WO2018143355A1

WO2018143355A1 - Analysis device

Info

Publication number: WO2018143355A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/003437
Authority: WO
Inventors: 池田　裕二
Original assignee: イマジニアリング株式会社
Priority date: 2017-02-01
Filing date: 2018-02-01
Publication date: 2018-08-09
Also published as: JPWO2018143355A1

Abstract

This analysis device is provided with a plasma generator 3 which brings part of an analyte to a plasma state, and an optical analyzer 2 which analyzes the plasma light of the analyte emitted from the plasma generated by the plasma generator 3, wherein, by means of a conveyance device 4, the analyte contacts the plasma PB generated by the plasma generator 3 in order, and the analyte is conveyed such that a portion thereof is brought to a plasma state. The plasma generator 3 is provided with an electromagnetic wave irradiator which irradiates electromagnetic waves onto the generated plasma, and the conveyance device 4 forms a plasma contact area S where the bottom or side of the analyte contacts the plasma generated by the plasma generator 3.

Description

Analysis equipment

The present invention relates to an analyzer for spectroscopically analyzing an object to be analyzed by analyzing light emitted from plasma.

The inventors of the present invention are configured by using a plasma generation apparatus that can realize high-intensity and large-volume laser light-induced plasma under atmospheric pressure by easy control using low-power laser light. Has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

This plasma generation apparatus includes a light source that emits laser light, a condensing optical system that condenses the laser light emitted from the light source, an electromagnetic wave oscillator that oscillates electromagnetic waves, and a substance that exists at a position where the laser light is collected. A plasma generation device having an antenna that radiates an electromagnetic wave toward the plasma generated by laser light irradiation, a control device that controls the electromagnetic wave oscillator, and a measurement unit that measures the light emitted from the plasma, The control device controls the laser beam and the electromagnetic wave synchronously to control the irradiation timing of the laser beam and the emission timing of the electromagnetic wave, and the microwave emission time so that the generated plasma does not disappear in a short time. By controlling the plasma, the plasma maintenance time is controlled, and the measurement means is a measurement system of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). A spectroscope for dispersing the light emitted from Zuma, and an optical sensor for receiving the light dispersed by the spectroscope, and is configured to perform arithmetic processing based on an electric signal the optical sensor outputs.

Electromagnetic wave (microwave) energy is superimposed on plasma generated by spark-induced breakdown spectroscopy (SIBS) that uses breakdown by spark discharge instead of laser for initial plasma generation (supplying energy above the breakdown threshold) In addition, a technique for maintaining and expanding plasma has also been proposed (see Patent Document 2).

In addition, as a method for discriminating aluminum alloys by alloy system in order to select high-grade aluminum alloys and other aluminum alloys from the waste aluminum, a calibration sample and a unit area related to two X-rays having different energies are used. Methods have been proposed for measuring transmitted X-ray intensity by applying X-rays to a sample sent by a conveying means (Patent Documents 3 to 4).

By adopting such a method, it is possible to select and recover the aluminum alloy derived from the wrought material or the aluminum alloy derived from the cast material according to the alloy system.

In addition, the present inventors have proposed a device that radiates electromagnetic waves from a radiation antenna in a continuous wave during the plasma maintenance period of plasma generated by a plasma generator and spectrally analyzes a sample that is continuously transported by a transport device. (See Patent Document 5).

Japanese Patent No. 5651843 Japanese Patent No. 5352895 JP 2013-136019 A JP 2012-073080 A International Publication No. 2013/039036

By the way, the aluminum selection methods disclosed in Patent Documents 3 to 4 have a problem that the cost of the entire apparatus increases due to the use of X-rays. In addition, the analysis apparatus described in Patent Document 5 has a problem that it is difficult to analyze an analysis object having a variation in the height direction from above.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to enable spectroscopic analysis even for an analysis object having variations in the height direction, and to reduce the cost of the entire apparatus. It is to provide an analyzer that can.

The analysis device of the present invention made to solve the above problems is as follows.
A plasma generator for bringing a part of the analysis object into a plasma state;
An optical analyzer for analyzing plasma light of an analysis object emitted from the plasma generated by the plasma generator;
The analysis object is transported so as to come into contact with plasma generated by a plasma generator by a transport machine,
The plasma generator includes an electromagnetic wave irradiator that irradiates the generated plasma with electromagnetic waves,
The carrier forms a plasma contact portion in which the lower surface or the side surface of the analysis object comes into contact with the plasma generated by the plasma generator.

The analysis device of the present invention can reliably perform spectroscopic analysis even for an analysis object that varies in the height direction by contacting the plasma generated by the plasma generator from below or from the side of the analysis object. it can. Further, by irradiating the generated plasma with electromagnetic waves, the plasma is maintained and the volume thereof is expanded, so that a part of the analysis object is reliably converted into plasma.

In this case, the plasma generator includes a discharger that causes a dielectric breakdown by causing a potential difference between the electrodes;
An electromagnetic wave irradiator that irradiates the plasma generated by the discharger with an electromagnetic wave;
A control mechanism for controlling the discharger and the electromagnetic wave irradiator,
The control mechanism can be configured to control the oscillation pattern of the electromagnetic wave from the electromagnetic wave irradiator so as to maintain the plasma generated by the dielectric breakdown by the discharger.

Further, in the plasma generator, the discharger includes a discharge electrode and a ground electrode, and generates a spark discharge by generating a spark discharge between the discharge electrode and the ground electrode or the analyte,
The plasma region is expanded by irradiating an electromagnetic wave at the moment when the plasma is present and causing the plasma to absorb the electromagnetic wave energy.

The analyzer of the present invention can perform spectroscopic analysis regardless of the size of the analysis object, and in order to sort out high-grade aluminum alloys and other aluminum alloys from the waste aluminum material, the aluminum alloys are classified by alloy system. It is possible to discriminate and to reduce the cost of the entire apparatus without using an expensive X-ray apparatus.

It is the schematic of the analyzer of this invention, (a) is a side view, (b) is a top view. It is a front view of the partial cross section which shows an electromagnetic wave discharge type | mold plasma generator among the plasma generators used for the analyzer. An equivalent circuit is shown, (a) is an equivalent circuit of the step-up means of the electromagnetic wave emitter, and (b) is an equivalent circuit of the step-up means of another electromagnetic wave emitter. FIGS. 4A and 4B show another embodiment of the same electromagnetic discharge type plasma generator, where FIG. 5A is a front view, FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. It is a front view of the partial cross section which shows a mixer type | mold plasma generator among the plasma generators used for the analyzer. It is a front view of the partial cross section which shows the modification of the mixer type | mold plasma generator. It is the schematic of the modification of the analyzer of this invention, (a) is a side view, (b) is a top view.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are essentially preferable examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its application, or its use.

<Embodiment 1>
The first embodiment is an analyzer 1 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the analysis apparatus 1 includes a plasma generator 3 that brings a part of an analysis object into a plasma state, and plasma light of the analysis object that is emitted from the plasma generated by the plasma generator 3. An optical analyzer 2 for analysis is provided, and the analysis target is sequentially brought into contact with the plasma PB generated by the plasma generator 3 by the carrier 4 and is carried so that a part thereof is in a plasma state. The plasma generator 3 includes an electromagnetic wave irradiator that irradiates the generated plasma with an electromagnetic wave, and the carrier 4 includes a plasma contact portion S in which a lower part or a side surface of the analysis object comes into contact with the plasma generated by the plasma generator 3. Form. The plasma contact portion S can be configured, for example, by using two conveyor belts and forming a gap between them when the transporter 4 is a belt conveyor. In the case of a roller conveyor, a space between rollers can be used. Details of the plasma contact portion between the rollers will be described later. In the present embodiment, the conveyor 4 employs a belt conveyor.

<Plasma generator>
The plasma generator 3 includes a discharger that causes a dielectric breakdown by causing a potential difference between electrodes, an electromagnetic wave irradiator that irradiates an electromagnetic wave to plasma generated by the discharger, and a control that controls the discharger and the electromagnetic wave irradiator. Mechanism. By irradiating the plasma generated by dielectric breakdown with electromagnetic waves (for example, 2.45 GHz microwaves), the generated plasma is maintained and expanded, and the lower surface or side surface of the analysis object sent by the carrier 4 is A plasma state can be reliably obtained.

Spark plugs can be employed as a discharger that causes dielectric breakdown in the plasma generator 3. In addition, an electromagnetic wave discharge type plasma generator (hereinafter referred to as MDI (Microwave Discharge Igniter)) that boosts electromagnetic waves (microwaves) by a boosting means comprising a resonance circuit and raises the potential difference between the electrodes to cause dielectric breakdown. It can also be adopted. As shown in FIG. 2, the MDI 3A includes an input unit 52 that receives an electromagnetic wave oscillated from an electromagnetic wave oscillator, a booster 5 that boosts the input electromagnetic wave, a discharge electrode 55a that forms a discharge gap 6, and a ground electrode. 51a, and the voltage boosting means 5 increases the potential difference of the discharge gap 6 to cause discharge.

The discharge electrode 55a is formed at the tip of the electrode shaft portion 55b extending from the bottomed cylindrical portion 54 through which the input shaft portion 53 extending from the input portion 52 is inserted to the side opposite to the input portion. An input shaft portion 53 extending from the input portion 52 is insulated from the cylindrical portion 54. Specifically, a cylindrical insulator 59 is interposed between the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 54. By constituting the insulator 59 so as not to be in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 54, the cylindrical portion 54 and the input shaft portion 53 are capacitively coupled, and form an equivalent circuit C1 described later. Further, the cylindrical portion 54 and the electrode shaft portion 55 b are also electrically insulated from the inner peripheral surface of the front end side casing 51 </ b> A of the casing 51. In the present embodiment, the cylindrical portion 54 and the electrode shaft portion 55 b are enclosed in a cylindrical insulator 59. An equivalent circuit C2 described later is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 54 and the inner peripheral surface of the casing 51A covering the cylindrical portion 54, and between the electrode shaft portion 55b and the inner peripheral surface of the casing 51A. An equivalent circuit capacitor C3 is formed. The resonance frequency is adjusted by the dielectric constant that varies depending on the type of the insulator 59. In addition, C1 mentioned above can also be abbreviate | omitted by connecting the input shaft part 53 with the cylindrical member 54 electrically.

The casing 51B on the rear end side of the casing 51 has a through hole. An input portion 52 that receives supply of electromagnetic waves from the electromagnetic wave oscillator MW is formed at one end of the casing 51B, and an input shaft portion 53 that extends from the input portion 52 is formed at the other end. A protruding cylindrical insulator 59 is disposed, and a discharge electrode 55a, a cylindrical portion 54, an electrode shaft portion 55b, and a casing 51A including the insulator 59 covering these are incorporated. The method of incorporating the input portion 52, the input shaft portion 53, and the casing 51A of the insulator 59 covering them is not particularly limited, but in the present embodiment, it corresponds to the outer peripheral surface of the insulator 59 and the through hole of the casing 51B. The step is inserted from the left side of the figure to engage the insulator with the step to prevent falling off to the right side, and the casing 51A is inserted from the left side to cover the input portion 52, the input shaft portion 53 and these. The falling of the insulator 59 to the left side is also prevented. Although the method for fixing the casing 51A to the casing 51B is not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, the fixing is performed by screwing the male screw portion engraved on the outer peripheral surface of the casing 51A into the female screw portion engraved in the through hole. To do. After fixing by screwing, the casing 51A can be securely fixed to the casing 51B using a fixing means such as welding, or can be fixed using a fixing means such as welding without forming a threaded portion. it can.

The ground electrode 51a is formed at the tip of a cylindrical casing 51A that covers the discharge electrode 55a, and forms a discharge gap 6 between the inner surface of the ground electrode 51a and the outer surface of the discharge electrode 55a.

The boosting means 5 is composed of an equivalent circuit shown in FIG. The boosting means 5 uses the electrode shaft portion 55b as a coil L, forms a resonance structure at three locations between the capacitors C1, C2 and C3 described above, and boosts the supplied electromagnetic waves. In particular, the first resonance region by the capacitor C2 formed between the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 54 and the inner peripheral surface of the casing 51 that covers the cylindrical portion 54, and the casing 51 that covers the electrode shaft portion 55b and the electrode shaft portion 55b. By boosting the supplied electromagnetic wave by the second resonance region formed by the capacitor C3 between and the discharge electrode 55a, the potential difference between the discharge electrode 55a and the ground electrode 51a is increased to several tens of kV to cause discharge. Yes. In addition, it can also be set as the structure which does not form C1 of an equivalent circuit by electrically connecting the input shaft part 53 and the cylindrical part 54, and not carrying out capacitive coupling.

In general, even if an electromagnetic wave having a frequency deviating from the resonance frequency in the resonance region, particularly the second resonance region, is supplied, the potential difference between the discharge electrode 55a and the ground electrode 51a cannot be increased by boosting the electromagnetic wave. It is determined by so-called Q value whether the frequency can be boosted by supplying a frequency deviating from the resonance frequency determined in the resonance region. Q value is
Q = ω0 / (ω1-ω2).
Here, ω0: resonance frequency, ω1 and ω2 (ω1> ω2): frequencies at which the energy is halved when the frequency is ω0. Therefore, it is desirable to design such that the closer the values of ω1 and ω2 are to ω0, the sharper the resonance peak, the larger the Q value, and the greater the energy that can be obtained. However, when the Q value is large, in order to resonate, the deviation from the resonance frequency determined in the resonance region cannot be made large. According to experiments by the present inventors, when the Q value is about 50, an electromagnetic wave having a frequency in the range of ± 30 Hz, more preferably ± 20 Hz, can be resonated and discharged.

The electromagnetic wave oscillator MW is always supplied with a predetermined voltage, for example, 12V from the electromagnetic wave power source P. Then, an electromagnetic wave (for example, 2.45 GHz microwave) is output from the control device 4 as a pulse wave of an oscillation pattern in which an electromagnetic wave oscillation signal is set with a predetermined duty ratio, pulse time, and the like.

Also, the MDI can adopt the configuration of the equivalent circuit shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the MDI has a hollow cylindrical case 30 and an input portion 33 which is substantially coaxial with the case 30 and connected to one end of the electromagnetic wave oscillator MW and connected to the other end. A center electrode 31 that forms an antenna portion 31 a that radiates electromagnetic waves supplied from the input portion 33, and a shield pipe 33 that covers a shaft portion 31 b having a smaller diameter than the antenna portion 31 a that connects the antenna portion 31 a of the center electrode 31 and the input portion 33. And a resonance electrode 32 including a discharge part 32a covering the antenna part 31a and a cylindrical resonance part 32b covering the shield pipe 33. Then, the electromagnetic wave supplied from the resonance unit Re is boosted to increase the potential difference between the discharge unit 32a and the ground electrode 30a formed at the tip of the case 30, and the primary plasma SP1 is generated. The process until the primary plasma SP1 is generated is the same as that of the MDI described above.

Although the discharge part 32a which covers the antenna part 31a which comprises the resonance electrode 32 may be a cylindrical part, as shown in FIG.4 (d), it is comprised so that it may become a semicircle shape. And the discharge part 32a and the resonance part 32b are connected by the connection part 32c which notched leaving the circular arc part of about 15 thru | or 30 degrees. As is apparent from the figure, the resonance electrode 32 is manufactured by cutting out a thin cylindrical metal material. The ground electrode 30a formed at the tip of the case 30 is preferably formed with a plurality of notches (slits) as shown in FIGS. 4B to 4C. Can grow greatly.

The shield pipe 33 is a shield for preventing the electromagnetic wave supplied from the shaft portion 31b to the resonance portion 32b from being capacitively coupled, and is electrically insulated from the center electrode 31 and the resonance electrode 32. One end of the shield pipe 33 is formed integrally with the input portion 33 and is fixed to the anti-ground electrode side of the case 30. A ceramic pipe, ceramic powder, or the like may be filled as an insulator between the inner peripheral surface of the shield pipe 33 and the outer peripheral surface of the center electrode 31 for insulation. Further, it is preferable to provide an insulating pipe between the outer peripheral surface of the shield pipe 33 and the inner peripheral surface of the resonance part 32b. The insulating pipe is provided with a step on the inner peripheral surface of the case 30 so that the resonance electrode 32 can be positioned. It is preferable to arrange the insulating pipe 34 along the shape of the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the shield pipe 33 and the inner peripheral surface of the resonance part 32b.

In the above configuration, an electromagnetic wave (2.45 GHz microwave in this embodiment) supplied from the external electromagnetic wave oscillator MW is transmitted from the antenna portion 31a of the center electrode 31 to the resonance portion 32b of the resonance electrode 32 via the discharge portion 32a. The voltage is boosted by the resonance portion Re formed between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the case 30, and the potential difference between the discharge portion 32a of the resonance electrode 32 and the ground electrode 30a is increased. As a result, primary plasma SP is generated between the discharge part 32a and the ground electrode 30a. The antenna unit 31a and the discharge unit 32a form a capacitor that is capacitively coupled.

When the primary plasma SP is generated, impedance mismatch occurs, but the electromagnetic wave passing through the center electrode 31 not passing through the resonance part Re is supplied from the antenna part 31a to the primary plasma SP1, and the primary plasma SP is generated. The plasma ball PB is maintained and enlarged.

Here, the plasma ball PB generated in the present embodiment first generates a spark discharge between the discharge electrode 31a and the ground electrode 30a of the discharge part, and irradiates the electromagnetic wave at the moment when the primary plasma SP is present. The plasma SP is generated as a result of expanding the plasma region by absorbing electromagnetic wave energy. When a constant energy is supplied, the plasma is maintained in a spherical shape like a flame under zero gravity. Further, the spark discharge may be generated between the discharge electrode and the analysis object without being generated between the discharge electrode and the ground electrode.

The plasma ball PB is formed in a spherical shape like a flame under zero gravity by balancing the plasma pressure and the pressure of the surrounding gas. Here, the plasma pressure is proportional to the electromagnetic wave (microwave) power input for plasma generation.

The plasma size depends on parameters such as spark discharge energy, gap between electrodes, electromagnetic wave supply pattern (power, pulse pattern, frequency, etc.), electrode shape, pressure, and atmospheric gas type. For example, various parameter conditions for generating a spherical plasma ball having a diameter of about 7 mm are: spark discharge energy is 30 mJ, gap between electrodes is 5 mm, power as an electromagnetic wave supply pattern is 50 W, pulse pattern is continuous wave, The frequency is 2.45 GHz, the electrode shape is rod-to-rod, the pressure is atmospheric pressure, and the atmospheric gas species is air.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to form a plasma size that could not be achieved by laser breakdown or spark discharge alone. By performing spectroscopic analysis at such a plasma size, spectroscopic analysis can be performed regardless of the size of the analyte, and in order to select high-grade aluminum alloys and other aluminum alloys from aluminum waste Aluminum alloys can be discriminated by alloy system, and the overall cost of the apparatus can be reduced without using an expensive X-ray apparatus.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the plasma generator 3 can use a mixer type plasma generator 300 that mixes the energy of the pulse voltage and the electromagnetic wave energy in the same transmission line. As shown in FIG. 5, the mixer-type plasma generator 300 includes a first input terminal 310 to which an electromagnetic wave is input, a second input terminal 315 to which a pulse voltage is input, and a mixture from which the pulse voltage and the electromagnetic wave are output. An output terminal 340, and a rod-shaped first conductive member 320 whose one end is electrically connected to the second input terminal 315 and whose other end (tip) forms a discharge gap with the inner conductor 340a of the mixed output terminal 340; A cylindrical second conductive member 321 that surrounds the first conductive member 320 at an interval, is disposed coaxially with the first conductive member 320, and is electrically connected to the inner conductor 310a of the first input terminal 310; The first conductive member 320 and the second conductive member 321 are accommodated at a distance from the second conductive member 321, and are disposed coaxially with the first conductive member 320 and the second conductive member 321. Outside Respectively the body 310b and the mixed output terminal 340 and a third conductive member 330. cylindrical electrically connected.

In the mixer-type plasma generator 300, the electromagnetic wave supplied from the first input terminal 310 is directed to the gap (filled with an insulator in the illustrated example) between the second conductive member 321 and the first conductive member 320. The second conductive member 321 and the first conductive member 320 are joined by capacitive coupling by configuring as a resonator parallel to the core (longitudinal direction) and performing impedance matching. Accordingly, the electromagnetic wave is supplied to the plasma generated through the first conductive member 320 through which the pulse voltage flows. Further, between the second input terminal 315 and the first conductive member 320, a leakage preventing means 322 (choke structure in the illustrated example) for preventing electromagnetic waves from leaking to the second input terminal 315 side is disposed. ing.

With this configuration, dielectric breakdown occurs in the discharge gap formed between the tip of the first conductive member 320 and the inner conductor 340a of the mixed output terminal 340 due to the application of the pulse voltage, and the initial plasma SP is generated. The The electromagnetic wave (microwave) supplied from the first input terminal 310 is supplied from the first input terminal 310 to the initial plasma SP via the second conductive member 321 and the first conductive member 320 that are capacitively coupled. Then, the plasma state is maintained, and a part of the analysis object sent in the plasma ball PB state is turned into plasma.

When the analysis object sent by the conveying means 4 is a conductive material such as aluminum to be analyzed in the present embodiment, the tip of the first conductive member 320 and the inner conductor 340a serving as the ground electrode are connected. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the front end portion of the inner conductor 340a is expanded so that the gap is more than the insulation distance, thereby analyzing the first conductive member 320 serving as the discharge electrode with the analysis target as the ground electrode. Can be configured to cause dielectric breakdown with the object

<Optical analyzer>
The optical analyzer 2 that analyzes the plasma light analyzes the plasma light emitted from the part of the analysis object that is in contact with the plasma ball PB in which the initial plasma SP is expanded by the irradiation of the electromagnetic wave (microwave). Thus, optical analysis means for analyzing the analysis object is configured. The optical analyzer 2 analyzes the analysis object using the time integration value of the emission intensity of the plasma light in the analysis period in the plasma maintenance period. As is well known, the optical analyzer 2 includes an optical probe 20, an optical fiber 21, a spectrometer 22, a photodetector 23, and a signal processor 24.

The optical probe 20 is a device for deriving plasma light emitted from a plasma state. In the optical probe 20, a lens capable of capturing a relatively wide range of light is attached to the tip of a cylindrical casing. The optical probe is arranged at a close position so that plasma light emitted from the entire plasma ball PB as a plasma region can be introduced into the lens, or plasma light is introduced through a mirror as shown in the figure. Is attached.

The spectroscope 22 is connected to the optical probe 20 via the optical fiber 21. The spectroscope 22 takes in the plasma light incident on the optical probe 20. The spectroscope 22 uses a diffraction grating or a prism to disperse the incident plasma light in different directions depending on the wavelength.

Note that a shutter is provided at the entrance of the spectroscope 22 to divide the analysis period for analyzing the plasma light. The shutter is switched by the control device between an open state that allows light to enter the spectrometer and a closed state that prohibits light from entering the spectrometer. If the exposure timing of the photodetector can be controlled, the analysis period may be divided by controlling the photodetector.

The photodetector 23 is disposed so as to receive light in a predetermined wavelength band among the light dispersed by the spectroscope 22. In response to the command signal output from the control device 24, the photodetector 23 photoelectrically converts the received light in the wavelength band into an electrical signal for each wavelength and outputs the electrical signal. For the photodetector 23, for example, a charge coupled device is used. The electrical signal output from the photodetector is input to the signal processing device.

The signal processor 24 calculates the time integrated value of the emission intensity for each wavelength based on the electrical signal output from the photodetector 23. The signal processor 24 calculates a time integration value (emission spectrum) of the emission intensity for each wavelength with respect to the plasma light incident on the spectrometer 22 during the analysis period in which the shutter is in the open state. The signal processor 24 detects a wavelength component having a strong emission intensity from the time integrated value of the emission intensity for each wavelength, and identifies a substance corresponding to the detected wavelength component as a component of the analysis target.

<Operation of analyzer>
In the present embodiment, an example in which the mixer-type plasma generator 3 is used among the plasma generators described above will be described. A type of MDI can also be used.

The analysis apparatus 1 of the present embodiment brings the plasma ball PB generated by the plasma generator 3 into contact with the object to be analyzed using the gap provided between the two belts as a plasma contact portion. As a result, a part of the analysis object is converted into plasma, identified as a component of the analysis object by the optical analyzer, and the component of the analysis object sent by the carrier 4 is analyzed. When the object to be analyzed is waste aluminum, it is possible to sort the aluminum alloy derived from the wrought material and the aluminum alloy derived from the cast material according to the alloy system.

Further, the conveyor belt as the conveyor 4 is provided with a side wall, and a notch or a hole formed in the other side wall is provided by arranging a pressing means for pressing the analyte from one side wall side to the other side wall side. It can also be used as a plasma contact portion.

The aluminum waste material, which is an analysis object whose components have been analyzed by the optical analyzer 2, is sorted according to the difference in its components.

The sorter is not particularly limited. A sorter that uses a gate-type sorter with a gate at the end of the transporter or that changes the drop location by blowing high-pressure air when falling from the end is used. Or adopt a machine.

<Embodiment 2>
The analyzer of this embodiment has the same configuration except that the configuration of the transport device 4 is different from that of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the transporter 4 according to the present embodiment uses two conveyor belts to make plasma contact between the terminal end of the first conveyor 4A and the start end of the second conveyor 4B. It is used as a department. A roller conveyor in which a plurality of rollers rolling in the same direction are arranged in parallel can also be employed. However, when a roller conveyor is used, the analysis object needs to have a sufficient size compared to the roller diameter in order to prevent the analysis object from falling during the conveyance.

The transporter 4 is provided with a small-diameter stretching roller 41A so that the belt portion extends from the upper part of the rotating roller 40A at the end of the first conveyor 4A toward the start end of the second conveyor 4B, and the second conveyor 4B. A small-diameter stretching roller 41B is arranged so that the belt portion extends toward the end of the first conveyor 4A also from the upper part of the rotation roller 40B at the starting end. As a result, the plasma contact portion S is defined between the end edge of the first conveyor 4A and the start edge of the second conveyor 4B, and the plasma generator 3 and the optical analyzer 2 are disposed below the analysis object. Configure as follows. With this configuration, even a small analysis object can be analyzed without any problem.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, a plurality of plasma generators 3 and optical analyzers 2 (not shown) can be arranged in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the transport machine 4. By comprising in this way, it can discriminate | determine and arrange | position a analysis object, without arranging in a line. Such a plurality of arrangements is realized because the single system is inexpensive and the plasma size is large. Furthermore, by adopting such a multiple arrangement configuration, it is possible to simultaneously perform spectroscopic analysis, detection of the passage of an analysis object, and position detection in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance. The time and position information obtained by the passage detection and the position detection together with the spectroscopic analysis result is suitably used for, for example, a sorting apparatus that selectively discriminates the same kind of waste materials having different components such as aluminum waste materials.

As described above, the analysis apparatus of the present invention can perform spectroscopic analysis by reliably converting a part of an analysis object having a different size to be transported using a transport machine. It is suitably used for the application of a sorting device that selectively discriminates the same kind of waste materials having different components such as aluminum waste materials.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Analyzer 2 Optical analyzer 3 Plasma generator 4 Conveyance machine

Claims

A plasma generator for bringing a part of the analysis object into a plasma state;
An optical analyzer for analyzing plasma light of an analysis object emitted from the plasma generated by the plasma generator;
The analysis object is transported so as to come into contact with plasma generated by a plasma generator by a transport machine,
The plasma generator includes an electromagnetic wave irradiator that irradiates the generated plasma with electromagnetic waves,
The analyzer is configured to form a plasma contact portion in which a lower surface or a side surface of an analysis object is in contact with plasma generated by a plasma generator.
The plasma generator includes a discharger that causes a dielectric breakdown by causing a potential difference between the electrodes;
An electromagnetic wave irradiator that irradiates the plasma generated by the discharger with an electromagnetic wave;
A control mechanism for controlling the discharger and the electromagnetic wave irradiator,
The analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the control mechanism controls an oscillation pattern of an electromagnetic wave from the electromagnetic wave irradiator so as to maintain a plasma generated by dielectric breakdown by a discharger.
The discharger of the plasma generator includes a discharge electrode and a ground electrode, and generates a plasma by generating a spark discharge between the discharge electrode and the ground electrode or the analyte,
The analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the plasma region is expanded by irradiating the electromagnetic wave at the moment when the plasma exists and causing the plasma to absorb the electromagnetic wave energy.