PMI (Positive Material Identification)

PMI (Positive Material Identification) analysis is a non-destructive test method for the in-service chemical analysis on ferrous and non-ferrous metal alloys by means of a specific portable instrument (in the technical language it is called PMI “Gun”).

This method applies the principle of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence, commonly called XRF technology, and enables to carry out non-destructive qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses that are extremely rapid and accurate.

Therefore, by applying this technology in the best way, it is possible to define in a rapid and non-destructive way, the elementary composition of:

metal alloys;
rocks and soils;
sludge and liquid samples.
CTS Srl is endowed with a NITON XL3t 980 Goldd instrument.

Thank to GOLDD – Geometrically Optimized Large Area Drift Detector – technology, the XL2-980 analyzer can analyze light elements such as Mg-Magnesium, S-Sulphur, P-Phosphor, Si-Silicon, Al-Aluminium.

More than thirty elements can be simultaneously analyzed by detecting the characteristic X-ray fluorescence emitted by the samples being analyzed, from Magnesium to Uranium.

XRF spectrophotometry (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy or X-ray fluorescence) is a non-destructive testing technique that allows knowing the elementary composition of a sample trough the analysis of X-ray fluorescence radiation. Such radiation is emitted by the atoms of the sample after the excitation obtained by irradiating the sample with X and gamma rays at high energy.