CSIRO has announced the development of a x-ray imaging detector that will use a new method of characterising mineral ores.

 

The detector, which is around the size of a postal stamp, is a photon-counting imaging device that can take high-resolution images, which can detail minerals present in ore samples.

 

Unlike conventional x-ray films and cameras, the new technique measures the energy of individual incoming x-rays and adds colour to traditional black-and-white snapshots.

 

Research scientist Dr Josef Uher said the new technique could revolutionise micro-imaging, and the mining industry. “In every single pixel of the detector, you gain information about what the x-ray spectrum looks like. If you analyse it properly, you can determine whether the materials in the sample were nickel, copper, zinc, gold or something else,” Dr Uher said.

 

Medipix could provide near real-time imaging of ores for plant monitoring and control in the mining industry. It was designed in collaboration with several universities and laboratories led by the European Organisation of Nuclear Research (CERN).