Dr Erick Ramanaidou standing next to the HyChips™ machine, HyChips™ can be mobilised to a field location.

HyChips™: voluminous spectral mineralogy of drill chips for explorers and miners

HyChips™ is a robotic spectrometer system for the rapid non-destructive determination of selected mineralogy derived from high quality reflectance spectra of drill chips and blast-hole samples in their original trays.

• 7 February 2007 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Pre-commerical services
• HyChips™ service providers
• Recent users
• Applications
• Benefits
• The HyChips™ System
• Data analysis  
• Research opportunities 
• Enquiries

Pre-commercial services

CSIRO is pleased to announce pre-commercial access to its HyChips™ mineralogical sampling systems as part of a structured market testing and product development strategy.

Determining mineralogy and mineral chemistry is of fundamental importance in exploration, mining and mineral processing.

CSIRO’s HyChips™ systems were developed to allow geologists to use the results of large-scale drill or bench sampling programs to rapidly and objectively determine the mineralogy of:

• host rocks
• alteration systems
• ore systems and ore feeds
• regolith profiles
• soils. 

HyChips™ service providers

Routine operational sample measurement and/or spectral interpretation services using HyChips™ instruments are available from the following authorised providers who are collaborating with CSIRO during this current market testing phase:

• Ausspec International Pty Ltd
• Cooperative Research Centre for Landscape Environments and Mineral Exploration (WA) (CRC LEME)
• Mineral Mapping Pty Ltd.

As at February 2007 measurement facilities were available in Western Australia and in the eastern states of Australia.

Integrated teams and networks for measurement and spectral interpretation can be put together to service a variety of client needs. HyChips™ service providers can offer a flexible range of service options:

• samples can be sent to a measurement centre, or for large programs an instrument can be mobilised to the samples
• reporting or results can be delivered in an agreed format or raw spectral measurements (in TSG™-Core format) can be delivered if you wish to do your own interpretation
• training can be provided.
• HyChips™ systems are also potentially available for medium to long-term lease.

Recent users

HyChips™ sampling programs have recently been undertaken by a variety of large and small companies and agencies including:

• Anglo Gold Ashanti
• Barrick Gold Australia
• CRC LEME
• Gold Fields Australia
• Heron Resources
• Newcrest Mining
• Rio Tinto Iron ore
• Xstrata Copper. 

Applications

The HyChips™ system is suitable for:

• iron oxides
• hydroxyl-bearing minerals such as:
  • clays
  • micas
  • sulphates
• carbonates.

HyChips™ is primarily designed for drill and blast-hole chips, but can be configured for analysis of cores. HyChips™ is particularly useful for:

• reconnaissance exploration
• regional bottom of hole sampling programs to determine alteration trends and assist lithological interpretation
• regolith stratification
• mine-scale operations including grade control and bench sampling programs.

Benefits

Spectroscopic logging of chips and cores delivers rapid, cost-effective mineralogic information derived from sub-surface, buried geology.

Three chip trays (60 samples) can be sampled in about four minutes. As many as 3 000 samples per day were measured in a recent client project. 

At this rate, sample measurement costs can be less than A$0.50 cents per sample, excluding:

• labour
• system mobilisation
• data interpretation. 

For large sustained programs, up to 2 000-2 500 samples per day are possible. HyChips™ service providers can also accommodate small programs.

The collection of sample location and depth information during the measurement process, or by adding this subsequently, allows maps and sections to be compiled showing the relative two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) distribution of different mineral phases or their chemistry. This frequently brings to light alteration patterns and trends not previously evident.

The HyChips™ system

HyChips™ is a part of CSIRO’s range of HyLogging™ tools.

HyLogging™ tools are based on reflectance spectroscopy which determines diagnostic spectral features caused by molecular vibrations indicative of the chemical bonds in selected crystalline minerals.

HyChips™ systems are modular and a basic system typically comprises:

• integrated visible, near and shortwave infrared spectrometers covering the 400 to 2 500 nanometre spectral range (that is 0.4 to 2.5 micrometres)
• a robotic x/y table for moving samples in their original containers beneath the spectrometers
• a digital camera capable of ~ 0.2 mm resolution
• a laser profilometer for determining sample height or core breaks
• control software.

Further details on the HyChips™ systems, including sampling rates and strategies are available in the documents accessed by the links shown on the right-hand side of this page.

Data analysis

The output of HyChips™ instruments can be imported directly into the industry standard TSG™-Core software package which is used to carry out mineralogical interpretation and presentation.

The HyChips™ files contain:

• the reflectance spectra
• location information about sample numbers, trays, tray locations, and sample depths
• digital imagery and laser sample height information.

Once imported into the TSG™-Core dataset this information is immediately available for interactive interrogation, map and section creation.

Research opportunities

CSIRO is home to many scientists expert in commodity-focussed research directed at developing exploration models and metallurgical characterisation utilising HyLogging™ and HyChips™ concepts and practices. 

We welcome enquiries regarding research projects that go beyond conventional commercial services and embrace the integration of a wide range of geological or mineral processing and commodity specific skills.

Enquiries

• For development and research enquiries please contact: jon.huntington@csiro.au.
• For engineering queries please contact: lew.whitbourn@csiro.au
• For leasing enquiries please contact: jon.huntington@csiro.au, or the service providers indicated to the right.

Find out more about our work with the HyChips™ system overview factsheet.