ELECTRON MICROSCOPY PRODUCTS
Automatic mineral analyzers - TIMA
Currently, the importance of mineralogical characterization in the mining area is fully recognized. Its application is fundamental not only in the design phase of the mineral concentration circuit, but also extends to the quality control of concentrates, the adjustment of the circuit against variations in composition as extraction progresses in the mine and also to the prevention of environmental pollution. . .
Traditionally, the mineralogist relies on an optical microscope and a point counter to perform mineralogical characterization. However, an increasingly demanding mining industry coupled with the gradual disappearance of specialist mineralogists has contributed greatly to the development of new analysis techniques and to the evolution of existing, automatic mineral analyzers that combine imaging (morphology and grain size). ) with EDS microanalysis.
“By providing an alternative to optical microscope assessments, TIMA allows researchers to quickly locate minerals of specific importance and provides quantitative information on elemental composition and morphological characterization.”
The TESCAN TIMA (Tescan Integrated Mineral Analyzer) automatic analyzer provides a versatile solution for petrographers and geoscientists, allowing them to perform much of their analytical work in this single solution. TIMA produces highly accurate, high-quality chemical and mineral composition data, even for small element concentrations, to make rock classification and texture characterization quick and easy.
By using elemental analysis to provide quantitative data for mineral identification, TIMA provides objective, reproducible data you can trust. And to ensure that TIMA operators can work and work efficiently, the TIMA operating system features integrated workflows for specific applications, along with a database of virtually every mineral species approved by the International Mineralogical Association (around 5,000 entries). to perform the task.
In the field of petrography with these automatic mineral analyzers you can resolve and identify fine grains using high spatial resolution images and elemental analysis, in thermobarometry: obtain the coordinates of minerals or pairs of minerals selected for further analysis using EPMA, to:
– Geochronology: automated identification of minerals suitable for dating and detailed, automated cathodoluminescence imaging.
– Rock classification: Use a volumetric ratio of minerals to calculate the chemistry of rocks, including fine-grained or glass-bearing rocks.
– Automated search for petrogenetically significant phases based on their EDS signature or BSE brightness (REE, PGM, precious metals).
– Provenance studies applicable, for example, to mineral chemistry of the garnet or spinel group in sedimentary rocks or archaeological artifacts.
– Screening to select samples for subsequent analysis with other advanced techniques (EPMA, LA-ICP-MS).
– Quantification of porosity and pore association.
This equipment can be complemented with other techniques such as microCT or Electron Probe.
TIMA-X is an automated mineralogy system for rapid quantitative analysis of samples such as rocks, minerals, concentrates, tailings, leach residues or foundry products.
We can thus understand and predict the behavior of mineral particles throughout the processing plant, thanks to a detailed view of the degree of release both visually and quantitatively.
TESCAN TIMA is optimized for different mining, geoscience and petrography applications.
For Earth Science studies, TIMA provides an easy-to-use, automated mineralogy solution that makes petrography and microanalysis faster and more efficient. TESCAN TIMA is not only capable of handling compositional routines, but also determines the composition of grain populations, generating elemental maps of all detectable elements plus the coordinates of the elements of interest.
“By providing an alternative to optical microscope assessments, TIMA allows researchers to quickly locate minerals of specific importance and provides quantitative information on elemental composition and morphological characterization.”
When not used for automated mineralogy, TIMA is an autonomous and capable field emission barre electron microscope (FE-SEM).
Four EDS detectors, each with its own digital pulse processor, increase sample processing speed. TESCAN’s patented high-sensitivity spectral summation algorithm ensures accurate and reproducible quantification for low-abundance elements. Additionally, TESCAN TIMA adopts the ease-of-use principles of TESCAN’s Essence GUI, with automation scripts to guide unattended operation for faster processing and access to reproducible quantitative data. It has special software that can even indirectly detect compositions (elements) that EDS does not detect (when detecting minerals they may contain elements that EDS cannot detect, for example Be).
TESCAN solutions for mineral analysis – TIMA
TESCAN TIMA Mineralogy
The combined microanalysis and automated petrography solution for geoscientists.
TESCAN TIMA Petrography
The automated solution for particle-by-particle measurement of mineralogy, grind size, release and separation.