Capabilities

By Bascom Laser Diffraction Sedimentology Laboratory

The lab houses state-of-the-art Beckman Coulter and Malvern laser diffraction equipment for high-resolution particle size analysis, as well as equipment for portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, wet and dry sieving, and petrographic microscopy.

Laser diffraction particle size analysis

Beckman Coulter LS 13 320 XR with Universal Liquids Module
- Particle size range: 10 nm – 3.5 mm
Beckman Coulter LS 13 320 with Universal Liquids Module, Micro Liquid Module, and Dry Powder System
- Particle size range: 17 nm – 2 mm
Malvern Mastersizer 3000E with Hydro EV
- Particle size range: 0.1 µm – 1 mm

Sieve analysis

Hogentogler floor sieve shaker platform (8” sieves)
Gilson tabletop sieve shaker platform (4” sieves)
100+ sieves for use in wet or dry sieving applications
- Particle size range: 63µm – 4.5 mm
- 1 phi, ½ phi, or up to ¼ phi interval protocols
Wet sieving equipment

Portable X-ray fluorescence

Bruker S1 Titan portable XRF analyzer
Bruker Instrument Tools software suite
Desktop (lab) stand and/or field-based analyses

Microscopy

Leica Z16 APO petrographic microscope
- K3C color camera with PC connectivity
- Motorized focus column with digital controls
- LED-based transmitted light source; gooseneck and ring lights
- LAS X analytical software suite
Binocular microscopes
Manual logging and point-counting equipment

Miscellaneous equipment

Vulcan 3-550 muffle furnace (loss-on-ignition)
Terraplus KT-20 magnetic susceptibility & conductivity meter
Ultrasonic bath (sample preparation)
Ovens, balances, refrigeration, etc.