AMMTEC Limited has recently assembled an andavance mineralogy laboratory to undertake analysis for the Pertroleum and Mining industries. Equipment includes QemscanTM and MLA TM Automated mineral analysis instruments as well as an XRD capability and an extensive sample preparation area.
(Qemscan and MLA are trade marks of FEI)
Click here to download the Automated Mineralogy Analysis brochure.
WHAT IS AMA?
QEMSCANTM and MLATM instruments use adavanceed electron beam technology combined with high resolution BSE and SE imaging and Energy Dispersive X ray Spectromters (EDS); to rapidly identify ore and rock forming minerals.
Advanced Software analyses the data generated to provide textural, chemical and mineral information of the sample, as mineral maps. The analytic software enables rapid data analys is to identify mineral and trace mineral abundances, grain size, average grain densities and user defined lithology types and abundances.
AMA has been utilised in many industry sectores including Petrolium Exploration, Mining, Mineral Processing, Coal (CBM), Forensics, Environment, Planetary exploration and viniculture.
Below is an Automated mineral analysis image with the corresponding optical image of a sample of late Oligocene Citarete Limestone from West Java with abundant Eulepedina forams. (Courtesy of G. Gurgon, Pearl Energy Indonesia)
SEAL ROCK ANALYSIS
CLAY 1
Groper -2, AMA, Lakes Entrance Formation. Fossiliferous and glauconitic mudstone with abundant ankerite cement (~21%)
The image is taken as part of a CO2 geo-sequestration study. Groper-1, 932m, Gurnard Formation.
(Image courtesy of G. O'Brien, Geoscience Victoria)
AMA - SAMPLES
Non destructive analysis can be performed on most rock sample typles including
- Drill cuttings
- Thin sections
- Slabbed core
- Core Plugs
- Sidewall cores
Loose samples are typically mounted in resin, polished and carbon coated. For drill cuttings the analysis examines hundreds of thousands of anlysis point per sample providing statistically sound repeatable results. Several sample holders are shown in the following picture, customised ones can also be manufactured.
Continue to page 2