Patent ID: 9561528
Date: 2017-02-07
CPC Classifications: B07C

Claim:
1. A method for X-ray-luminescent separation of minerals comprising the steps of: a) transporting a flow of a plurality of material to be separated along a path which includes a free falling trajectory; b) irradiating the plurality of material by a first sequence of pulses of X-ray radiation within a specified section of the path and continuing irradiation of the plurality of material during transportation along the path until the plurality of material reaches a first point along the path at which a mineral luminescence signal intensity is capable of being detected and recorded; c) registering the mineral luminescence signal intensity during a sequence period within which the plurality of material is in the free falling trajectory simultaneously on an irradiated side and on an opposite side of the plurality of material during the sequence period, the mineral luminescence signal intensity detected on the opposite side of the plurality of material being registered in an irradiated section of the plurality of material in a spectral range of a maximum luminescense of the minerals; d) if a value of a slow component of the mineral luminescence signal intensity registered on the irradiated side of the plurality of material exceeds a first threshold value specified for it then real-time processing of the registered mineral luminescence signal intensity is performed to determine a separation criteria; e) calculating the separation critera, wherein the separation criteria is equal to a first ratio of a first value of the slow component of the mineral luminescence signal intensity registered on the irradiated side of the plurality of material to a second value of the slow component of the mineral luminescence signal intensity registered on the opposite side of the plurality of material; f) comparing the separation criteria with specified threshold values; g) ejecting the minerals from the plurality of material if the result of comparison between the separation criteria and the specified threshold values meets predetermined conditions; h) if, in step d, the slow component of the mineral luminescence signal intensity registered on the irradiated side of the plurality of material does not exceed the first threshold value specified for it, then a third value of a fast component of the mineral luminescence signal intensity registered on the opposite side of the plurality of material is compared with a second threshold value specified for it; i) if the third value of the fast component of the mineral luminescence signal intensity registered on the opposite side of the plurality of material exceeds the second threshold value specified for it, then the separation criteria is equal to a second ratio of a fourth value of the fast component of the mineral luminescence signal intensity registered on the irradiated side of the plurality of material to the third value of fast component of the mineral luminescence signal intensity registered on the opposite side; j) if the separation criteria obtained in step (i) exceeds the specified threshold values, the mineral is ejected from the plurality of material being separated.