AUTOMATED MACERAL ANALYSIS USING FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY AND IMAGE-ANALYSIS

This paper describes the feasibility of using fluorescence microscopy in conjunction with normal white light microscopy and image analysis i n order to carry out fully automated maceral analysis. A short review of current image systems shows a lack of success in distinguishing the liptinite species from the resin media used to form the coal block. F luorescent lighting is commonly used during manual analysis and in thi s paper fluorescence is shown to provide a means of performing automat ed maceral analysis which includes an accurate determination of the li ptinite content. The work presented indicates that the system can be u sed with a wide range of coals from around the world. A realistic asse ssment of repeatability and reproducibility is also made.