Dual-Energy Processing of X-ray Images of Beryl in Muscovite Obtained Using Pulsed X-ray Sources

This paper presents the development of a method for dual-energy processing of X-ray images using pulsed X-ray sources for the contrast detection of beryl in muscovite mica in 2D X-ray and CT images. These substances have similar chemical properties and are difficult to differentiate when one is against the background of the other using methods based on X-ray absorption. In the experiments, we used three pulsed X-ray sources with different maximum voltages. We performed modeling of the emission spectra and selection of the necessary energy bands due to X-ray absorbing filters: a positive effect was shown for dual-energy image processing when the function of converting X-ray radiation into a signal using the VIVIX-V 2323D detector was taken into account. As a result, a pulsed X-ray source with the pulse voltage of 330 kV was chosen for the contrast detection of beryl, with the content of 5–7% against the background of muscovite and the thickness up to 70 mm. Using this source and the developed mathematical algorithms, it is possible to obtain a band of low-energy radiation at the level of 70–80 keV, as well as high-energy radiation in the range of 180 keV. Methods based on the X-ray absorption can become both additional and independent methods for studying and monitoring membranes; these objects range from tens of nanometers to several micrometers in size.