How cement manufacturers can power up their elemental analysis
Every competitive advantage is crucial in the cement industry. In particular, there’s recently been a rising interest in the role that imperfections and amorphous regions play in determining the functional properties of crystalline materials like cement. No material is perfectly crystalline, and a deeper understanding of a cement’s atomic structure can be the key to new optimizations for the cement production process.
With the 1Der detector, the Aeris Cement X-ray diffraction instrument can provide this complete overview of cement materials without the need for additional analyses or filters, paving the way toward greater process optimization. Read on to find out how!
Why XRD can benefit from a helping hand
X-ray diffraction instruments like the Aeris Cement are commonly used in the cement analysis to screen the crystallinity of input like the raw material feed and clinker, or to monitor crystallization after processes such as passage through the kiln. With this information, plant managers can fine-tune the heat or time spent in the kiln, for example, to achieve their desired outcomes.
However, one obstacle has stood in the way of complete crystallinity characterization for XRD instruments: fluorescence. All elements fluoresce when irradiated with X-ray energy. In a diffraction measurement, this fluorescence can lead to unwanted background intensity, or ‘noise’, in a diffraction pattern.
A high background intensity makes it harder to detect low-intensity signals with XRD – yet these are the signals that can provide the finer details of cement atomic structure. Thankfully, there’s now a 1Der(ful) solution!
1Der does wonders for XRD
Available for Malvern Panalytical’s Empyrean, Zetium, and Aeris Cement XRD platforms, the 1Der detector is a silicon strip detector that greatly enhances these instruments’ signal-to-noise ratio. In this way, the 1Der enables the characterization of all crystalline structures in a material, not just the dominant ones.
For example, the acid dissociation constant (Kα) is a key measurement in defining crystallinity. During an XRD experiment, however, elements can emit signals of their Kα and base dissociation constant (Kβ). The difference in intensity between these signals can be minute, but if undifferentiated, the results will not be reliable, as only the Kα is of use.
The 1Der detector can suppress the Kβ radiation of select elements by setting a narrower bandwidth of energy discrimination. This ensures that other X-ray effects – such as fluorescence – do not obscure the signals that are essential to crystallinity characterization.
What this means for cement manufacturing
Previously, suppressing undesired signals like Kβ radiation on an XRD instrument required the use of dedicated filters. With 1Der, such filters aren’t needed – providing higher accuracy while saving the cost of purchasing filters and the time it takes to add them to the instrument.
By providing a more complete view of cement crystallinity, including even small amorphous regions, plant managers are equipped with better information that they can use to optimize cement processes even further. Operators can, for instance, control the pyro-processing of clays with confidence, guaranteeing proper calcination without the formation of high-temperature crystalline phases.
Crucially, the heightened sensitivity unlocked by the 1Der opens up the range of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) that can be used in cement manufacturing. Equipped with the 1Der, for instance, the Aeris Cement can rapidly quantify slag, calcined clays, and other mineral components found in CEM II cement with unparalleled accuracy.
With 1Der, Aeris is therefore ready to analyze a great variety of materials quickly and efficiently, providing manufacturers with key process optimization advantages.
Want to learn more about how the Aeris Cement and 1Der detector helps cement producers meet modern challenges? Sign up for our upcoming webinar on October 15!