Enhanced chemical characterization of solid matrices using x-ray fluorescence and optical color reflectance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11187692-B2
Application number	US-202017038058-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2020
Priority date	Jun 18, 2014
Publication date	Nov 30, 2021
Grant date	Nov 30, 2021

Abstract

An apparatus or method determines a content of the one or more elements of a solid matrix by scanning the solid matrix using a PXRF spectrometer and a color sensor, receiving a PXRF spectra from the PXRF spectrometer and a numerical color data from the color sensor, extracting a value for each of the one or more elements the PXRF spectra, determining the content of the one or more elements of the solid matrix using one or more processors and a predictive model that relates the value of each of the one or more elements and the numerical color data to the content of the one or more elements of the solid matrix, and providing the content of the one or more elements of the solid matrix to one or more input/output interfaces.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computerized method for determining a content of one or more elements within a solid matrix comprising:
providing a x-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometer, a probe connected to the PXRF spectrometer, a color sensor, one or more processors communicably coupled to the PXRF spectrometer and the color sensor, and one or more input/output interfaces communicably coupled to the one or more processors;
scanning the solid matrix using the PXRF spectrometer and the color sensor;
receiving a PXRF spectra from the PXRF spectrometer and a numerical color data from the color sensor;
extracting a value for each of the one or more elements from the PXRF spectra;
determining the content of the one or more elements within the solid matrix using the one or more processors and a predictive model that relates the value for each of the one or more elements and the numerical color data to the content of each of the one or more elements within the solid matrix; and
providing the content of the one or more elements within the solid matrix to the one or more input/output interfaces.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the solid matrix comprises coal, soil or a combination thereof.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more elements comprise sulfur and iron.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising selecting, automatically or manually, the one or more elements from a list of elements detectable by the PXRF spectrometer.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein:
the solid matrix comprises coal; and
the selected elements comprise sulfur and iron.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising baseline correcting and smoothing the received PXRF spectra.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the predictive model uses a partial least squares regression (PLSR) multivariate algorithm, a support vector regression (SVR) multivariate algorithm, or a random forest (RF) regression algorithm.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising placing the probe in contact with or proximate to the solid matrix.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising calibrating the predictive model.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising configuring the PXRF spectrometer to detect the content of the one or more elements within the solid matrix.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the scanning, receiving, extracting, determining and providing steps are performed in situ.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising determining a geographic location of the solid matrix using a space-based satellite navigation system.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising determining an elevation of the solid matrix.

14. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the scanning, receiving, extracting, determining and providing steps are performed on site proximate to where the solid matrix was taken.

15. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the x-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometer, the probe, the color sensor, the one or more processors, and the one or more input/output interfaces are integrated into a portable device.

16. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising drying and grinding the solid matrix.

17. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising correcting the value for each of the one more elements based on a moisture content within the solid matrix.

18. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
providing a visible near infrared diffuse reflectance (VisNIR) spectroradiometer communicably coupled to the one or more processors;
scanning the solid matrix using the VisNIR spectroradiometer;
receiving a spectral absorbance caused by a moisture content within the solid matrix from the VisNIR spectroradiometer; and
correcting the PXRF spectra for attenuation or interference caused by the moisture content.

19. An apparatus comprising:
a probe;
a x-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometer connected to the probe;
a color sensor;
one or more processors communicably coupled to the PXRF spectrometer and the color sensor;
one or more input/output interfaces communicably coupled to the one or more processors; and
the one or more processors scan the solid matrix using the PXRF spectrometer and the color sensor, receiving a PXRF spectra from the PXRF spectrometer and a numerical color data from the color sensor, extract a value for each one of the elements from the PXRF spectra, determine the content of the one or more elements within the solid matrix using a predictive model that relates the value for each of the one or more elements and the numerical color data to the content of the one or more elements within the solid matrix, and provide the content of the one or more elements within the solid matrix to the one or more input/output interfaces.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , wherein the solid matrix comprises coal, soil or a combination thereof.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , wherein the one or more elements comprise sulfur and iron.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , wherein the one or more elements are selected, automatically or manually, from a list of elements detectable by the PXRF spectrometer.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , wherein the one or more processors further baseline correct and smooth the received PXRF spectra.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , wherein the predictive model uses a partial least squares regression (PLSR) multivariate algorithm, a support vector regression (SVR) multivariate algorithm, or a random forest (RF) regression algorithm.

25. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , wherein the one or more processors further calibrate the predictive model.

26. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , wherein the one or more processors configure the PXRF spectrometer to detect the content of the one or more elements within the solid matrix.

27. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , wherein the one or more processors perform the scanning, receiving, extracting, determining and providing steps in situ.

28. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , wherein the one or more processors further determine a geographic location of the solid matrix using a space-based satellite navigation system.

29. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , wherein the one or more processors further determine an elevation of the solid matrix.

30. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , wherein the one or more input/output interfaces comprise a display, a data storage, a printer or a communications interface.

31. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , wherein the apparatus is portable.

32. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , wherein the apparatus is used on site proximate to where the solid matrix was taken.

33. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , wherein the one or more processors further correct the value for each of the one or more elements based on a moisture content of the solid matrix.

34. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 , further comprising:
a visible near infrared diffuse reflectance (VisNIR) spectroradiometer communicably coupled to the one or more processors; and
wherein the one or more processors scang the solid matrix using the

Assignees

• Univ Texas Tech System

Inventors

• Weindorf David
• Pearson Delaina
• Chakraborty Somsubhra

Classifications

• G01N2223/33

  scanning, i.e. relative motion for measurement of successive object-parts · CPC title

• G01J3/50

  using electric radiation detectors · CPC title

• G01N2223/304

  electric circuits, signal processing · CPC title

• G01J3/4406

  Fluorescence spectrometry · CPC title

• G01N21/274

  Calibration, base line adjustment, drift correction · CPC title