Today, XRD portable diffractometers make it easy to achieve accuracy close to or equal to that of equivalent laboratory equipment.
In many fields, especially metallurgy, the analyzed samples are homogeneous, and the only preparation is most often to clean the surface.
But, in other areas, samples are heterogeneous by nature (for example soil and mine applications), an accurate qualitative analysis may require a preliminary preparation phase.
In the example below (an enlargement of the screen with which you are currently viewing this page of our website ! ) You will see that the zone analyzed by a LIBS or XRF analyzer represents only a fraction of the image. (pixels) you see, and it could be complicated, if not impossible, to reconstruct the entire image from this small unrepresentative area.
By definition, powder XRD also need samples to be prepared, and a portable XRD indeed need tools to achieve this on-site
This is generally the same for most soil and mineral samples: the only surface area analyzed is rarely representative of the entire sample.
This sample preparation has now become the major difference between a laboratory analysis and a field analysis, and it is to answer that we offer dedicated XRD, LIBS and XRF sample preparation kits.
The Onscite kits have been developed by a team very experienced in field analysis. They are designed to be simple to manipulate and help you to easily obtain accurate in-situ analyzes in a stable manner over time.
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Portable Grinding Kit :
Impact crusher BCS-036, suitable for BOSCH portable angle grinder
Operates on batteries (BOSCH 18 Volts)
Particle size distribution after grinding: 125-250 μm typical
Ability to mix and grind 100 g of sample (8 mm particles) per cycle
Size and capacity: diameter 11.5 cm, height 6 cm (about 150 ml)
Allows the analysis of the obtained powder directly through a thin plastic bag (except light elements <Ca). For light elements, a pelletizing may be needed with the help of our dedicated field press)
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Rock Sampling Kit :
In some cases the grinding kit cannot be used, especially in front of rocks or too large samples.
Rock sampling kit BCS-033, adaptable on BOSH portable angle grinder
Operates on batteries (BOSCH 18 Volts)
Particle size distribution after grinding: 125-250 μm typical
Recovery of the sample powder directly into the test tube (50 ml)
Collects about 10 grams of sample in multiple areas in 45 to 60 seconds
Allows the analysis of the obtained powder directly through a thin plastic bag (except light elements <Ca). For light items, a pelletizing may be needed with the help of our dedicated field press.
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Field Pelletizing Kit
In the cases where you need to analyze the light elements <Ca (Si, Al, Mg, C, Li, B, Be, …) the BCS-10 Onscite Pelleting Kit will allow you to obtain the best possible results on site.
You can purchase it as an option with the rock sampling kit or the portable grinding kit.
Everything will be delivered in a briefcase containing everything you need for an analytical field preparation solution.
The pelletizing kit contains a XRF press and cups, as well as all necessary accessories. It is configurable according to your needs and the analyzed materials (Consult us).
As the field test with LIBS or XRF SciAps analyzers is non-destructive, you can also keep the pellets and cups made for later analysis.
