LASER BASED SYSTEM FOR BITUMEN CONTENT DETERMINATION, E.G., USING DISCRETE WAVELENGTH SPECTROSCOPIC ANALYSIS

• US 20140326885A1
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Published: 11/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cidra Corporate Services, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cidra Corporate Services, Inc.
• Inventors: Davis, Michael A., Fernald, Mark R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,880,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/339.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3563 for analysing solids; Preparation of samples therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/39 using tunable lasers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/84 Systems specially adapted for particular applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0691 Modulated (not pulsed supply)
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0697 Pulsed lasers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/12 Circuits of general importance; Signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/24 Earth materials G01N33/42 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/241 for hydrocarbon content

Abstract

The present invention provides a technique that uses discrete wavelengths of illumination of an ore sample, and through the use of optical filters and laser illumination the signal-to-noise ratio of the measurement can be greatly improved, and may take the form of apparatus featuring a signal processor configured to: receive signaling containing information about a spectral reflectance caused by discrete wavelengths illuminating an ore sample; and determine information about a bitumen content of the ore sample based at least partly on the signaling. The signal processor may provide corresponding signaling containing information about the bitumen content of the ore sample, including for further processing, printing or displaying.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a signal processor configured to

receive signaling containing information about a spectral reflectance caused by discrete wavelengths illuminating an ore sample; and

determine information about a bitumen content of the ore sample based at least partly on the signaling.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal processor is configured to provide corresponding signaling containing information about the bitumen content of the ore sample, including for further processing, printing or displaying.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal processor is configured to determine information about the bitumen content of the ore sample based at least partly on dips in the spectral reflectance in the discrete wavelengths illuminating the ore sample.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discrete wavelengths are provided by two lasers, each configured to focus a respective discrete wavelength to illuminate the ore sample.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the apparatus comprises the two lasers.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discrete wavelengths include at least one wavelength in a 1750 nm or 2330 nm region, which corresponds to absorption bands of bitumen.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal processor is configured to implement a 2-band analysis algorithm, including comparing a bitumen reflectance band to an adjacent absorption band for naturally occurring clays in the ore sample.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the bitumen reflectance band is about 2330 nm and the adjacent absorption band is about 2220 nm.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spectral reflectance is filtered so as to filter out unwanted light.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus comprises narrow band optical filters that are centered to discrete laser wavelengths and used to filter out the unwanted light.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal processor is configured to use directly the signaling detected to calculate or determine the bitumen content of the ore sample.

12. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the lasers are paired with matching optical filters to achieve an improved signal-to-noise.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the apparatus comprises the matching optical filters.

14. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a tunable laser configured to provide the discrete wavelengths illuminating the ore sample.

15. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a tunable filter configured to tunably filter the spectral reflectance.

16. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signaling is received from a detector configured to respond to the spectral reflectance and provide the signaling detected.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the apparatus comprises the detector.

18. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal processor is configured to receive the signaling from a combination of an optical filter and a detector.

19. Apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the optical filter is configured to respond to the spectral reflectance and provided a filtered spectral reflectance, and the detector is configured to respond to the filtered spectral reflectance and provide the signaling in the form of detected and filtered spectral reflectance signaling.

20. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the apparatus comprises the combination of the optical filter and detector.

21. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises:

at least one laser configured to receive a modulation signal and provide a modulated laser beam in the form of a discrete modulated laser wavelength; and

a lock-in amplifier used to extract the modulated laser beam only provided from the at least one laser.

22. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the lasers are configured to be alternatively pulsed and encoded so as to improve discrimination.

23. Apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the lasers are configured to receive a frequency modulation signal so as to spread a respective laser spectral width provided from the lasers.

24. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the apparatus comprises optics configured to enlarge respective spot diameters of laser beams in order to illuminate a larger ore body.

25. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the lasers are configured to be scanned over an area of interest, so that by scanning laser beams, an increased signal-to-noise ratio of the signaling detected can be maintained and still a large area can be scanned.

26. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal processor may be configured to determine the information about the bitumen content of the ore sample based at least partly on spectroscopic analysis or processing of the signaling.

27. A method comprising:

receiving in a signal processor signaling containing information about a spectral reflectance caused by discrete wavelengths illuminating an ore sample; and

determining information about a bitumen content of the ore sample based at least partly on the signaling.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein the method further comprises providing from the signal processor corresponding signaling containing information about the bitumen content of the ore sample, including for further processing, printing or displaying.

29. A method according to claim 27, wherein the method further comprises determining information about the bitumen content of the ore sample based at least partly on dips in the spectral reflectance in the discrete wavelengths illuminating the ore sample.

30. Apparatus method comprising:

means for receiving signaling containing information about a spectral reflectance caused by discrete wavelengths illuminating an ore sample; and

means for determining information about a bitumen content of the ore sample based at least partly on the signaling.