Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR)

FTIR is a spectroscopy technique that collects data from a broad spectral range in the infrared. That data undergoes a Fourier transform (a mathematical operation) to convert the raw data into the spectrum used for mineral determination. Our FTIR instruments are extremely compact with a footprint of an A4 sheet of paper and a weight of c.7kg; they can be placed in almost any surface oilfield environment, can be moved and be immediately operational and sample preparation requires only a small quantity of material (<1g) to be ground and presented directly to the instrument.

While XRD undoubtedly remains the gold standard for mineralogy when time or sample location is no issue, FTIR can supply data comparable to an XRD for many minerals and it can readily be transported to a core warehouse and hundreds of samples can be analysed is a short timeframe without having to ship or transport samples to the lab.

FTIR has also been used in the coal industry to provide indications of coal rank. Chemostrat have recognised, however, that FTIR is sensitive to both coal maturity and maceral content / type. We are currently working with coal samples of known maceral content and maturity to build a model that will provide quick and cost effective ways to analyse CSG intervals.

Finally, because of its robust, small footprint, lack of moving parts and simple user interface our FTIR mineralogy on the move services are ideally suited for well-site applications. For more information on our FTIR service or an estimate please contact us.