Ore grade analysis method and system

Abstract

The invention provides an ore grade analysis method. The ore grade analysis method comprises the following steps: generating an X-ray beam by utilizing a radiation source; x-ray beams are utilized to irradiate the ore, target element nuclides in the ore are excited to generate a nuclear resonance fluorescence effect, target characteristic gamma rays are emitted, and the energy of the X-ray beams is higher than the excitation energy of the target element nuclides; when the X-ray beam is utilized to irradiate the ore, a standard sample containing a reference nuclide is irradiated, the reference nuclide is excited to emit a reference characteristic gamma ray, and the reference nuclide is expressed as a nuclide with known content and known characteristic gamma ray energy; detecting the energy of a target characteristic gamma ray and the energy of a reference characteristic gamma ray; and determining the grade of the target element in the ore based on the energy of the target characteristic gamma ray and the energy of the reference characteristic gamma ray.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of ore analysis, and more particularly, to a method and system for analyzing the grade of ore. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the rapid development of the new energy vehicle and energy storage fields, the demand for lithium resources has been continuously increasing. Analyzing the lithium grade of lithium ore obtained on-site during exploration and mining is of great significance for improving the efficiency of lithium ore mining and significantly increasing the supply of lithium elements.

[0003] Currently, the methods for analyzing ore grade mainly include X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) and X-ray fluorescence diffraction (XRD). Among them, due to the relatively high measurement lower limit (about 1 keV), XRF cannot detect lithium elements (atomic number 3), and thus cannot analyze the grade of lithium ore; while XRD requires complex sample preparation and is affected by factors such as particle size, and usually needs to be completed in a professional laboratory, making it difficult to meet the requirements of real-time analysis on the ore mining site.

[0004] It should be noted that the above information disclosed in this part is only used for understanding the background of the inventive concept of the present disclosure. Therefore, the above information may include information that does not constitute the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present disclosure provides a method and system for analyzing the grade of ore, aiming to achieve rapid quantitative analysis of the grade of lithium elements in lithium ore at the ore exploration and mining site.

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for analyzing the grade of ore, including: generating an X-ray beam using a radiation source; irradiating the ore with the X-ray beam to excite the target element nuclide in the ore to produce a nuclear resonance fluorescence effect and emit target characteristic γ rays, where the energy of the X-ray beam is higher than the excitation energy of the target element nuclide; detecting the energy of the target characteristic γ rays; and determining the grade of the target element in the ore based on the energy of the target characteristic γ rays.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the nuclear resonance fluorescence reaction cross-section of the target element nuclide is higher than the nuclear resonance fluorescence reaction cross-section of other nuclides in the ore except the target element nuclide.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides an ore grade analysis method, including: generating an X-ray beam using a radiation source; irradiating the ore with the X-ray beam to excite the target element nuclide in the ore to produce a nuclear resonance fluorescence effect and emit target characteristic γ rays, where the energy of the X-ray beam is higher than the excitation energy of the target element nuclide; while irradiating the ore with the X-ray beam, irradiating a standard sample containing a reference nuclide to excite the reference nuclide to emit reference characteristic γ rays, where the reference nuclide is expressed as a nuclide with a known content and a known energy of the characteristic γ rays; detecting the energy of the target characteristic γ rays and the energy of the reference characteristic γ rays; and determining the grade of the target element in the ore based on the energy of the target characteristic γ rays and the energy of the reference characteristic γ rays.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, based on an energy spectrum detector to detect the energy of the target characteristic γ rays and the energy of the reference characteristic γ rays, the determining the grade of the target element in the ore, specifically including: using the energy spectrum detector to convert the energy of the target characteristic γ rays and the energy of the reference characteristic γ rays into the full-energy peak counts of the target nuclide characteristic γ rays and the full-energy peak counts of the reference nuclide characteristic γ rays respectively; calculating a first ratio of the full-energy peak counts of the target nuclide characteristic γ rays and the full-energy peak counts of the reference nuclide characteristic γ rays; and calculating the grade of the target element in the ore based on the first ratio and a preset calibration coefficient.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the setting method of the calibration coefficient includes: obtaining an ore sample with a standard target element grade and a reference sample with a reference element; irradiating the ore sample and the reference sample with an X-ray beam to obtain the full-energy peak counts of the characteristic γ rays of the standard target element and the full-energy peak counts of the characteristic γ rays of the reference element; calculating a second ratio of the full-energy peak counts of the characteristic γ rays of the standard target element and the full-energy peak counts of the characteristic γ rays of the reference element; and determining the calibration coefficient based on the proportional relationship between the second ratio and the ore grade of the target element.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the energy of the characteristic γ rays of the reference nuclide is lower than the energy of the target characteristic γ rays.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the change range of the energy of the characteristic γ rays of the reference nuclide under different environmental conditions does not exceed ±5%.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the reference nuclide does not produce an interference effect on the nuclides in the ore.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the energy spectrum detector is calibrated using the X-ray scattering signal in the ore, and / or the energy spectrum detector is calibrated using the energy of the reference characteristic γ rays.

[0015] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an ore grade analysis system, including: a radiation source for generating an X-ray beam to excite target element nuclides in the ore to produce a nuclear resonance fluorescence effect; an energy spectrum detector for detecting the energy of target characteristic γ-rays emitted by the target element nuclides and converting the energy of the target characteristic γ-rays into a target digital signal; a radiation shielding facility for shielding external radiation other than the target characteristic γ-rays around the radiation source and the energy spectrum detector; and a grade analysis module for processing the target digital signal to calculate the grade of the target element in the ore.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the system further includes: an ore conveying device for conveying the ore to the X-ray beam region generated by the radiation source such that the central position of the ore is located on the center line of the X-ray beam.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the radiation source includes an electron linear accelerator, and the energy provided by the electron linear accelerator is higher than the excitation energy of the target element nuclides.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the energy spectrum detector includes a scintillator, a photomultiplier tube, an amplifier, and a pulse analyzer. Among them, the scintillator is used to receive the target characteristic γ-rays and convert the target characteristic γ-rays into an optical signal; the photomultiplier tube is used to receive the optical signal and convert the optical signal into an electrical signal, and the photomultiplier tube can distinguish optical signals from different time periods; the amplifier is used to perform gain processing on the electrical signal to convert the electrical signal into a pulse signal; and the pulse analyzer is used to map the pulse signal to a corresponding energy value range to output the target digital signal.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the pulse analyzer converts the pulse signal into digital channels according to the Gaussian-type pulse amplitude, and the digital channels are proportional to the energy of the target characteristic γ-rays.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the energy spectrum detectors are symmetrically placed on both sides of the radiation source facing away from the X-ray beam, and the plane normal of the energy spectrum detector forms a 45-degree angle with the direction of the X-ray beam.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the radiation source is further configured to irradiate a reference sample containing a reference nuclide while irradiating the ore with the X-ray beam, so as to excite the reference nuclide to emit reference characteristic gamma rays, wherein the reference nuclide is expressed as a nuclide with a known content and a known energy of characteristic gamma rays; the energy spectrum detector is further configured to detect the energy of the reference characteristic gamma rays and convert the energy of the reference characteristic gamma rays into a reference digital signal; the grade analysis module determines the grade of the target element in the ore based on the target digital signal and the reference digital signal.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the target digital signal includes the full-energy peak count of the characteristic gamma rays of the target nuclide, and the reference digital signal includes the full-energy peak count of the characteristic gamma rays of the reference nuclide. The grade analysis module analyzes the ore grade by calculating the first ratio of the full-energy peak count of the characteristic gamma rays of the target nuclide to the full-energy peak count of the characteristic gamma rays of the reference nuclide.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the grade analysis module calibrates the energy of the energy spectrum detector using the X-ray scattering signal in the ore and / or using the energy of the reference characteristic gamma rays.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the energy spectrum detector and the radiation source are located on the same side of the ore with respect to the X-ray beam.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, based on the characteristics of the target element nuclide using the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect, it is possible to directly excite the nuclear resonance fluorescence signal of low atomic number elements such as lithium, which is suitable for the grade analysis of lithium ore; at the same time, this method and system can directly detect the ore sample without complex pretreatment processes, improving the operation convenience and efficiency, and is particularly suitable for on-site real-time analysis. Therefore, this method and system have significant advantages over traditional ore grade analysis methods in terms of sensitivity, real-time performance, accuracy, and operation simplicity, and are particularly suitable for the efficient detection of lithium ore grade, providing strong technical support for the efficient utilization of lithium resources. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings. Through the following description of the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings, the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become clearer. In the drawings:

[0027] Figure 1The figure shows a flowchart of an ore grade analysis method according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 2 The figure shows a flowchart of an ore grade analysis method according to some other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 3A Schematically shown is a full-energy peak schematic diagram of the scattered 511 keV X-ray signal of lithium ore according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the full-energy peak is derived from the measurement of the scattered signal of lithium ore by an energy spectrum detector in an actual experiment;

[0030] Figure 3B Schematically shown is a full-energy peak schematic diagram of the X-ray scattered signal of lithium ore according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the full-energy peak is the theoretical distribution of Monte Carlo simulation;

[0031] Figure 4 Schematically shown is a relationship diagram of the grade of lithium ore and the ratio of the full-energy peak of chlorine element according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 5 Schematically shown is the Monte Carlo simulation energy spectrum distribution diagram of nuclear fluorescence characteristic gamma rays ( 6 Li, 35 Cl);

[0033] Figure 6 The figure shows a schematic diagram of an ore grade analysis system according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0034] Figure 7 Schematically shown is a block diagram of an electronic device suitable for implementing the ore grade analysis method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that these descriptions are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In the following detailed description, for the sake of explanation, many specific details are set forth to provide a comprehensive understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, obviously, one or more embodiments can also be implemented without these specific details. In addition, in the following description, descriptions of well-known structures and technologies are omitted to avoid unnecessarily confusing the concepts of the present disclosure.

[0036] The terms used herein are merely for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The terms "including", "comprising" and the like used herein indicate the presence of the described features, steps, operations and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations or components.

[0037] All terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the meanings commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, unless otherwise defined. It should be noted that the terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the context of this specification, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly rigid manner.

[0038] In cases where expressions similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." are used, generally, it should be interpreted according to the meaning commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art (for example, "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" should include, but not be limited to, a system having only A, only B, only C, having A and B, having A and C, having B and C, and / or having A, B, and C, etc.).

[0039] It should be noted that in this article, ore grade analysis refers to the process of measuring the content or concentration of target elements or compounds in ore through physical or other technical means to determine the economic value and mining potential of the ore. Ore grade is a key indicator for evaluating the quality and economic value of ore, and is usually expressed as the mass percentage (such as %) of the target element or per unit mass (such as grams / ton).

[0040] Hereinafter, taking the method and system for analyzing the grade of lithium ore as an example, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0041] In the wave of automotive electrification, the demand and price of lithium batteries have been increasing year by year. The main storage forms of lithium elements contained in lithium batteries are mainly salt lake brine and lithium ore. Among them, the storage amount of lithium elements in salt lake brine accounts for about 60%, and the storage amount of lithium elements in lithium ore accounts for about 30%. However, due to the slightly lower mining efficiency and lithium grade of salt lake brine compared to lithium ore, each of salt lake brine and lithium ore accounts for about 50% in the final supply source of lithium elements.

[0042] The existing lithium ore grades with industrial mining value (calculated as Li 2 2O) are usually between 1% and 2%. Ores with a grade higher than 2% are usually called lithium concentrates. For example, pegmatite ores usually contain a relatively high lithium grade. The deposits that can provide high-quality lithium ores in the world are mainly distributed in Australia and Africa. Lithium ore deposits usually occur as a long and narrow ore belt. Therefore, analyzing the lithium grade of lithium ore obtained at the exploration and mining sites is of great significance for improving the mining efficiency of lithium ore and significantly increasing the supply of lithium elements.

[0043] At present, the methods for ore grade analysis mainly include two analysis methods: XRF and XRD. Among them: XRF irradiates nuclides with kilovolt-level X-rays, so that the extranuclear electrons are excited and characteristic X-rays are generated during the de-excitation process, thereby realizing the detection of element composition; XRD analyzes the ore composition by pulverizing the ore sample and using the X-ray diffraction characteristics. Among them, the particle size and uniformity of the sample will have a significant impact on the results.

[0044] The applicant has found through research that the existing methods for ore grade analysis have obvious limitations in the grade analysis of lithium ore. Specifically, because the measurement lower limit of XRF is 1 keV, it is applicable to detecting elements with atomic numbers of 11 (Na) and above, while the atomic number of lithium element is only 3 and cannot be effectively detected by XRF; and XRD has high requirements for sample preparation and is significantly affected by particle size. It is not only complex to operate, but also difficult to adapt to on-site instant analysis. In addition, both XRF and XRD lack real-time performance, and the analysis equipment is expensive and the operation cost is high, and their applicability in the complex environment of ore mining is poor. These defects make the existing technology unable to meet the requirements of lithium ore grade analysis for high efficiency, real-time performance and reliability, thus affecting the lithium ore mining efficiency.

[0045] Based on this, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for ore grade analysis, including: generating an X-ray beam using a radiation source; irradiating the ore with the X-ray beam to excite the target element nuclide in the ore to generate a nuclear resonance fluorescence effect and emit target characteristic γ-rays, wherein the energy of the X-ray beam is higher than the excitation energy of the target element nuclide; detecting the energy of the target characteristic γ-rays; and determining the grade of the target element in the ore based on the energy of the target characteristic γ-rays.

[0046] In this embodiment, by using the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect based on the characteristics of the target element nuclide, the nuclear resonance fluorescence signal of low atomic number elements such as lithium can be directly excited, which is applicable to the grade analysis of lithium ore; at the same time, this method can directly detect the ore sample without complex pretreatment processes, improving the operation convenience and efficiency, and is especially suitable for on-site real-time analysis. Therefore, this method has significant advantages over the traditional ore grade analysis method in terms of sensitivity, real-time performance, accuracy and operation simplicity, and is especially suitable for the high-efficiency detection of lithium ore grade, providing strong technical support for the high-efficient utilization of lithium resources.

[0047] Figure 1 The flowchart of the ore grade analysis method according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Referring to Figure 1 , the ore grade analysis method 100 of this embodiment includes operation S110 to operation S140.

[0048] In operation S110, an X-ray beam is generated using a radiation source.

[0049] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, to ensure detection sensitivity, the radiation source needs to generate sufficient X-ray flux to excite a sufficient number of target nuclides to emit characteristic γ-rays, thereby providing a high signal intensity. At the same time, the radiation source needs to have a highly stable beam intensity to avoid inaccurate measurement results caused by beam fluctuations. In addition, the X-ray beam needs to uniformly cover the entire target area of the ore sample to avoid introducing measurement errors due to uneven irradiation.

[0050] In a dynamic analysis scenario, the radiation source also needs to support a trigger signal synchronized with the energy spectrum detector to ensure that the detector can collect characteristic γ-ray data in real time during beam irradiation, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio. Specifically, the beam emission and beam stop of the radiation source should have high-precision control capabilities to meet the requirements of rapid switching and thus satisfy diverse analysis scenarios.

[0051] In operation S120, the ore is irradiated with an X-ray beam to excite the target element nuclides in the ore to produce nuclear resonance fluorescence effect and emit target characteristic γ-rays, where the energy of the X-ray beam is higher than the excitation energy of the target element nuclides.

[0052] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, by irradiating the ore with an X-ray beam, it is possible to excite the target element nuclides in the ore to produce nuclear resonance fluorescence effect (Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence, NRF) and emit target characteristic γ-rays. Nuclear resonance fluorescence effect is a physical phenomenon of the resonant interaction between high-energy X-rays and atomic nuclei. In this process, the energy of the high-energy X-ray matches the resonance energy level of the target nuclide, causing the target nuclide to jump to a specific excited state. Subsequently, the excited nuclide quickly de-excites to the ground state, accompanied by the emission of characteristic γ-rays with a specific energy. This characteristic γ-ray has the uniqueness of fixed energy and can be used as a fingerprint signal of the target element, thereby realizing the unique identification of the element.

[0053] That is to say, in order to achieve efficient and accurate analysis of the grade of lithium ore, the embodiment of the present disclosure introduces a detection method based on nuclear resonance fluorescence effect. The nuclear resonance fluorescence effect realizes the unique identification of elements by inducing the target nuclides to emit γ-rays with specific energies, and at the same time reduces the interference of other nuclides on the signal, providing the possibility for improving detection sensitivity and accuracy. Specifically, aiming at the limitations of the existing XRF and XRD analysis methods, the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect does not rely on the change of electron orbits, but breaks through the limitation of the atomic number of elements by traditional methods by exciting specific energy levels of target element nuclides, and is especially suitable for detecting elements with low atomic numbers such as lithium (atomic number 3), while XRF cannot effectively analyze lithium elements due to the limitation of the lower limit of energy measurement.

[0054] Furthermore, the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect, combined with high-energy X-rays and an energy spectrum detector, can achieve real-time analysis of lithium ore at the mine site. Compared with the limitation of XRD that requires complex sample preparation, the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect method does not require sample preparation and can respond in real time to the demand for lithium ore grade analysis at the site of lithium ore exploration and mining.

[0055] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, in order to effectively excite the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect of the target nuclide, the energy of the X-ray beam needs to be higher than the excitation energy of the target nuclide. At the same time, to avoid unnecessary background radiation caused by too high energy, the energy of the radiation source should be slightly higher than the excitation energy. For example, for the lithium nuclide 6 Li, its excitation energy is 3.56 MeV, and the appropriate radiation source energy can be set to 4 MeV to achieve a stable and efficient excitation effect.

[0056] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the probability of the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect can be quantified by the theoretical reaction cross-section of the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect. The theoretical reaction cross-section of the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect represents the effective cross-sectional area when high-energy X-rays resonate with the target nuclide, and the target nuclide is excited to a high energy level and then de-excites to emit characteristic γ-rays. This cross-section value reflects the probability of the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect occurring, and its value can be calculated according to the Breit-Wigner formula:

[0057] (1)

[0058] (2)

[0059] Where , represents the spectral broadening of atomic thermal effects (~20 eV magnitude), is the reduced Planck constant, c is the speed of light, is the characteristic γ-ray energy, is the broadening of the nuclear characteristic γ-ray resonance peak, is the Boltzmann constant, T is the absolute temperature, M is the nuclear mass, J is the spin angular momentum of the excited state, is the spin angular momentum of the ground state.

[0060] Taking lithium ore as an example, the theoretical reaction cross-sections of nuclear resonance fluorescence effects for lithium ore and common nuclides are shown in Table 1. It can be seen from Table 1 that 6 the nuclear resonance fluorescence reaction cross-section of the Li nuclide is significantly higher than that of other nuclides ( 6 except for the Li nuclide in lithium ore 23 Na, 27 Al and 35The nuclear resonance fluorescence reaction cross section of Cl) indicates that it is more easily excited and produces characteristic γ-rays, thus improving the sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio for detecting lithium element signals. 6 The characteristic γ-ray energy emitted by the Li nuclide is 3.56 MeV, which is different from the energies of nuclides such as Na and Al; while in lithium ore 28 The lowest characteristic γ-ray energy of Si is 6.88 MeV, which is 6 significantly different from the characteristic γ-ray energy of Li, making 6 the γ-ray signal of Li easily identifiable by the detector with less interference. Therefore, 6 Using the Li nuclide as the target element nuclide of lithium ore can significantly reduce the interference of other nuclide signals, contributing to improving the signal-to-noise ratio and accuracy of lithium ore grade analysis.

[0061] Table 1 Theoretical reaction cross section table of nuclear resonance fluorescence effect for lithium ore and common nuclides

[0062]

[0063] That is to say, the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect has the following significant technical advantages: First, the high selectivity of the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect makes 6 the characteristic γ-rays (3.56 MeV) emitted by the Li nuclide significantly different in energy from the characteristic γ-rays of other common nuclides, easy to identify, and effectively reducing signal interference. Second, the theoretical reaction cross section of the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect shows that 6 the excitation probability of Li is much higher than that of other nuclides in the ore, further improving the sensitivity of lithium element detection. In addition, this effect is directly related to the nuclear energy level and is applicable to detecting lithium elements with low atomic numbers, having a wider applicability compared with traditional methods.

[0064] In operation S130, detect the energy of the target characteristic γ-rays.

[0065] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the energy of the target characteristic γ-rays can be captured and measured by an energy spectrum detector, providing a data basis for grade analysis. Specifically, a high-sensitivity energy spectrum detector can be used to detect the target characteristic γ-rays. The high-sensitivity energy spectrum detector converts the energy of the γ-rays into an electrical signal, which is amplified and digitally processed to generate data.

[0066] In operation S140, based on the energy of the target characteristic γ-rays, determine the grade of the target element in the ore.

[0067] Specifically, the concentration of the target element can be directly calculated by analyzing the full-energy peak count of the target characteristic γ-ray, i.e., the absolute measurement method. For example, combining the known X-ray flux, nuclear reaction cross-section, detector efficiency, and experimental geometry conditions, the number of target nuclides is deduced; through the number of target nuclides and their relative atomic masses, the mass of the target element in the sample is calculated; and the mass of the target element is converted into the mass percentage (grade) of the ore sample. Among them, the full-energy peak is the signal peak formed by the characteristic γ-ray emitted by the target nuclide in the energy spectrum detector, and its count (i.e., signal intensity) is proportional to the number of target nuclides.

[0068] 6 Full-energy peak count of the 3.56 MeV characteristic γ-ray of the Li nuclide As shown in the calculation formula (3):

[0069] (3)

[0070] Where m is the mass of lithium element in the lithium ore, M mol is the molar mass of the lithium element, η is 6 the abundance of the Li nuclide, N γ is the number of photons with the same energy as the characteristic γ-ray irradiated by the accelerator onto the ore, σ NRF is the nuclear resonance reaction cross-section of the lithium element, p d is the ratio of the solid angle subtended by the lithium ore at the energy spectrum detector to the 4π solid angle, 1 - p a is the escape efficiency of the characteristic γ-ray by the lead shield at the detector entrance, 1 - p b is the escape efficiency of the characteristic γ-ray by the lithium ore itself, p γ is the full-energy peak measurement efficiency of the energy spectrum detector for the characteristic γ-ray.

[0071] It should be noted that the full-energy peak count is the signal intensity of the target γ-ray actually detected in the energy spectrum detector, which is a measured value. However, the theoretical formula (3) provides a physical interpretation framework to help understand the source of the measured value, as well as for calibrating experimental conditions and analyzing errors. By accurately measuring the above parameters, the number of target nuclides in the lithium ore can be directly calculated using formula (3), and then the total mass of the target element can be calculated through the number of this nuclide and its relative atomic mass. Finally, the mass of the target element is converted into the mass percentage of the ore sample, i.e., the grade.

[0072] In one embodiment, through measurement, it can be obtained that 6 the full-energy peak count of the 3.56 MeV characteristic γ-ray of the Li nuclide, and by combining the known X-ray flux, nuclear reaction cross-section, and detector efficiency, the number of target nuclides can be calculated. Further, by combining with the molar mass of Li and 6Combined with the nuclide abundances of Li, the total mass of lithium in the ore can be deduced and finally converted into a grade percentage.

[0073] It should be noted that the measurement and calculation methods defined herein do not mean a limitation on the absolute measurement method. Those skilled in the art should know that all methods that can achieve similar accuracy or reliability, as long as they can achieve the technical effects required by this disclosure, should be regarded as equivalent embodiments of this disclosure. For example, the absolute measurement method can also be designed to use a pre-calculated standard table. By performing detailed measurements on a series of standard samples under laboratory conditions and establishing the correspondence between the full-energy peak counts of the target nuclide and the actual grade, a standard table can be formed.

[0074] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, based on the 6 characteristics of the Li nuclide in lithium ore, the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect can be used to directly excite 6 the nuclear resonance fluorescence signal of Li, which is suitable for grade analysis of lithium ore; by combining high-energy X-rays and an energy spectrum detector, the nuclear resonance fluorescence effect can quickly extract the grade signal of lithium ore, meeting the real-time detection requirements at the mine site. In addition, the method of directly calculating the grade of the target element by detecting the energy of the target characteristic γ-ray and combining system parameters does not rely on external reference samples and is completely deduced based on a theoretical model, suitable for high-precision analysis.

[0075] For the above embodiment, the applicant further found through research that for the absolute measurement method of ore grade analysis, it is necessary to accurately measure multiple parameters such as X-ray flux, detector efficiency, and nuclear reaction cross-section. These measurement processes themselves will introduce large systematic errors. Especially when the accelerator energy and dose rate fluctuate, the accuracy of the measurement results may be severely affected. Environmental conditions (such as temperature and pressure) also have a significant impact on detector efficiency and measurement accuracy, requiring additional calibration. Therefore, it is difficult to meet the high requirements for accuracy and reliability in lithium ore grade analysis only by relying on the absolute measurement method.

[0076] To solve this problem, a relative measurement method can be adopted. That is, by introducing a reference nuclide and simultaneously measuring the ratio of the full-energy peak counts of the nuclear resonance fluorescence characteristic γ-rays of the lithium ore and the sample containing the reference nuclide, the systematic errors introduced by fluctuations in the incident X-ray flux or energy can be effectively avoided.

[0077] Figure 2 shows a flowchart of an ore grade analysis method according to some other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 2 , the ore grade analysis method 200 of this embodiment includes operations S210 to S250.

[0078] In operation S210, an X-ray beam is generated using a radiation source.

[0079] In operation S220, the ore is irradiated with an X-ray beam to excite the target element nuclide in the ore to produce a nuclear resonance fluorescence effect and emit target characteristic γ-rays, wherein the energy of the X-ray beam is higher than the excitation energy of the target element nuclide.

[0080] In operation S230, while irradiating the ore with the X-ray beam, a standard sample containing a reference nuclide is irradiated to excite the reference nuclide to emit reference characteristic γ-rays, wherein the reference nuclide is expressed as a nuclide with a known content and a known energy of characteristic γ-rays.

[0081] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, "simultaneous irradiation" means that the target ore and the reference sample are irradiated with the X-ray beam within the same time window, so that the emission and measurement of the characteristic γ-rays of both are in a completely synchronous state, ensuring that the characteristic γ-ray signals of the ore sample and the reference sample are excited and detected in exactly the same environment, and the systematic error caused by experimental condition differences can be reduced. Specifically, the same radiation source can be used to generate the X-ray beam, and the ore sample and the reference sample are irradiated simultaneously by geometric beam splitting or uniform diffusion of the irradiation area; and / or, the trigger signal output by the radiation source is synchronized with the data acquisition system of the energy spectrum detector to ensure synchronous detection of the characteristic γ-rays of both during irradiation.

[0082] In another embodiment, a ray homogenization device (such as a collimator or a scatter plate) can also be used to process the X-ray beam to ensure a uniform intensity distribution of the beam within the irradiation area.

[0083] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the selection of the reference nuclide can be based on the following conditions:

[0084] 1) The energy of the characteristic γ-ray of the reference nuclide should be slightly lower than 6 the energy of the characteristic γ-ray of 6 Li (3.56 MeV) to avoid bringing additional background interference to the signal detection of 6 Li. For example, the energy of the characteristic γ-ray of the reference nuclide is lower than the energy of the target characteristic γ-ray, and the difference does not exceed 0.6 MeV;

[0085] 2) The reference nuclide should not be significantly present in the lithium ore to prevent the lithium ore itself from interfering with the γ-ray measurement of the reference nuclide. The lithium ore usually contains oxides such as SiO 2 、Al 2 O 3 、Fe 2 O 3 、Na 2 O, etc.;

[0086] 3) The substance containing the reference nuclide should have high chemical stability and not undergo physical or chemical changes due to environmental conditions (such as temperature, humidity) changes. For example, the change range of the characteristic γ-ray energy of the reference nuclide under different environmental conditions does not exceed ±5%;

[0087] 4) The reference nuclide and its compounds should be easily accessible and have low costs to reduce the complexity and cost of engineering implementation and support large-scale applications.

[0088] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, selecting 35 the Cl nuclide as the reference nuclide is a relatively optimal solution. 35 The characteristic γ-ray energy of the nuclear resonance fluorescence of Cl is 3.0 MeV, its natural abundance is high (75.76%), and the chemical properties of chlorides are stable and easily accessible, which can well meet the above conditions.

[0089] In operation S240, the energy of the target characteristic γ-ray and the energy of the reference characteristic γ-ray are detected.

[0090] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an energy spectrum detector is used to detect the energy of the target characteristic γ-ray and the energy of the reference characteristic γ-ray.

[0091] Furthermore, since the signal output by the energy spectrum detector (such as pulse amplitude or channel number) is a physical quantity proportional to the γ-ray energy, before using the energy spectrum detector for detection, the correspondence between the energy and the signal in the energy spectrum detector can be established through energy calibration first to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the detector measurement results.

[0092] Figure 3A Schematically shows the full-energy peak schematic diagram of the X-ray scattering signal of lithium ore according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, where the full-energy peak is derived from the measurement of the scattering signal of lithium ore by the energy spectrum detector in actual experiments. Figure 3B Schematically shows the full-energy peak schematic diagram of the X-ray scattering signal of lithium ore according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, where the full-energy peak is the theoretical distribution of Monte Carlo simulation.

[0093] Combined with reference to Figure 3A and Figure 3B , Figure 3A and Figure 3BRevealed the full-energy peak characteristics of the X-ray scattering signal of lithium ore from two dimensions of experiment and simulation respectively. The experimental measurement of the full-energy peak reflects the physical characteristics under real conditions, while the simulated full-energy peak provides comparison and support for the experimental data through theoretical modeling. Through the analysis of the X-ray scattering signal of lithium ore, it is found that there is a very obvious 511 keV positron annihilation radiation peak in the X-ray scattering energy spectrum of lithium ore. This radiation peak originates from the γ-ray generated during the annihilation process of positrons and electrons, and has the characteristics of stability and easy identification.

[0094] In this embodiment, the radiation energy of the 511 keV positron annihilation radiation peak can be used as one of the calibration points for the energy calibration of the energy spectrum detector. The 511 keV radiation peak has obvious peak position characteristics and high stability, and can be used as a reference point for energy calibration.

[0095] Furthermore, the characteristic γ-ray energy of the reference nuclide (such as 35 Cl) is 3.0 MeV, and its peak position appears as another known high-energy point in the energy spectrum detector. Therefore, the 35 characteristic γ-ray full-energy peak of Cl can also be combined with the 511 keV positron annihilation radiation peak for the energy calibration of the energy spectrum detector, forming two calibration points of low energy and high energy to cover the main working range of the energy spectrum detector.

[0096] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the calibration of traditional energy spectrum detectors usually requires an additional standard radiation source to provide γ-rays with known energy for calibration. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure realize the energy calibration process of the energy spectrum detector by directly using the natural radiation characteristics of the ore and the known characteristic γ-ray energy of the reference nuclide, eliminating the use of additional radiation sources, simplifying the experimental operation and reducing the cost.

[0097] In operation S250, based on the energy of the target characteristic γ-ray and the energy of the reference characteristic γ-ray, determine the grade of the target element in the ore.

[0098] According to formula (3), similarly, the full-energy peak count of the known reference 35 Cl nuclide 3.0 MeV characteristic γ-ray can be calculated, and the lithium element grade can be further calculated based on the first ratio of the full-energy peak counts of the two. Among them, by dividing the full-energy peak count of the 3.56 MeV characteristic γ-ray of the 6 Li nuclide by the full-energy peak count of the 3.0 MeV characteristic γ-ray of the 35 Cl nuclide, the relative measurement method can eliminate the two systematic errors of accelerator energy and dose rate during the experimental measurement process to improve the measurement accuracy of the lithium ore grade. The calculation formula of the lithium ore grade c is as shown in (4), and its measurement error is mainly affected by the 6 Li nuclide and 35Effect on the full-energy peak count of characteristic γ-rays of Cl nuclide:

[0099] (4)

[0100] Where m is the mass of lithium element in the lithium ore, is the total mass of the lithium ore, is the total mass of 35 Cl in the chlorine-containing compound, is 6 the full-energy peak count of the characteristic γ-ray spectrum of is 35 the full-energy peak count of the characteristic γ-ray spectrum of Cl nuclide, and k is the calibration coefficient obtained from the standard-grade lithium ore sample and the known chlorine-containing compound sample.

[0101] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the calibration coefficient is used to establish an accurate mathematical relationship between the full-energy peak count of the characteristic γ-rays of the target element and the ore grade, so as to achieve high-precision grade analysis.

[0102] Specifically, the method for setting the calibration coefficient may include: preparing an ore sample with a known standard target element grade (for example, lithium ore with a known grade) and a reference sample with a known reference element content (for example, stable chloride-containing NaCl). These samples are used to provide known outputs of the characteristic γ-rays of the target element and the reference element for subsequent calculation of the calibration coefficient.

[0103] Furthermore, irradiate the ore sample and the reference sample with an X-ray beam to obtain the full-energy peak count of the characteristic γ-rays of the standard target element and the full-energy peak count of the characteristic γ-rays of the reference element (the full-energy peak count here reflects the relative response intensity of the target nuclide and the reference nuclide under the same experimental conditions); calculate the second ratio of the full-energy peak count of the characteristic γ-rays of the standard target element and the full-energy peak count of the characteristic γ-rays of the reference element. Based on the proportional relationship between the second ratio and the ore grade of the target element, determine the calibration coefficient.

[0104] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the ratio between the full-energy peak count of the characteristic γ-rays of the lithium element and the full-energy peak count of the characteristic γ-rays of the reference element shows a linear relationship with the lithium ore grade, and the calibration coefficient k is a constant obtained by fitting the ratio of the full-energy peak counts measured from the standard-grade lithium ore sample and the reference sample and the actual grade.

[0105] Figure 4 Schematically shows a relationship diagram of lithium ore grade and chlorine element full-energy peak ratio according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0106] Reference Figure 4It can be seen that there is a good positive linear correlation between the lithium ore grade and the ratio of the full-energy peak, with a high precision of linear fitting. The data points are evenly distributed near the fitting line, indicating that the experimental measurement values have high accuracy and repeatability. Through the positive proportional relationship between the ratio of the full-energy peaks of the two elements and the lithium ore grade, the calibration coefficient k in formula (4), that is, the slope of this fitting line, can be obtained by fitting calculation.

[0107] Figure 5 Schematically shows the Monte Carlo simulation energy spectrum distribution of the characteristic γ-rays of nuclear fluorescence ([ 6 Li, 35 Cl).

[0108] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, after the energy calibration of the energy spectrum detector is completed based on the positron annihilation radiation peak (511 keV), the corresponding relationship between the digital channel number and the γ-ray energy can be established. Specifically, the digital channel number output by the detector can be converted into the true energy through the calibration formula. The calibration formula is expressed as:

[0109] E = a×D + b (5)

[0110] Wherein, E is the energy value, D is the channel number, and a and b are calibration coefficients.

[0111] Based on the energy calibration formula, it is possible to calculate 6 Li, 35 the measurement center channel number corresponding to the characteristic γ-rays of the Cl nuclide, that is, it identifies 6 Li, 35 the specific position of the characteristic γ-rays of the Cl nuclide in the energy spectrum distribution.

[0112] During the signal processing, the energy spectrum data can be fitted by analysis software (such as Roofit, ROOT or Python). The full-energy peak signal is usually fitted using a Gaussian distribution or a Breit-Wigner distribution, while the background signal can be modeled using a polynomial distribution to deduct noise interference. The fitting process includes selecting the energy range of the target γ-ray, fitting the full-energy peak signal and the background signal simultaneously, separating the full-energy peak intensity, and further calculating the full-energy peak count and , that is, the Monte Carlo simulation energy spectrum distribution of the characteristic γ-rays of nuclear fluorescence ([ Figure 5 Li, 6 Li, 35 Cl) as shown.

[0113] Based on the above ore grade analysis method, embodiments of the present disclosure also provide an ore grade analysis system. It should be noted that, without conflict, the content and features described above can be combined in the various embodiments described below. For the sake of saving space, they will not be repeatedly described in the following embodiments. For example, the setting method of the calibration coefficient applied in the ore grade analysis method, the energy calibration method of the energy spectrum detector, etc. can also be applied to the process of ore grade analysis by the ore grade analysis system.

[0114] Figure 6 FIG. shows a schematic diagram of an ore grade analysis system according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0115] Reference Figure 6 , in some exemplary embodiments, the ore grade analysis system 600 may include: a radiation source 601 for generating an X-ray beam to excite the target element nuclide in the ore S to produce a nuclear resonance fluorescence effect; an energy spectrum detector 602 for detecting the energy of the target characteristic γ-ray emitted by the target element nuclide and converting the energy of the target characteristic γ-ray into a target digital signal; a radiation shielding facility 603 for shielding external radiation other than the target characteristic γ-ray around the radiation source and the energy spectrum detector; and a grade analysis module 604 for processing the target digital signal to calculate the target element grade in the ore S.

[0116] In some embodiments, an electron linear accelerator may be used as the radiation source 601. An electron linear accelerator (Linear Accelerator, abbreviated as Linac) is a device that accelerates electrons along a straight path through electromagnetic waves. Its working principle is as follows: The electron gun serves as the electron source, and free electrons are released by heating the cathode or field emission to form an initial electron beam. The electron beam enters an accelerating tube composed of multiple cavity structures, and these cavities are loaded with high-frequency electromagnetic waves (radio frequency fields) to form a periodic electric field wave. When the phase of the electron is consistent with that of the radio frequency electric field, the electron is continuously accelerated under the action of the electric field wave. During this process, a magnetic field system (such as a quadrupole magnet) is used to focus and control the electron beam to ensure its transmission along a straight path and avoid divergence or deviation from the target. The accelerated electron beam exits from the accelerator outlet, and its energy can be precisely controlled by adjusting the electric field strength and the length of the accelerating tube.

[0117] Exemplarily, an electron linear accelerator with an energy of 4 MeV can be used, and the energy of this accelerator is slightly higher than 6The characteristic γ-ray energy of the Li nuclide in nuclear resonance fluorescence. The beam output frequency of the accelerator is 1000 Hz, the air kerma rate at 1 meter is 30 Gy / min, and the typical irradiation time is 30 seconds. The X-ray beam generated by this electron linear accelerator can completely cover the irradiated lithium ore sample and support the output of a synchronous trigger signal to achieve precise control of the beam output and beam stop.

[0118] It should be noted that here, taking the electron linear accelerator as an example of the radiation source, the radiation source is described. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this form of radiation source, and other suitable radiation sources can be applied to the ore grade analysis method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0119] In some embodiments, the energy spectrum detector 602 may include a scintillator, a photomultiplier tube, an amplifier, and a pulse analyzer 6021.

[0120] Among them, the scintillator is a key component of the energy spectrum detector 602, which is used to receive the target characteristic γ-rays and convert their energy into optical signals. The target characteristic γ-rays interact with the medium in the scintillator to generate a short flash (i.e., photons). The material selection of the scintillator is crucial for the sensitivity and resolution of the detector, and materials with high light output and fast response time are usually used. For example, LaBr 3 , with a cross-sectional diameter of 4 inches and a thickness of 4 inches. LaBr 3 material has high light output and good energy resolution ability, which can effectively improve the detection sensitivity of the target γ-rays.

[0121] The photomultiplier tube is used to receive the optical signal from the scintillator and convert it into an electrical signal. Through the photoelectric effect, photons are converted into electronic signals, and then a significantly enhanced current output is obtained through multi-stage multiplication. The photomultiplier tube has the ability to distinguish optical signals in different time periods, enabling it to effectively process high-frequency pulse signals, avoiding the influence of signal overlap on the measurement accuracy, and thus ensuring the detection timing accuracy of the target characteristic γ-rays.

[0122] The amplifier performs gain processing on the electrical signal output by the photomultiplier tube and amplifies the weak initial signal to a range that can be recognized by the subsequent analyzer. Specifically, the amplifier performs gain processing on the electrical signal output by the photomultiplier tube to form a Gaussian-shaped pulse signal. The pulse width of the Gaussian-shaped pulse signal is set to 100 ns, and this width design enables the energy spectrum detector to distinguish the nuclear fluorescence characteristic γ-ray signals generated at different times within the accelerator beam pulse width.

[0123] The pulse analyzer 6021 is responsible for receiving the amplified electrical signal and mapping it to the corresponding energy value range to output a digitized target signal. Specifically, the digitized pulse analyzer 6021 can convert it into 4096 digital channels (the energy range is divided into 4096 discrete values) according to the amplitude of the Gaussian pulse, and the channel value is proportional to the energy of the characteristic γ-ray, so as to achieve the precise quantization of the target γ-ray energy.

[0124] In this embodiment, the digitized pulse analyzer can be set to be signal-synchronized with the beam output and beam stop of the electron linear accelerator, and a unified energy spectrum data acquisition and stop logic is adopted to ensure that the target γ-ray data is collected within the effective beam irradiation time window, thereby improving the time resolution and data accuracy of the measurement.

[0125] To improve the detection accuracy, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide an optimized design for the arrangement and environmental adaptation of the energy spectrum detector 602.

[0126] Refer to Figure 6 , in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the energy spectrum detectors 602 are symmetrically installed on both sides of the radiation source 601 facing away from the X-ray beam, and the plane normal of which forms an angle of 45 degrees with the X-ray beam direction. This arrangement can receive the target characteristic γ-rays to the greatest extent while reducing the interference of low-energy scattered rays.

[0127] To further improve the signal-to-noise ratio, a radiation shielding facility 603 (such as lead shielding) is arranged around the energy spectrum detector 602 to effectively shield the interference of external radiation and low-energy scattered rays on the target γ-ray signal. The radiation shielding facility 603 can be arranged around the energy spectrum detector 602, i.e., the ray propagation path, to minimize the interference of external radiation and low-energy scattered rays on the energy spectrum detector while ensuring the effective detection of rays. Exemplarily, as Figure 6 shown, a "L-shaped" shielding material can be arranged between the energy spectrum detector and the radiation source; each energy spectrum detector can be coated with a shielding material. Exemplarily, the energy spectrum detector 602 uses a lead shield with a thickness of not less than 50 mm for coating.

[0128] Refer to Figure 6 , in another embodiment, the energy spectrum detector 602 and the radiation source 601 are located on the same side of the ore relative to the X-ray beam. Since the characteristic γ-rays are radiated in all directions, when the energy spectrum detector is on the same side, the signal can still be effectively received, and the direct interference of the strong scattered X-rays in the direction of the X-ray beam is avoided. The layout of the energy spectrum detector and the radiation source on the same side enables the shielding structure to be concentrated around the detector without covering the entire experimental field area, thereby reducing the complexity of the shielding design and manufacturing.

[0129] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ore grade analysis system 600 may further include an ore conveying device 605, which is configured to convey the ore to the X-ray beam region generated by the radiation source 601, such that the central position of the ore is located on the center line of the X-ray beam, thereby ensuring uniform irradiation of the sample. The ore conveying device 605 should ensure the accuracy of the conveying position and / or be capable of realizing dynamic continuity. For example, a dynamic transmission mechanism may be adopted to support continuous or batch transmission, improving the operating efficiency of the system.

[0130] Furthermore, corresponding to the ore grade analysis method 200, in order to avoid systematic errors introduced by fluctuations in the incident X-ray flux or energy, the radiation source 601 is further configured to irradiate a reference sample containing a reference nuclide while irradiating the ore with the X-ray beam, exciting the reference nuclide to emit reference characteristic γ rays, where the reference nuclide is a nuclide represented as having a known content and an energy of known characteristic γ rays. The synchronous irradiation of the reference sample enables the ore and the reference sample to be under the same radiation conditions, effectively avoiding systematic errors introduced by fluctuations in the X-ray flux or energy. The energy spectrum detector 602 is further configured to detect the energy of the reference characteristic γ rays and convert the energy of the reference characteristic γ rays into a reference digital signal; the grade analysis module 604 determines the target element grade in the ore based on the target digital signal and the reference digital signal.

[0131] Similarly, the ore conveying device 605 is further configured to convey the reference sample to the X-ray beam region generated by the radiation source 601, such that the position of the reference sample of the ore is located on the center line of the X-ray beam, thereby realizing "irradiating the ore with the X-ray beam while irradiating the reference sample containing the reference nuclide". For example, the ore and the reference sample may be longitudinally arranged along the direction of the X-ray beam, such that both the ore and the reference sample are on the center line of the X-ray beam, and the radiation fluxes and energies received by both are the same, avoiding systematic errors caused by differences in radiation conditions.

[0132] It should be noted that those skilled in the art should be aware that the ore grade analysis method and system provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to the analysis of the ore grade of lithium ore-containing ores, and can also be applied to the grade analysis of other ores except lithium ore, such as rare earths, etc. The present disclosure does not limit the specific applications of the ore grade analysis method and system.

[0133] Figure 7 A block diagram of an electronic device suitable for implementing the method described above according to an embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown. Figure 7 The electronic device shown is merely an example and should not impose any limitation on the functions and usage scope of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0134] As Figure 7As shown, the electronic device 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a processor 701, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 702 or a program loaded from a storage section 708 into a random access memory (RAM) 703. The processor 701 can include, for example, a general-purpose microprocessor (e.g., CPU), an instruction set processor, and / or a related chipset, and / or a dedicated microprocessor (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), and so on. The processor 701 can also include on-board memory for caching purposes. The processor 701 can include a single processing unit or multiple processing units for performing different actions of the method flow according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0135] In the RAM 703, various programs and data required for the operation of the electronic device 700 are stored. The processor 701, the ROM 702, and the RAM 703 are connected to each other via a bus 704. The processor 701 performs various operations of the method flow according to an embodiment of the present invention by executing the program in the ROM 702 and / or the RAM 703. It should be noted that the program can also be stored in one or more memories other than the ROM 702 and the RAM 703. The processor 701 can also perform various operations of the method flow according to an embodiment of the present invention by executing the program stored in the one or more memories.

[0136] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device 700 can further include an input / output (I / O) interface 705, and the input / output (I / O) interface 705 is also connected to the bus 704. The electronic device 700 can further include one or more of the following components connected to the input / output (I / O) interface 705: an input section 706 including a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output section 707 including, for example, a cathode ray tube (CrT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and a speaker, etc.; a storage section 708 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 709 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, etc. The communication section 709 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 710 is also connected to the input / output (I / O) interface 705 as needed. A removable medium 711, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc., is installed on the drive 710 as needed so that a computer program read from it can be installed into the storage section 708 as needed.

[0137] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method flow according to the embodiment of the present invention can be implemented as a computer software program. For example, an embodiment of the present invention includes a computer program product, which includes a computer program carried on a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program includes program code for executing the method shown in the flowchart. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from the network through the communication part 709, and / or installed from the removable medium 711. When the computer program is executed by the processor 701, the above functions defined in the system of the embodiment of the present invention are executed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the above-described system, device, apparatus, module, unit, etc. can be implemented by computer program modules.

[0138] The present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which can be included in the device / device / system described in the above embodiment; or can exist alone without being assembled into the device / device / system. The above computer-readable storage medium carries one or more programs, and when the above one or more programs are executed, the method according to the embodiment of the present invention is implemented.

[0139] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the computer-readable storage medium can be a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. For example, it can include but is not limited to: portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EQROM or flash memory), portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the above. In the present invention, the computer-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program, and the program can be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, device, or device.

[0140] For example, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the computer-readable storage medium can include the above-described ROM 702 and / or RAM 703 and / or one or more memories other than ROM 702 and RAM 703.

[0141] An embodiment of the present invention also includes a computer program product, which includes a computer program, and the computer program includes program code for executing the method provided by the embodiment of the present invention. When the computer program product runs on an electronic device, the program code is used to cause the electronic device to implement the method provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0142] When the computer program is executed by the processor 701, the above functions defined in the system / device of the embodiment of the present invention are executed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the above-described system, device, module, unit, etc. can be implemented by computer program modules.

[0143] In one embodiment, the computer program may rely on tangible storage media such as optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, etc. In another embodiment, the computer program may also be transmitted and distributed in the form of signals on a network medium, and downloaded and installed through the communication part 709, and / or installed from the removable medium 711. The program code included in the computer program can be transmitted using any suitable network medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wired, etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

[0144] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the program code for executing the computer program provided by the embodiments of the present invention can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. Specifically, these computing programs can be implemented using high-level procedures and / or object-oriented programming languages, and / or assembly / machine languages. Programming languages include but are not limited to, for example, Java, C++, qython, the "C" language, or similar programming languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computing device, partially on the user's device, partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In the case of a remote computing device, the remote computing device can be connected to the user's computing device through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computing device (for example, by using an Internet service provider to connect through the Internet).

[0145] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architectures, functions, and operations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, a program segment, or a part of code, and the above-mentioned module, program segment, or part of code contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks shown may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagram or flowchart, and the combination of blocks in the block diagram or flowchart, can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system for performing the specified functions or operations, or can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions. Those skilled in the art can understand that the features described in the various embodiments of the present invention can be combined and / or combined in various ways, even if such combinations or combinations are not explicitly described in the present invention. In particular, without departing from the spirit and teachings of the present invention, the features described in the various embodiments of the present invention can be combined and / or combined in various ways. All such combinations and / or combinations fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0146] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, these embodiments are merely for illustrative purposes and not for limiting the scope of the present invention. Although the embodiments have been described separately above, this does not mean that the measures in each embodiment cannot be used advantageously in combination. Without departing from the scope of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various substitutions and modifications, and all such substitutions and modifications should fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing ore grade, characterized in that: The method comprises: Generate an X-ray beam using a radiation source; irradiating the ore with the X-ray beam to excite the target element nuclide in the ore to produce a nuclear resonance fluorescence effect and emit target characteristic gamma rays, wherein the energy of the X-ray beam is higher than the excitation energy of the target element nuclide; detecting the energy of the target characteristic gamma ray; and The target element grade in the ore is determined based on the energy of the target characteristic gamma ray.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The nuclear resonance fluorescence reaction cross section of the target element nuclide is higher than the nuclear resonance fluorescence reaction cross sections of other nuclides in the ore except the target element nuclide.

3. A method for analyzing ore grade, characterized in that: The method comprises: Generate an X-ray beam using a radiation source; irradiating the ore with the X-ray beam to excite the target element nuclide in the ore to produce a nuclear resonance fluorescence effect and emit target characteristic gamma rays, wherein the energy of the X-ray beam is higher than the excitation energy of the target element nuclide; While irradiating the ore with the X-ray beam, irradiating a standard sample containing a reference nuclide to excite the reference nuclide to emit a reference characteristic gamma ray, wherein the reference nuclide is represented by a nuclide with a known content and a known characteristic gamma ray energy; detecting the energy of the target characteristic gamma ray and the energy of the reference characteristic gamma ray; and The target element grade in the ore is determined based on the energy of the target characteristic gamma ray and the energy of the reference characteristic gamma ray.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The step of determining the target element grade in the ore based on the energy of the target characteristic gamma ray and the energy of the reference characteristic gamma ray detected by the energy spectrum detector specifically includes: Using an energy spectrum detector, converting the energy of the target characteristic gamma ray and the energy of the reference characteristic gamma ray into target nuclide characteristic gamma ray full energy peak counts and reference nuclide characteristic gamma ray full energy peak counts respectively; Calculating a first ratio of a target nuclide characteristic gamma-ray full energy peak count to a reference nuclide characteristic gamma-ray full energy peak count; and Based on the first ratio and a preset calibration coefficient, the target element grade in the ore is calculated.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The method for setting the calibration coefficient includes: Obtain ore samples with standard target element grades and reference samples with reference elements; Irradiating the ore sample and the reference sample with an X-ray beam to obtain characteristic gamma-ray full-energy peak counts of standard target elements and characteristic gamma-ray full-energy peak counts of reference elements; Calculating a second ratio of characteristic gamma-ray full energy peak counts of the standard target element to characteristic gamma-ray full energy peak counts of the reference element; and A calibration coefficient is determined based on the proportional relationship between the second ratio and the ore grade of the target element.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The energy of the characteristic gamma ray of the reference nuclide is lower than the energy of the characteristic gamma ray of the target.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The characteristic gamma ray energy of the reference nuclide varies within a range of no more than ±5% under different environmental conditions.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The reference nuclides have no interfering effect on the nuclides in the ore.

9. The method according to any one of claims 4, 5, 7 and 8, characterized in that The energy spectrum detector is energy calibrated using X-ray scattering signals in the ore, and / or the energy of the energy spectrum detector is energy calibrated using the energy of reference characteristic gamma rays.

10. An ore grade analysis system, characterized in that: The system comprises: A radiation source for generating an X-ray beam to excite the target element nuclides in the ore to produce a nuclear resonance fluorescence effect; An energy spectrum detector, used for detecting the energy of target characteristic gamma rays emitted by target element nuclides, and converting the energy of target characteristic gamma rays into target digital signals; Radiation shielding facilities used to shield external radiation around radiation sources and energy spectrum detectors except for target characteristic gamma rays; and The grade analysis module is used to process the target digital signal to calculate the target element grade in the ore.

11. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that The system further comprises: The ore conveyor is used to convey the ore to the X-ray beam region generated by the radiation source so that the center position of the ore is located on the center line of the X-ray beam.

12. The system according to claim 10, characterized in that The radiation source comprises an electron linear accelerator, and the energy provided by the electron linear accelerator is higher than the excitation energy of the target element nuclide.

13. The system according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that: The energy spectrum detector includes a scintillator, a photomultiplier tube, an amplifier and a pulse analyzer, wherein: The scintillator is used to receive the target characteristic gamma ray and convert the target characteristic gamma ray into an optical signal; The photomultiplier tube is used to receive the optical signal and convert the optical signal into an electrical signal, wherein the photomultiplier tube can distinguish the optical signals from different time periods; The amplifier is used to perform gain processing on the electrical signal to convert the electrical signal into a pulse signal; and The pulse analyzer is used to map the pulse signal into a corresponding energy value range to output the target digital signal.

14. The system according to claim 13, characterized in that The pulse analyzer converts the pulse signal into a digital channel number according to the Gaussian pulse amplitude, and the digital channel number is proportional to the energy of the target characteristic gamma ray.

15. The system according to claim 13, characterized in that The energy spectrum detectors are symmetrically placed on two sides of the radiation source facing away from the X-ray beam, and the plane normal of the energy spectrum detectors forms an angle of 45 degrees with the direction of the X-ray beam.

16. The system according to any one of claims 10 to 12 and 14 to 15, characterized in that: The radiation source is also used to irradiate a standard sample containing a reference nuclide while irradiating the ore with the X-ray beam, so as to excite the reference nuclide to emit a reference characteristic gamma ray, wherein the reference nuclide is represented by a nuclide with a known content and a known characteristic gamma ray energy; The energy spectrum detector is also used to detect the energy of the reference characteristic gamma ray and convert the energy of the reference characteristic gamma ray into a reference digital signal; The grade analysis module determines the target element grade in the ore based on the target digital signal and the reference digital signal.

17. The system according to claim 16, characterized in that The target digital signal includes a target nuclide characteristic gamma-ray full energy peak count, the reference digital signal includes a reference nuclide characteristic gamma-ray full energy peak count, and the grade analysis module performs ore grade analysis by calculating a first ratio of the target nuclide characteristic gamma-ray full energy peak count to the reference nuclide characteristic gamma-ray full energy peak count.

18. The system according to claim 16, characterized in that The grade analysis module calibrates the energy of the energy spectrum detector using the X-ray scattering signal in the ore, and / or calibrates the energy of the energy spectrum detector using the energy of the reference characteristic gamma ray.

19. The system according to any one of claims 10 to 12, 14 to 15 and 17 to 18, characterized in that: The energy spectrum detector and the radiation source are located on the same side of the ore relative to the X-ray beam.

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