessary manipulations, although requiring a high degree of accuracy it is true, can be learned by personnel of average skill.
The present invention is obviously not limited to the embodiments that have been described and shown in the drawings but may undergo numerous variations available to those skilled in the art without this leading to a departure from the scope of the invention.

Claims (8)

1. An apparatus for measuring the content of the various constituents of a bulk material using pulsed neutron radiation comprising: an enclosure in which there is an endless belt providing continuous passage of the bulk material; said enclosure comprising a material the molecules of which include a high proportion of hydrogen and containing, on respective sides of the endless belt, a pulsed neutron radiation source; means for measuring all available gamma radiation energies produced by the bulk material when targeted by the source.
2. A measurement apparatus according to claim 1 wherein: the source is covered by means for stopping or slowing down the pulsed neutrons emitted comprising a shield formed of a heavy metal.
3. A method for determining the content of the various constituents of a bulk material in which said bulk material is continuously conveyed through an irradiation and measurement region where said bulk material is irradiated and where the various types of gamma radiation produced by said irradiation are measured, said method being characterized in that the gamma tadiation is measured over all available energies, and in that it further comprises: supplying the spectral data resulting from measurement to computing means where standard spectral data are stored, said standard spectral data resulting from measurements carried out under identical conditions for each one of said constituents in the pure state; and :performing numerical processing in said computing means employing a method 25 consisting of dividing the measured spectrum up into energy bands and comparing the height of each segment with the heights of the segments for each one of the corresponding standard spectrum energy bands in order to determine, on at least part of said energy bands, values for each one of said contents and to deduce therefrom a resulting average value. F: 30
4. A method according to claim 3, in which continuous determination of the content of the various constituents of a bulk material using pulsed neutron radiation is carried out by selective measurement of gamma radiation emitted that is specific to said elements, neutron emission being typically provided by a neutron generating tube, controlled whereby neutron emission is periodically interupted, the measurement phases occurring during or after termination of neutron emission in order to supply an indication of the spectra of the various gamma radiations.
A method according to claim 3 or 4, in which the particle size distribution of the material is very close to the particle size distribution of the pure constituents used to obtain the standard spectral data. 19
6. A method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, in which continuous determination is carried out in a reduced sampling region, and during determination the substantially unvarying parts of the signal due to the environment with which the neutrons are interacting are completely eliminated only leaving a usable signal from the detector defining an experimental spectrum, subsequent numerical processing of which enables the analyzed material content to be determined by matrix computation yielding, starting from the analyzed continuous experimental spectrum, areas of confidence relating to the result of said determination.
7. An apparatus for determining the content of the various constituents of a bulk material using pulsed neutron irradiation comprising a measurement apparatus having a source of neutron irradiation and a means for measuring all available gamma radiation energies, means for providing continuous circulation of said bulk material, means for receiving the data for the resulting spectra and computing means enabling a comparison to be made of said spectral data with data resulting from measurements carried out under identical conditions on each one of the pure constituents the presence of which is being investigated, together with readout means for the averaged computed result.
8. An apparatus for measuring the content of the various constituents of a bulk material, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1-3. Dated 5 May, 1994 Etat Francais, Ministere De L'Equipement, Du Logement, Du Transport Et De La Mer, Laboratoire Central Des Ponts Et Chausses and Ciments Lafarge Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON o* o* o o *O o*e• e oe *oo oo°
AU80526/91A 1990-07-25 1991-06-21 Apparatus for measuring by pulsed neutronic irradiation the contents of the various constituents in a bulk material and method for determining such contents by implementation of the measuring apparatus Ceased AU651118B2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR9009505A FR2665260A1 (en) 1990-07-25 1990-07-25 APPARATUS FOR MEASURING BY PULSED NEUTRONIC IRRADIATION OF THE CONTENT OF ITS VARIOUS CONSTITUENTS OF A BULK MATERIAL AND DETERMINATION METHOD USING THE SAME.
FR9009505 1990-07-25
PCT/FR1991/000498 WO1992001925A1 (en) 1990-07-25 1991-06-21 Apparatus for measuring by pulsed neutronic irradiation the contents of the various constituents in a bulk material and method for determining such contents by implementation of the measuring apparatus

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AU8052691A AU8052691A (en) 1992-02-18
AU651118B2 true AU651118B2 (en) 1994-07-14

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FR2665260A1 (en) 1992-01-31
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