Determination of ore density and heavy element content from two conjugate measurements of scattered u-radiation

Abstract

When studying the material composition and physical properties of ores (density, moisture) by nuclear geophysics methods, in most cases the result of physical field measurement depends on several parameters of the medium. Usually the problem is reduced to a one-parameter problem by selecting the appropriate conditions and observation technique. The possibilities of nuclear geophysics are significantly extended if the study of rocks and ores is considered as a multi-parameter problem, solving it by several conjugate measurements. There is, for example, simultaneous determination of ore density and content of heavy elements in them by two measurements of the u-field of Co-60 and Cs-137 sources under wide beam conditions; simultaneous determination of rock density and clay crust thickness by two measurements of scattered u-radiation with two different probe lengths. Similarly, the problem of sampling two-component mercury ores by integrated measurements of the y-field and thermal neutron field was solved. It is possible to formulate a number of three-parameter, four-parameter and similar problems, the solution of which is of great practical importance. An example of a three-parameter problem is the determination of the effective atomic number of the ore, its density and simultaneous consideration of the influence of the borehole diameter.