Study on a modified spectral standardization method and quantitative analysis of cement based on microwave plasma torch†
Abstract
In this study, we used a powder aerosol generator (PAG) to introduce cement powder aerosol directly into a microwave plasma torch (MPT) for quantitative analysis, which demonstrated the feasibility of MPT for the analysis of cement powder. Meanwhile, we proposed a modified spectral standardization method (MSS-method) in which the Saha equation is used to characterize the electron number density, and obtain better results compared to the raw data. The measurement uncertainty of the five major oxides (Fe2O3, CaO, Al2O3, SiO2, MgO) in cement was reduced, while the accuracy of calibration and validation were both significantly improved. The proposed method was validated by analyzing the GSB 08-2985-2013 certified reference material. The study demonstrates that this method has the potential for application in online cement analysis.