Olympus portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analyzers provide high-performance, real-time geochemical data for rapid multielement characterization of soils, rocks, and ores. Advances in pXRF technology have improved the limits of detection and the number of elements measured while reducing analysis test times. For the coal industry, these advances make it possible to quickly estimate the ash content and other key constituents on site.
Introduction:
the use of pXRF in coal applications
The ability of pXRF technology to measure key light elements (namely sulfur (S), silicon (Si), and aluminum (Al)), has rendered the tool vital in day-to-day decision-making. Decisions are based on the direct measurement of sulfur and the ability to estimate both ashing content and calorific values based on the sum of the light and inorganic major element fraction, namely magnesium (Mg), silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and iron (Fe). Opportunities and applications of pXRF exist in both thermal and coking coal operations and processing. Additionally, pXRF measures over 30 elements instantly, enabling the trace element content to be characterized, the use of litho-geochemistry to correlate stratigraphy, and the identification of marker horizons within individual coal seams and surrounding geology. The use of pXRF can be beneficial across the entire mining value chain, beginning with exploration drilling activities, routine grade control operations in existing mines, as well as downstream mineral processing and final product delivery. |
The value of pXRF
Real-time data enables real-time decision-making, improving productivity and cost savings through better equipment and personnel utilization. The implementation of a successful pXRF program has been demonstrated across many routine mining activities including:
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Panoramic view of the giant Sebuku Open Cut Thermal Coal Mine in Southern Kalimantan, Indonesia. This mine is one of several operated by Sakari Resources in the region and shows the large scale and complex interaction of very large equipment and complicated multiseam geology. Olympus portable XRF (pXRF) offers many opportunities to aid rapid decision-making in material allocation, blending, and final delivery to sea barges that transport the coal to regional power stations.
Certified Reference Material | Mg (%) | Al (%) | Si (%) | P (%) | S (%) | K (%) | Ca (%) | Ti (%) | Fe (%) | Combined Elements | Lab Ash % | |||||||||
Lab | pXRF | Lab | pXRF | Lab | pXRF | Lab | pXRF | Lab | pXRF | Lab | pXRF | Lab | pXRF | Lab | pXRF | Lab | pXRF | |||
SARM-18 | 0.08 | 1.22 | 1.48 | 2.61 | 3.25 | 0.003 | 0.007 | 0.50 | 0.76 | 0.11 | 0.18 | 0.12 | 0.22 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.18 | 0.17 | 6.13 | ||
L/95966 | 0.07 | 1.21 | 1.23 | 2.04 | 1.86 | 0.018 | 0.022 | 0.36 | 0.44 | 0.15 | 0.21 | 0.18 | 0.28 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.50 | 0.64 | 4.76 | 9.35 | |
L/95967 | 0.09 | 2.44 | 2.55 | 3.10 | 2.99 | 0.082 | 0.079 | 0.34 | 0.31 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.74 | 0.92 | 0.12 | 0.14 | 0.50 | 0.57 | 7.59 | 15.94 | |
L/95968 | 0.12 | 0.11 | 1.11 | 1.11 | 1.90 | 1.64 | 0.027 | 0.028 | 0.31 | 0.34 | 0.19 | 0.29 | 0.11 | 0.17 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 1.06 | 1.43 | 5.18 | 9.33 |
L/95969 | 0.01 | 1.06 | 0.93 | 5.89 | 7.11 | 0.003 | 0.007 | 0.53 | 0.71 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.01 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.18 | 0.11 | 8.96 | 16.65 | ||
L/95970 | 0.01 | 1.04 | 1.00 | 3.19 | 3.37 | 0.009 | 0.017 | 0.54 | 0.75 | 0.05 | 0.08 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.05 | 0.06 | 0.41 | 0.49 | 5.77 | 10.76 | |
L/95971 | 0.08 | 2.00 | 2.09 | 3.50 | 3.62 | 0.009 | 0.011 | 0.28 | 0.37 | 0.11 | 0.12 | 0.12 | 0.15 | 0.10 | 0.11 | 0.34 | 0.40 | 6.87 | 13.90 | |
L/95972 | 0.05 | 0.95 | 0.89 | 3.98 | 4.66 | 0.027 | 0.030 | 0.40 | 0.57 | 0.13 | 0.18 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.24 | 0.20 | 6.63 | 12.42 | |
L/96047 | 0.03 | 1.34 | 1.36 | 1.95 | 1.57 | 0.009 | 0.021 | 0.23 | 0.23 | 0.02 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.09 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.10 | 0.03 | 3.41 | 8.05 | |
Ciuden | 0.15 | 0.12 | 1.88 | 1.95 | 2.83 | 2.73 | 0.100 | 0.094 | 0.59 | 0.62 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.92 | 1.39 | 0.13 | 0.15 | 0.29 | 0.26 | 7.35 | 14.55 |
El Cerrejon | 0.14 | 0.10 | 1.45 | 1.51 | 2.46 | 2.29 | 0.055 | 0.056 | 0.57 | 0.64 | 0.10 | 0.13 | 0.41 | 0.66 | 0.09 | 0.10 | 0.40 | 0.45 | 5.93 | 11.53 |
Sebuku | 0.13 | 1.48 | 1.71 | 2.38 | 2.21 | 0.027 | 0.042 | 0.40 | 0.54 | 0.09 | 0.13 | 0.29 | 0.53 | 0.14 | 0.17 | 0.38 | 0.46 | 5.80 | 10.94 | |
Socnica | 0.23 | 0.11 | 1.06 | 1.10 | 1.69 | 1.29 | 0.027 | 0.032 | 0.43 | 0.47 | 0.15 | 0.22 | 0.36 | 0.60 | 0.05 | 0.06 | 0.46 | 0.54 | 4.42 | 8.73 |
Grosvenor33 | 0.16 | 0.11 | 1.48 | 1.54 | 3.46 | 3.95 | 0.002 | 0.43 | 0.54 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.48 | 0.58 | 6.78 | 12.62 | ||
Grosvenor35 | 0.21 | 0.19 | 1.68 | 1.80 | 4.86 | 5.78 | 0.009 | 0.35 | 0.37 | 0.10 | 0.11 | 0.09 | 0.04 | 0.09 | 0.09 | 1.73 | 1.87 | 10.24 | 18.97 | |
Grosvenor38 | 0.12 | 0.20 | 2.79 | 2.78 | 14.41 | 15.50 | 0.004 | 0.28 | 0.26 | 0.22 | 0.12 | 0.04 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.14 | 0.05 | 18.99 | 41.22 | ||
Grosvenor42 | 0.07 | 0.33 | 0.08 | 2.60 | 2.68 | 0.001 | 0.49 | 0.75 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.13 | 0.18 | 0.02 | 0.11 | 0.04 | 3.75 | 7.60 | |||
GrosvenorSeg8 | 0.62 | 0.41 | 6.97 | 6.64 | 17.24 | 18.76 | 0.013 | -0.02 | 1.09 | 1.08 | 0.47 | 0.14 | 0.35 | 0.34 | 1.23 | 1.18 | 28.53 | 62.86 | ||
GrosvenorSeg10 | 0.66 | 0.56 | 8.00 | 8.00 | 28.46 | 27.54 | 0.00 | 1.69 | 1.74 | 0.28 | 0.47 | 0.45 | 1.03 | 1.01 | 39.31 | |||||
GrosvenorSeg11 | 1.03 | 6.81 | 7.96 | 10.40 | 12.61 | 0.020 | 0.00 | 1.28 | 1.27 | 7.57 | 8.85 | 0.24 | 0.26 | 9.52 | 9.63 | 41.62 | ||||
GrosvenorSeg12 | 1.67 | 6.14 | 5.93 | 20.95 | 18.75 | 0.045 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.94 | 4.43 | 5.56 | 0.35 | 0.34 | 5.71 | 5.97 | 37.54 | ||||
A1_0092A 003 | 0.25 | 0.38 | 9.62 | 9.27 | 18.94 | 20.10 | 0.030 | 3.96 | 1.77 | 1.77 | 0.15 | 0.48 | 0.51 | 3.62 | 3.16 | 35.22 | 75.72 | |||
A1_0092A 004 | 0.38 | 0.44 | 9.02 | 8.35 | 19.92 | 19.99 | 2.97 | 2.14 | 2.17 | 0.11 | 0.54 | 0.51 | 2.90 | 2.57 | 34.03 | 76.36 | ||||
A1_0092A 010 | 0.31 | 0.38 | 8.89 | 8.65 | 19.68 | 19.87 | 0.22 | 0.02 | 1.63 | 1.59 | 0.20 | 0.56 | 0.55 | 0.67 | 0.61 | 31.68 | 71.80 | |||
A1_0092A 012 | 0.13 | 0.26 | 2.20 | 2.75 | 5.68 | 6.37 | 0.182 | 0.182 | 0.76 | 1.00 | 0.35 | 0.43 | 0.45 | 0.59 | 0.17 | 0.19 | 0.79 | 0.93 | 12.70 | 21.78 |
A1_0092A 015 | 0.14 | 0.16 | 0.62 | 0.83 | 0.69 | 0.44 | 0.094 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.26 | 0.54 | 0.02 | 1.21 | 1.63 | 3.72 | 6.45 | ||||
A1_0092A 073 | 0.15 | 11.48 | 11.85 | 22.07 | 19.50 | 0.077 | 0.09 | -0.16 | 0.69 | 0.25 | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.46 | 0.38 | 32.39 | 80.76 | ||||
A1_0092A 126 | 0.68 | 0.56 | 1.03 | 0.57 | 0.052 | 0.041 | 0.41 | 0.42 | 0.05 | 0.01 | 8.70 | 10.46 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 4.77 | 4.70 | 16.81 | 32.91 | ||
ALD | 0.06 | 0.13 | 0.70 | 0.58 | 1.53 | 1.07 | 0.002 | 2.20 | 0.08 | 0.09 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.62 | 0.73 | 2.65 | 6.81 | |||
ATK | 0.07 | 1.23 | 0.96 | 2.92 | 2.08 | 0.004 | 3.59 | 0.19 | 0.14 | 0.03 | 0.06 | 0.04 | 1.61 | 1.80 | 5.02 | 12.76 | ||||
Bird R003 | 0.05 | 0.53 | 0.38 | 1.31 | 0.74 | 0.003 | 0.009 | 3.81 | 3.55 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.15 | 0.24 | 0.03 | 0.05 | 3.12 | 2.72 | 7.68 | 9.70 | |
UFRGS-1 | 0.22 | 8.32 | 8.35 | 16.64 | 17.35 | 0.011 | 2.00 | 0.80 | 0.61 | 1.19 | 0.98 | 0.38 | 0.42 | 2.01 | 1.83 | 29.53 | 66.00 | |||
UFRGS-2 | 0.21 | 8.17 | 7.38 | 14.41 | 14.22 | 0.008 | 3.71 | 0.75 | 0.55 | 0.35 | 0.33 | 3.31 | 3.10 | 25.02 | 65.11 | |||||
UFRGS-3 | 0.40 | 0.42 | 3.84 | 4.88 | 10.87 | 9.00 | 0.016 | 0.020 | 1.01 | 0.93 | 0.41 | 0.10 | 0.25 | 3.80 | 15.34 | 44.62 | ||||
UFRGS-4 | 0.18 | 4.38 | 3.27 | 8.44 | 8.64 | 0.018 | 0.013 | 3.75 | 3.66 | 0.79 | 0.88 | 0.30 | 0.18 | 0.32 | 8.17 | 16.66 | 44.98 | |||
SARM-19 | 3.86 | 4.01 | 6.38 | 6.19 | 0.010 | 0.018 | 1.36 | 1.18 | 0.18 | 0.08 | 0.90 | 1.18 | 0.18 | 0.18 | 1.11 | 1.05 | 13.87 | |||
SARM-20 | 5.42 | 5.65 | 7.52 | 7.61 | 0.050 | 0.039 | 0.46 | 0.20 | 0.11 | 1.22 | 1.52 | 0.35 | 0.34 | 0.75 | 0.65 | 16.02 |
Sebuku and Jembayan Mine Orientation StudiesThe world-class Sebuku and Jembayan Thermal Coal Mines are located in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Due to the remote location and large-scale operations, there was a requirement to conduct trials of new methods for determining coal classification more rapidly, in near real time. The pXRF orientation work was undertaken on pit-faces and material stockpiles to develop a method for estimating direct sulfur content and ashing yield as part of the routine run of mine (ROM) activities. Viable coal is then blended and washed onsite to obtain the correct quality before being loaded onto barges, where it is then shipped to large thermal coal stations in the region. Figure 3 shows some of the orientation data that was developed at the start of this project and exhibits good agreement between pXRF, sulfur, ashing content, and calorific value that was developed by the geology team at Sebuku and Jembayan. Figure 3. Data used to assess the usefulness of using pXRF at the Sebuku Mine. The top chart shows pXRF versus lab for direct sulfur content, the middle chart shows lab ash content versus lab Si + Al, and the lower graph illustrates the trend between lab ash content and calorific value (CV). |