Lithium detection apparatus systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12372482-B2
Application number	US-202318324438-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2023
Priority date	May 26, 2023
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

A system includes a neutron source that emits neutrons. The system also includes a vessel that holds a lithium-containing material including a lithium-sorbent material and a lithium-containing brine. Further, the system includes a neutron detector that receives a subset of the neutrons emitted from the neutron source that are transmitted through the lithium-sorbent material and the lithium-containing brine. The neutron detector also determines a concentration of lithium based on the received subset of neutrons.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a neutron source configured to emit neutrons;
a vessel configured to hold a lithium-containing material, which is a mixture of lithium-sorbent material and a lithium-containing brine; and
a neutron detector configured to:
receive a subset of the neutrons emitted from the neutron source that are transmitted through the lithium-containing material; and
determine a concentration of lithium based on the received subset of neutrons, wherein the determining the concentration of lithium comprises comparing a measured concentration of the mixture of the lithium-sorbent material and the lithium-containing brine in the vessel with a separate measurement of the lithium-containing brine to derive a loading capacity of the lithium-sorbent material in the vessel.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a relative volume fraction of the lithium-containing brine to a total of the lithium-containing material ranges from 0% to 100%.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the neutron source, the neutron detector, or both, are movably coupled within the vessel.

4. The system of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of adsorption beds comprising the lithium-sorbent material.

5. The system of claim 4 , comprising a controller, wherein the controller comprises one or more processors configured to:
generate a lithium extraction output based on the concentration of the lithium; and
adjust an operation associated with the plurality of adsorption beds based on the lithium extraction output.

6. The system of claim 1 , comprising a controller configured to control a position of the neutron source, the neutron detector, or both.

7. The system of claim 1 , comprising a controller configured to control an intensity corresponding to the neutrons emitted by the neutron source.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the neutron source, the neutron detector, or both, are disposed on an outer surface of the vessel.

9. A method, comprising:
providing a lithium-containing brine to a vessel holding a lithium-sorbent material;
emitting neutrons into the vessel using a neutron source;
collecting, using a neutron detector, a subset of the emitted neutrons that traverses a collection volume of the vessel, wherein the collection volume is disposed between the neutron source and the neutron detector; and
determining a loading capacity of a lithium-containing material based on the collected neutrons, wherein the lithium-containing material comprises the lithium-sorbent material and the lithium-containing brine.

10. The method of claim 9 , comprising:
adjusting a position of the neutron source from a first position to a second position different than the first position;
emitting neutrons into the vessel using the neutron source;
creating scattered neutrons and secondary gamma radiation in the lithium-containing material;
collecting a subset of the emitted neutrons and secondary gamma radiation that traverse the collection volume of the vessel using one or more detectors; and
determining the loading capacity of the lithium-sorbent material based on the collected gamma radiation and the collected neutrons.

11. The method of claim 9 , comprising removing the lithium-sorbent material from the vessel based on the load capacity.

12. The method of claim 9 , comprising outputting an alert indicating a remaining lifetime of the lithium-sorbent material based on the loading capacity.

13. A system, comprising:
one or more adsorption beds configured to receive a lithium-containing stream, wherein each adsorption bed comprises a lithium-sorbent material configured to bind lithium-ions in the lithium-containing stream; and
a lithium detection apparatus, wherein the lithium detection apparatus comprises:
an emission source configured to emit radiation and a detector configured to receive a subset of the emitted radiation from the emission source that is transmitted through the lithium-sorbent material, wherein the radiation comprises neutrons;
one or more detectors configured to receive a subset of the neutrons emitted from the emission source that are transmitted through the lithium-sorbent material and determine a concentration of lithium adsorbed by the lithium-sorbent material based on the received subset of neutrons; and
a controller comprising one or more processors configured to:
receive data from the one or more detectors based on the received subset of neutrons;
determine a concentration of lithium based on the data; and
determine an operational adjustment of the one or more adsorption beds, the lithium detection apparatus, or both, based on the determined concentration.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more detectors comprise gamma radiation detectors.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the operational adjustment is configured to remove the lithium-sorbent material from the one or more adsorption beds.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the operational adjustment is configured to modify a cycle time corresponding to exposure of the lithium-sorbent material to one or more fluids.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
adjust a position of the emission source from a first position to a second position, wherein the data corresponds to the first position; and
determine the concentration based on a ratio the data corresponding to the first position and an additional data set corresponding to the second position.

18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the emission source comprise neutron sources, and wherein the one or more detectors comprise neutron detectors.

19. The system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more detectors comprise a proportional counter, a scintillator detector, or a combination thereof.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Berheide Markus
• Miles Jeffrey
• Shampine Rod William
• Perroni Dominic Vincent

Classifications

• G01N23/09 Primary

  the radiation being neutrons · CPC title