Cone penetrometer utilizing an X-ray fluorescence metals sensor
US6097785A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 30, 1998 |
| Grant date | Aug 1, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 30, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2223/076
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A cone-tipped penetrometer for in situ analysis of soil or sediment by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Rather than using a radioactive source, a miniature x-ray tube is powered by a filament isolation transformer located inside the penetrometer pipe which has an outside diameter of about 2 inches or less. The x-rays pass out through a special x-ray transmissive window, such as a low metal impurity-containing high strength boron carbide, into the soil or sediment below the surface and the resulting x-rays from the metals in the soil or sediment return through the window to a detector. The signal is transmitted back up to the surface where the x-rays are quantitatively analyzed to determine the concentration of metals in the soil. This real-time in situ x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy of soil or sediment samples permits field analysis of hazardous waste sites and other underground soil and underwater sediments.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.