A non-destructive core-logging instrument for measuring the chemical composition in split sediment cores

AVAATECH Analytical X-Ray Technology of Den Burg, The Netherlands, produce the XRF Core - Scanner in cooperation with The Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ).

Year by year increasing numbers of core samples of increasing lengths are recovered. They are collected at sea and on land and range from soft mud to hard sediment. Since collection of cores is expensive and as huge amounts of information may be derived from the cores, high-resolution core logging instruments are used to measure quickly and inexpensively parameters that can be used to select cores and/or samples from cores for further analysis or to study directly parameter patterns from the logged scans (click here to see example).

The XRF corescanner is a non-destructive logging instrument applying energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) for the determination of major element concentrations in split sediment core samples.It can be used shipboard, on land and in laboratories. From the chemical log the mineralogical composition and authigenic processes can be inferred. This information is essential for climatic research, sedimentological and geochemical studies, and for environmental studies to detect pollution. These logs can also be used by the oil, mining and construction industry. Moreover, with the highly automated XRF corescanner it is now possible to log the huge numbers of cores that are stored in core-repositories.

To guarantee safety the instrument is "plug and work" installed in a sea-going container. For heavy use, e.g. on shipboard, the cover and fitting of the core section in the core scanner is pneumatically manipulated. For use in laboratories, the logger itself will be installed. The irradiated specimen width is 10mm. The length can be set from 10 to 1 mm. The step scanning can be set with an accuracy of 1mm. For quick scan with a step size of 50mm it takes 10 min./m measuring time. For a detailed scan with a step size of 10mm it takes 30 min./m. Once set the measuring parameters the logger measures auto-maticallya complete core section. This will give, e.g. for a section of 1500mm that is measured with steps of 10 mm for 7 elements 1050 element concentrations.After the measurements the raw data is processed applying WINXRF software. The elements a given in counts/sec.

For more details and further information, please contact:
AVAATECH, Analytical X - Ray Technology, Wagenmakerstraat 11, 1791 EJ Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands

Tel:(31)(0) 222 - 313836 E-Mail: a.j.vaars@freeler.nl