How compact XRF helps you achieve closer control of your cement processes
Cement producers are battling competing priorities. With high demand for their products and raw material deposits becoming increasingly variable, they need to maintain close control of the material characteristics of their raw mix and process lines to ensure consistent quality.
However, stringent regulations concerning measurement accuracy and precision add complexity to this already challenging task. This is because the feedback loop between a cement process line and a lab testing facility is often too long to enable timely decision-making at the production line.
Luckily, compact X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis with the Revontium benchtop XRF spectrometer can shrink this feedback loop, cutting costs and boosting production quality.
Precise analysis is paramount for quality and compliance
Fine-tuning your cement attributes requires precise control of key compounds like lime, silica, alumina, and iron oxide. Even deficiencies of minor compounds can affect the quality of your product – for instance, too much sulfur trioxide can lead to unsoundness in final cement mixtures.
XRF analysis is a reliable method for identifying and quantifying major and minor compounds in your mixture. It works by ‘exciting’ the atoms in a sample using X-rays and analyzing the fluorescence radiation emitted. It’s popular in cement production because of its simple sample preparation requirements, high accuracy, and high precision. Regulations like ASTM C114 and ISO 29581-2 stipulate the processes for carrying out these XRF measurements as well as how accurate these measurements must be.
Although traditional floor-standing XRF instruments deliver this precision and accuracy to the level required for compliance, they often do so by sacrificing overall analytical speed. This is because their larger infrastructure requirements mean they must be hosted at a lab, usually away from the process line. Compact solutions like the Revontium XRF spectrometer offer an on-site, and even at-line alternative.
Compact XRF gives you a closer look at your cement materials
With compact XRF analysis instruments like the Revontium benchtop analyzer, you can get closer to the process line than with traditional floor-standing systems, as the easy-to-use instrument can be used by technicians on-site.
Revontium also offers comparable accuracy and precision to floor-standing XRF instruments, delivering detailed insights into your materials that meet rigorous compliance standards.
This enables faster at-the-line decision making and better optimization. For example, if your Revontium instrument flagged that there was too much sulfur trioxide in your mixture, you could adjust your raw mix or introduce alkaline or calcium-based additives to neutralize this excess and protect the soundness of your final product.
Fast and accurate analysis using pressed pellets
XRF analysis is particularly sensitive to sample preparation. Although it can be used on many sample types, the mineralogical and particle size characteristics of your sample can affect how well the X-rays are absorbed by your materials. It is therefore important to optimize your sample to get the most accurate and precise analysis.
Pressed pellet sampling is one of the most well-established methods used for XRF, particularly in the cement industry. Compared to loose powder analysis, pressed pellets show a higher signal-to-noise ratio, allowing easier detection of the lightest elements.
Our scientists put Revontium benchtop XRF to the test using pressed pellet samples of 10 common cement oxides, repeated across 20 consecutive measurements. They found that the measurements showed strong dynamic precision, with relative RMS values of less than 1% for all 10 oxides. This shows that, even with the mineralogical effects that are common in powder standards, there is a strong correlation between the certified concentrations and those calculated using Revontium.
Each result was delivered in a measurement time of just 70 seconds, achieving overall sample throughput of 20 samples per hour. This evidences Revontium’s ability to reduce the feedback loop during cement processing, while delivering similar data quality to floor-standing wave-dispersive XRF instruments. Read the full application note here.
Method-compliant measurement of fused beads
An even more precise form of sample preparation for XRF analysis comes in the form of fused beads, which eliminate the physical attributes that can otherwise affect X-rays’ penetration into the sample and therefore deliver more reliable results.
Our scientists analyzed typical cement oxides in 28 certified reference materials (CRMs), which were prepared as fused bead samples following industry regulations ASTM C114, ISO 29581-2, and EN 196-2.
The results showed that in every case, the concentration differences between the CRMs and the measurement results were smaller than the differences permitted by the regulations. This shows that Revontium can deliver the highest class of compliance, precision, and accuracy when measuring key cement compounds.
Not only were the results accurate, but they were fast: the measuring time was just 10 minutes per sample, resulting in a throughput of five samples per hour. This analytical speed empowers process engineers and quality control experts with the precise and up-to-date insights they need for effective at-the-line decision making.
See the results for yourself by downloading the application note here.
Unlock endless possibilities with compact XRF
Putting the power of rapid and precise cement materials characterization into the hands of your on-the-ground technicians can be transformative for your processes.
To start shortening your feedback loop with Revontium, book a demo with one of our experts today.