Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope (FEG-SEM) QEMSCAN Electron Microscopes

Automated mineralogy is an analytical tool which provides rapid, reproducible and statistically reliable quantitative information on minerals and certain man-made materials for a variety of disciplines. QEMSCAN 650F is the top of the range Automated Mineral Analyser in the QEMSCAN family. It offers comprehensive image analysis, EDS automation, Phase Classification and Advanced Texture Analysis. The instrument consists of a FEI Quanta 650F Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope (FEG-SEM) with state of the art dual Quantax XFlash 5030 EDS detectors.

QEMSCAN offers unique particle analysis capabilities, related to classification of particles, advanced texture analysis and automation. Rapid and reliable phase classification relies on the principle of matching the measured back scattered electron (BSE) and energy dispersive spectrum (EDS) data against a database of predetermined materials (using the SIP method: Species Identification Protocol). This allows the determination of: quantitative mineral abundance (down to trace levels), mineral association, liberation, grain size distribution, and texture. The extensive power of automated mineralogy lies in its ability to analyse multiple commodities (precious and base metals, coal and industrial minerals). Traditional SEM instruments run as “microscopes” are unable to perform these analyses. Although QEMSCAN was primarily developed for using in the metallurgical industry, the possibilities for this type of technology are countless. Other applications which have been explored in the past by the CMR and other research groups around the world using this technology are: economic geology, oil and gas applications, archaeology (analysis of ancient pottery, metal workings), environmental science (acid rock draining studies, analysis of dust particulate matter, monitoring of pollution levels), soil science, forensic science and even viticulture.