Technology

PhotonAssay™ uses high-energy X-rays to rapidly measure gold, silver, and copper content in large samples.

Industry Adoption

Used in JORC & NI 43-101 compliant reports
5 million assays performed
Utilized by major mining groups

Traditional Fire Assay

Fully dry sample

Prepare sample (crush/Grind)

Divide into 25-50g aliquots

Prepare fusion samples (mix with flux/litharge)

Fusion: fire sample at 1000-1200 degrees centigrade

Separate lead button from slag

Cupeling: re-fire button to remove lead

Dissolve remaining metal in concentrated acid

Analyze resulting solution via AAS / ICPMS

New PhotonAssay™

Optionally-dry sample


Crush sample to nominal 2mm or pulverize, then load into barcoded jar


Place jar on to automated conveyer for quantitative analysis in less than 3 minutes

PhotonAssay™ vs Fire Assay

	Fire Assay	PhotonAssay™
Time per sample	~3-4 hours	~2-3 minutes
Sample size	10-50 grams	250-650 grams
CO₂ per sample	0.91 kg	0.455 kg
Hazardous waste per sample	0.31 kg	0 kg
Energy use per sample	~1.3 kWh	~0.65 kWh
Automation	No	Yes

Global Fire Assay Market Breakdown by Segment (USD Billion)

Chrysos PhotonAssay™: Real-World Accuracy & Precision

The results below are from a recent implementation study, conducted on a gold deposit with moderate heterogeneity.

	FA 1	FA 2	FA 3	FA 4	FA 5	FA 6	FA 7	FA to Extinction	A single PhotonAssay™	PA vs FA Extinction Difference	FA 1 vs FA Extinction Difference
S 1	1.30	0.79	0.56	0.48	0.54	0.49	0.44	0.66	0.68	3%	65%
S 2	0.40	0.44	1.03	0.36	2.50	0.67	0.50	0.84	0.81	-4%	-72%
S 3	0.35	0.65	1.02	5.34	0.56	0.35	0.62	1.27	1.22	-4%	-114%
S 4	1.68	5.46	1.72	1.66	2.34	1.93	1.46	2.32	2.39	3%	-32%
S 5	6.31	2.95	2.92	3.40	2.50	2.68	3.04	3.40	3.49	3%	60%
S 6	6.78	7.16	4.94	7.21	5.86	6.92	13.35	7.46	7.65	3%	-10%
S 7	20.44	21.22	14.26	15.33	13.10	12.68	12.11	15.59	15.43	-1%	27%
S 8	44.82	36.72	35.14	31.19	35.14	26.36	32.34	34.53	34.80	1%	26%

Compliance

PhotonAssay™ is:

NI 43-101 compliant
JORC compliant
ISO 17025 certified
ISO 9001 certified