XRF of Zn and Pb in ores using radioactive source excitation

The apparatus for the simultaneous determination of Zn and Pb content in ores based on X-ray fluorescence analysis has been constructed and tested. The apparatus is basically a three channel proportional counter spectrometer using a Cadmium 109 annular source for the excitation of fluorescence radiation and Xe-filled proportional counter for its detection. The standard electronic processing line is terminated by three parallel single channel analyzers from which the pulses are fed through the I/O unit to a Sinclair Spectrum computer for counting and data evaluation. The electronic processing units are constructed in Eurocard system according to IAEA standards. The spectroscopy amplifier and S.C.A. units are based on IAEA nuclear electronics documentation. The computer is programmed for pulse accumulation and for the evaluation of Pb and Zn concentrations. Pulse accumulation is programmed in machine language while data evaluation is programmed in basic. The apparatus was tested for long term stability in an industrial laboratory use for three months. The acceptable reliability and stability of the system has been proved