Simulation and experimental study on X-ray detection of pulp concentration based on element content

YIN Jianqiang; ZHU Hongzheng; ZHU Jinbo; MIN Fanfei; WANG Shuang; ZENG Qiuyu; ZHI Ya; XIA Shuwei

doi:10.13247/j.cnki.jcumt.20250016

Abstract：In the field of pulp concentration detection technology,the strong penetrating prop-erty of X-rays can overcome problems such as bubbles and coal quality in the pulp,and it is a potentially feasible technology for detecting pulp concentration.To overcome the influence of interfering factors such as bubbles and coal quality in the pulp on the concentration detection,the pulp concentration detection mechanism based on X-ray imaging was studied and a model was established.Firstly,in order to reproduce the attenuation process of X-ray photons pass-ing through the pulp,the GEANT4 toolkit was used to simulate the transport of X-ray pho-tons in the pulp.Subsequently,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)analysis was conduc-ted on coal with different ash contents to evaluate the influence of elemental content on X-ray absorption.The absorption coefficients of coal and water in the pulp were determined through dry coal powder tests and coal slime tests,and their accuracy was verified through the test da-ta.The results show that the X-ray absorption intensity coefficients of carbon(C),oxygen(O),aluminium(Al),silicon(Si)and trace elements are 0.003 2,0.004 4,0.006 5,0.006 2 and 0.000 3,respectively.Furthermore,when the moisture content exceeds 50％,the X-ray absorption capacity of water becomes dominant.Finally,concentration detection models for pulp of different concentrations were established and verified.The model shows that the rela-tive X-ray absorption content of water in 1 L of pulp is 0.63,and the relative X-ray absorption content of coal increases exponentially with the increase of pulp concentration.This research provides valuable insights for the detection of pulp concentration in the coal preparation indus-try.