Iron Ore Mining and Grade Control

Using Thermo Scientific Portable XRF

Analyzers

Introduction industry worldwide, analyzing a broad range of

Iron (Fe) is the most common element, by mass, elements from magnesium (Mg) to uranium (U).
forming the planet Earth, and is the fourth most In particular, the handheld Thermo Scientific
common element found in the Earth’s crust. Niton XL3t GOLDD+ Series analyzer delivers
Because of its high concentration and the magnetic fast, accurate elemental analysis with unmatched
property of its oxide minerals – particularly efficiency for companies across all stages of mining
magnetite – the exploration and mining of Fe and exploration.
is easier than other base metals. One of the
Also available are Thermo Scientific sample
important features of iron ore is the presence of
collection and preparation tools, which deliver a
penalty elements, such as phosphorous (P) and
full lab-to-field solution for on-site XRF analysis.
aluminum (Al).
These compact, portable, battery-powered tools
provide everything required to handle the sample
collection and preparation of geological material
Application
for rapid elemental analysis in the field.
Portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) instruments
are successful in the exploration and mining of
iron ore deposits, as well as in grade control of
the penalty element concentrates. Because P and
Al are considered light elements, the need for a
more sensitive analysis is required. With Thermo
Scientific portable XRF analyzers, users are able to
use its “Light Filter” ability, which is specifically
designed to analyze these light elements.

Portable XRF Analyzers

Portable XRF is a technique that provides the
ability to deliver fast and accurate results with
little or no sample preparation in various stages
of mining activity – from grass root exploration
to ore grade control, and even environmental
investigations.
More than 3,000 Thermo Scientific portable XRF Figure 1. RC pulp sample is lightly pressed to make a flat surface for
instruments are used extensively in the mining analysis.

The handheld Thermo Scientific Niton XL3t GOLDD+ Series analyzers
deliver fast, accurate elemental analysis with unmatched efficiency
for companies across all stages of mining and exploration.
Methodology
Thirty five reverse circulation (RC) samples
were analyzed using a Niton XL3t XRF ®
analyzer. Commonly, in an RC drill, a pneumatic
reciprocating piston (hammer) drives a tungsten-
steel drill bit, which through the help of an air
compressor drying the material out, produces
rock chips that are returned to the surface. Sample
preparation, including crushing and pulverizing,
eliminates effects of sample heterogeneity and
improves the accuracy of portable XRF data. For
this study, each sample was analyzed both in RC
piles (chips are variable in grain size – starting at
10 mm in diameter) as well as in pulp specimen (see
Figure 1).
Because analysis is performed by making direct
contact with soft samples, the reading window
was checked for any contaminants following a
detector calibration. An SiO2 blank standard was
analyzed using Soil Mode, which measured a range
of elements from chlorine (Cl) to U. Any significant
readings of elements in this range would identify
contaminants on the window. Samples were
analyzed for 40 seconds (“Main” and “Low” filters
for 10 seconds each, and 20 seconds for the “High”
filter).
Results
The coefficient of determination, the R value, is a
2
measure of how closely the data sets correlate to
each other. A perfect correlation would have an
R value of 1. This study shows a high correlation
2
between the Niton XL3t analyzer data and the lab
data for Fe, manganese (Mn), and titanium (Ti), as
well as penalty elements, Si and Al (see Figures 2-4,
Table 1). P concentrations were below detection
limits in the analyzed samples. This investigation
also indicates the importance of sample preparation
in improving accuracy and precision of the
portable XRF assay. For example, correlation
with lab data increased from 0.8910 in the piled
samples to 0.9957 in the prepared, pulp specimen.
Similar improvements are seen in the penalty
elements as well.
Sample Fe Mn Ti Si Al
Type
Pile 0.8910 0.6912 0.9388 0.8251 0.8453
Pulp 0.9957 0.9976 0.9892 0.9903 0.8945
Table 1: Correlation (R ) between assay data from Thermo Scientific
2
Niton XL3t XRF analyzer and lab.
Conclusions
The results yielded by both the RC sample piles
and the pulps show strong correlations between
the portable XRF results and the lab data, which
indicates that portable XRF is a reliable, fast, and
effective tool for iron ore grade control and mining.
Such real time data can be crucial in helping
geologists to make decisions in the field, saving time
and money. The improved correlation data for the
RC pulp data versus the RC sample piles data set
suggests that better accuracy and precision can be
achieved through better sample preparation. The
fewer variables in the samples, the less error there
will be in the assay data. Our sample preparation
tool kits can be utilized to obtain pulverized
specimen from a variety of geological samples
ranging from chip rock to drill cores.
To discuss your particular applications and
performance requirements, or to schedule an
on-site demonstration, please contact your
local Thermo Scientific portable XRF analyzers
representative or contact us directly by email at
niton@thermofisher.com, or visit our website at
www.thermoscientific.com/niton.
Thirty five reverse circulation (RC) samples were analyzed on site
using a Thermo Scientific Niton XL3t XRF analyzer.
 70.00
Pulp
Lab Samples
vs Niton Pulp - Fe PilevsSamples
Lab Niton RC - Fe
70.00

60.00 60.00

50.00
y = 0.9376x + 0.7527 y = 0.9296x + 2.1503
50.00
R² = 0.9957 R² = 0.891
Fe (%) - Lab

Fe (%) - Lab
40.00
40.00

30.00
30.00

20.00
20.00

10.00
10.00

0.00
0.00
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Fe (%) - Niton XL3t 900 Fe (%) - Niton XL3t 900

Figure 2. Correlation between Fe values measured by portable XRF and lab in the pile and the prepared pulp samples. Note significant
improvement in R value in the prepared pulp samples.
2

Pulp
Lab Samples
vs Niton Pulp - Al Pile
Lab vs Samples
Niton RC - Al
25.00 25.00

20.00 20.00 y = 0.8361x - 0.1043

R² = 0.8453
y = 0.8295x - 0.0874
Al (%) - Lab

Al (%) - Lab

15.00
R² = 0.8945 15.00

10.00 10.00

5.00 5.00

0.00 0.00
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 0 5 10 15 20 25

-5.00 -5.00

Al (%) - Niton XL3t 900 Al (%) - Niton XL3t 900

Figure 3. Correlation between Al values measured by portable XRF and lab in the pile and the prepared pulp samples.

Pulp
Lab vs Samples
Niton Pulp - Si Pilevs Samples
Lab Niton RC - Si
35.00 35.00

30.00
30.00

y = 1.1044x - 1.1426 25.00 y = 1.5139x - 2.6623

R² = 0.8251
25.00
Si (%) - Lab

Si (%) - Lab

R² = 0.9903
20.00
20.00

Lab vs Niton Pulp - Si 15.00

Linear (Lab vs Niton Pulp - Si)
15.00

10.00

10.00

5.00

5.00

0.00
0 5 10 15 20 25

0.00
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 -5.00

Si (%) - Niton XL3t 900 Si (%) - Niton XL3t 900

Figure 4. Correlation between Si values measured by portable XRF and lab in the pile and the prepared pulp samples
 In addition to these
offices, Thermo Fisher
Scientific maintains a
network of representative
organizations
throughout the world.

Americas
Boston, MA USA
+1 978 670 7460
niton@thermofisher.com

Europe
Munich, Germany
+49 89 3681 380
niton.eur@thermofisher.com

Asia Pacific
New Territories, Hong Kong
+852 2885 4613
niton.asia@thermofisher.com

www.thermoscientific.com/niton

Rare Earth Elements (REE) measurable with either the Niton XL3t or the Niton XLp 522K

Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREE): Requires Niton XLp analyzer

Thermo Scientific Niton XRF analyzers are the ideal choice for measuring both light and heavy rare earth elements as well as providing reliable
results for a comprehensive range of key element groups for mineral exploration.

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