Note:
1.Please Use This calculator is designed for calculating catalytic converters.
2. Please consider that the PGM (Pt, Pd, Rh) content might change from one catalytic to another (with the same serial #) due to its condition affected by mileage, weather conditions, etc. *Assay made with Niton XLT3GOLDD+
Why dose Catalytic Converter Powder need 120
seconds of XRF Testing
There’s a reason leading recyclers use long measurement times for preliminary PGM assays.
When testing catalytic converter powder, Pt, Pd and especially Rh are present at relatively low ppm
levels. A quick 10–15 second XRF test may identify the metals, but it may not provide reliable quantitative
results.
XRF is based on counting photons. More measurement time = more counts = better statistics.
Relative statistical uncertainty ≈ 1 / √N ≈ 1 / √t
For example, increasing the measurement time from 15 to 60 seconds can reduce the statistical
uncertainty by roughly half.
This is why preliminary XRF assays at leading recyclers may use measurement times of 60–120 seconds.
My rule: A short test may be enough for identification. But when you are measuring PGMs at ppm levels
and money depends on the result — give the XRF enough time to count.
And remember: longer measurement time improves counting statistics, but it cannot compensate for
poor grinding, mixing, or an unrepresentative sample.
