Elemental Inorganic Analysis is an important tool for the field and petroleum geologist in the field or lab to characterize and identify petroleum or gas bearing formations. Drill cuttings and mud, as well as cores can be analyzed directly onsite using portable or mobile instrumentation. Collected materials can be brought to a laboratory and measured on bench top or floor standing instrumentation.
Drill coresXRF spectrometry allows for the non destructive analysis of solids, liquid samples for elements ranging from F to U with a dynamic range from ppm to dual digit weight %. Analysis can be done on the unprepared sample (e.g. drill core), homogenized powder sample from washed drill cuttings or fused beads and pressed pellets from substrate rocks. The application requirements in terms of elements, point of analysis as well as time to result define the suitable instrumentation.
On-site characterization and non destructive analysis on cores can be performed with the TRACER series Handheld XRF units.
More excitation power for lower detection limits on prepared drill cuttings in a mobile lab is available by using the S2 PUMA direct excitation EDXRF.
Analysis of drill cuttings for majors and traces in the lab can be performed ideally with the floor standing S8 TIGER series WDXRF using either custom calibrations or the GEO-QUANT applications.