AvaSpec in Mineral Automated Yield Analyzer (MAYA)
Online analysis for the Fertilizer Industry. LDS recently installed 3 MAYA systems in Phosphate Plants in Florida USA & ICL Israel. The Mineral Automated Yield Analyzer System (MAYA 6060) is designed for real-time analysis of minerals, ores, chemicals and raw material. When placed above the conveyor belt to scan material passing below, the MAYA system provides a rapid, reliable and straightforward solution for mineral analysis. With its advanced technology, the MAYA system is compact, self-contained, easy to install or relocate and user friendly. Unlike other elemental analyzers, the MAYA system does not generate ionizing radiation (X-Ray, gamma, neutron, etc.) and is the safest available method for full elemental on-line analysis. This level of safety provides an enhanced and more secure working environment.
The MAYA system is based on Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), a state-of-the-art optical technique for measuring the elemental composition of materials. Spectral analysis of emissions created by a pulsed laser beam yields a fingerprint of the elemental composition of the sample.
The method of analysis is as follows:
• A laser beam is intensely focused on the surface of the material under analysis.
• The temperature at that point reaches 20,000°C-40,000°C. The surface material becomes plasma and emits light whose wavelength (“color”) is material dependent (fingerprint of the elemental composition of the sample).
• The emitted light is collected and dispersed according to its wavelength component (“spectra”).
• Sampled material is analyzed by comparing the sampled dispersed light (~spectra) to a given chemical element’s spectrum.
• The laser typical operating frequency generates approx. 300-500 "good" spectra, which enables to receive a full analysis result every 3 - 5 minutes.
