X-ray fluorescence analyzers are high-tech instruments for analyzing the chemical composition of materials, and have recently been in great demand due to the ever-expanding scientific and industrial progress in the world.
The range of tasks solved with the help of XRF analyzers is very wide, and includes the analysis of the quality of raw materials or finished products, environmental monitoring, analysis of archaeological finds, sorting of scrap metal and many other tasks that arise in various fields of science and technology.
Currently, due to high demand, there are many models of both portable and benchtop XRF analyzers available on the market, and the question undoubtedly arises which model of the available has the best performance?
It is difficult to call any model the best XRF spectrometer, since the effectiveness of a particular model is largely determined by the task at hand, but one of the main candidates for this title is definitely the ProSpector 3 handheld analyzer manufactured by Elvatech.
The ProSpector 3
As a portable analyzer, the ProSpector 3 is an almost universal tool for the quantitative analysis of the elemental composition of materials. With high autonomy, this model allows you to take measurements anywhere and anytime.
At the same time, Prospector 3 provides high accuracy of results, not inferior to desktop XRF analyzers. The dust- and moisture-resistant design makes the instrument resistant to external influences, which, in combination with the high autonomy of the instrument (more than 16 hours of battery life), makes the ProSpector 3 an ideal analyzer for measurements in the field.
Among handheld XRF spectrometers, the Prospector 3 is not only the smallest and lightest (1.05 kg with battery) XRF spectrometer on the market, but also the fastest, with a count rate of more than 500,000 counts/s, more than double the speed of account of any other XRF analyzer.
This high counting rate allows very fast quality control of raw materials or finished products. The Prospector 3 allows you to determine the alloy grade in seconds, making it an indispensable tool in large-scale production where you need to quickly analyze a large number of samples.
ProSpector 3 is capable of solving almost any task related to the quantitative analysis of the chemical composition of materials, limited only by the capabilities of the X-ray fluorescence analysis method.
Since the low-energy characteristic radiation of light elements is strongly scattered in air, and in general the fluorescence yield decreases with decreasing atomic number, XRF is not suitable for the analysis of elements with atomic number Z < 11.
The ProSpector 3 is available in three versions that differ in detection range and additional features, such as a collimator changer that allows analysis of separate parts of dissimilar samples, as well as welds, or a camera for better positioning of the sample.
Thus, the buyer can choose the modification that is most suitable for solving his tasks in terms of price-to-performance ratio of the device.
The ProSpector 3 can also optionally be equipped with a laboratory stand for convenient use in the laboratory, and connection to a PC is possible, but not required.
Since X-ray fluorescence analysis is a non-destructive method, it is actively used in the analysis of precious metals and jewelry. In general, the XRF analyzer allows you to quickly and reliably check the quality of products or their compliance with established standards.
The last one is especially important in the field of consumer products, where the content of heavy elements that are toxic to humans is strictly regulated by international directives.
Also, the XRF method is actively used for the analysis of used automotive catalysts, since they contain precious metals that can be extracted. Due to its speed and high accuracy (for this task, the error is tens of ppm) Prospector 3 allows you to quickly and reliably estimate the cost of the catalyst.
In addition to the above, Prospector 3 has a helium purge option, which significantly improves the accuracy of determining light elements, and the temperature and barometric correction built into the spectrum processing algorithm ensures maximum measurement stability, excluding the influence of weather conditions on the results.
Thus, the Prospector 3 handheld XRF analyzer is a powerful tool for elemental analysis of materials, allowing you to solve a wide range of tasks, from product quality control and scrap metal sorting to the analysis of archaeological finds and forensic analysis.
The unique characteristics of the Prospector 3 in terms of its compactness and measurement speed make it possibly the most user-friendly handheld XRF analyzer on the market.