Notes
Slide Show
Outline
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Generations: New High Performance, Hand-Held XRF
  • Jim Pasmore
  • Director International Sales
  • Thermo Scientific NITON Analyzers
  • July 25, 2007
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Process Instruments Portfolio of Businesses
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   Portable XRF (PXRF) History
     “If I Have Seen Further it is by Standing on the Shoulders of Giants” Isaac Newton
  • 1. 1967:  1st commercial field portable non-dispersive XRF analyzer used scintillation detectors with x-ray filters
  • 2.1975: 1st portable XRF analyzer with dedicated application calibrations for alloy analysis
  • 3. 1978:  1st portable XRF analyzers that stored (externally created) calibrations used early microprocessors and gas-filled proportional counter detectors
  • 4. 1984:  1st portable XRF analyzers with data storage and internally generated calibration curves used better microprocessors and limited electronic memory
  • 5. 1994:  NITON XL-309;  1st one piece handheld XRF analyzers with real-time digital signal processing and silicon PIN diode detectors
  • 6. 2002:  NITON XLt.  1st handheld XRF analyzers with x-ray tube sources
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Evolution of PXRF Analyzer
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39 years of PXRF Development: 1967 to 2006
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2006: The Contemporary Sixth Generation PXRF!
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Two Generations of Innovation: 1994 and 2002
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   Primary Application: Metal Alloy Testing
  • 40 year old portable XRF application for alloy grade ID and chemical analysis
  • Positive material inspection (PMI), recycling, fabrication and production
  • ~14,000 combined Texas Nuclear (Thermo TN) + Outokumpu (Metorex/Oxford) installed from 1976 to present
  • ~14,000 NITON analyzers installed from 1994 to present`
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One Tool , Four Key Industries
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   PXRF Element Range For Alloy Analysis
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Contemporary Sixth Generation XRF
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Key PXRF Developments of the 6th Generation
  • Miniature X-ray tubes
    • Dedicated, high speed, floating point microprocessors
      • to handle math intensive FP calculations fast (80uS)
    • Helium Purge for Light Element Determination
    • Bench top convertible with commensurate analytical power
    • Enhanced Detector Performance
    • Adjustable Excitation Parameters
      • X-ray filter, HV, current
    • High speed digital signal processing and lightweight, high power batteries (Li ion) helped too!
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PXRF Excitation Source: Miniature X-ray Tubes
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Helium Purge Dual Use: Heavy and Light Element Analysis
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He Purge Extends Element Range to Mg (12)
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“Plug and Play” Conversion to Bench-top Use
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Example of Enhanced Detector Performance
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Example of Improvements from Use of X-ray Filters
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"Small x-ray tubes"
  • Small x-ray tubes, helium purge accessory, detector improvements and addition of x-ray filters has transformed the PXRF industry by extending the frontiers of handheld XRF including use as bench-top analyzer


  • Development of portable analytical technology continues


    • Where will the seventh generation take us?
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  Key Advancements in Generation Seven
  • 30% smaller, lighter than current  generation PXRF analyzers; new benchmark in ergonomics
  • Color, tilting touch screen display
  • First 50kV miniature x-ray tube with small spot collimator for enhanced performance for many tramp and toxic elements
  • Optimized front-end geometries with improved ability to measure in tight corners
  • Faster, more powerful electronics, more sophisticated FP
  • Automatic optimization of tube current
  • 6 position filter wheel for wide range of high ex efficiency
  • New features including USB, WIFI, RIFD, CCD camera
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Small Spot Tube Beam Geometry
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Practical Realization of the Design
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PXRF: Quantum Advancements with XL3 Analyzers
  • 2 W, 50 kV X-ray tube
    • Improved performance for tramp (alloy), toxic (RoHS) trace (mining) and contaminant (environmental) elements
    • Lab-grade performance for light elements
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Example of Sensitivity Increase: Barium
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PXRF: Platform Development Drives Throughput
  • Two powerful processors + real-time DSP
    • >2x reduction in measurement time  =  increased productivity
  • Operation simplicity drives ease of use / minimum user training
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The Gold Anode X-Ray Tube
  • 2 Watt, 50kV Au Anode X-Ray Tube
  • Improved x-ray beam collimation
    • More efficient excitation
    • Faster, more precise and highly accurate analysis results
    • Better LOD’s


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Comparison of Blank Spectra; Ag and Au Anodes
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50 Kv Gold Anode Performance Gains
  • Cadmium analysis clearly improves with 50 kV and gold anode
    • Increased excitation efficiency
    • Cleaner, more constant background than is possible with silver anode
  • Additional benefits of using Au anode
    • Greater photon flux output (proportional to atomic number of the anode material: Zsilver = 47, Zgold = 79
  • Au anode tubes made by Thermo NITON have better flux output and are more stable
    • this we know from extensive tests not reported here
  • Stability of Au-anode system tested as per industry standard (by taking repeated measurements of total count rate in spectrum from same sample over period of 8 hours)
    • Stability found to be better than 0.2% relative which is better than industry accepted benchmark of 0.25%
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7th Generation: Summary of Key Performance Factors
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Proof of Concept - Performance
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Proof of Concept – Productivity
  • Compare against the current NITON generation
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Proof of Concept - Performance
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Proof of Concept - Productivity
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Proof of Concept – Alloy ID Speed
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XL3 – Instrument Housing
  • GE plastics EXL 1414 Lexan
    • Stronger, more durable and more heat resistant than 6th generation plastics
  • Completely sealed to moisture, dust, etc.
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XL3 -- The Software
  • Instrument utilizes a multi-tasking operating system
    • Nucleus by Mentor Graphics
      • Specialized for use in high-reliability electronics
      • Used by companies such as
        • TI, Garmin, Logitech, Honeywell, Motorola, NEC etc…
    • Allows for Windows compatible file system
      • Windows 2000, XP and Vista
      • Does not work with Windows 98 and ME
    • Much greater expansion than current system
  • NDT Software
    • NDTl, NDTc and NDTp incorporated into NDT
    • Will support Windows 2000, XP and Vista
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   Analytical Capabilities
  • 29 element simultaneous analysis:  elements from Mg* through U including
    •   Mg*, Al*, Si*, P*, S, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Pb, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Pd, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb
  • ~370 alloys each in two grade libraries
  • Typical alloy analysis in 1 to 5 seconds
  •   * Requires optional NITON helium purge light element analysis hardware and software
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Bench-top Conversion
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Field Use for Environmental and Exploration
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Accessories
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Conclusion
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  Thermo Scientific Portable Elemental Analysis