Analytical capabilities of the Grand-2000 high-resolution spectrometer

Abstract

The analytical characteristics of the new Grand-2000 high-resolution spectrometer with BLPP-4000 photodetectors were evaluated. The device was tested as part of the Grand-Potok complex, which consists of a spectrometer and an electric arc facility and is designed to analyze powder samples continuously brought into the plasma atomizer (free-burning arc in air). The characteristics of the new spectrometer were compared with those of the Grand spectrometer, which is widely employed in analytical laboratories. It is shown that the use of the Grand-2000 spectrometer to determine the concentration of elements in geological and industrial powder samples does not lead to an obvious improvement in the results. The threefold increase in the spectral resolution of the new spectrometer reduces spectral influences from interfering elements, but the relative systematic error both decreases and increases for different samples. This may indicate the influence of unaccounted-for factors, for example, non-optimal spectra processing algorithms for this device. The results obtained suggest good prospects for the use of the Grand-2000 spectrometer to determine the concentration of elements in samples with a complex spectrum, but they also indicate the need for further studies to determine the optimal parameters for processing spectra. In addition, the Grand-2000 spectrometer can be used to supplement and refine the existing database of the wavelengths of spectral lines.