Abstract:
Material to be presented to a beam of electro-magnetic radiation to determine a characteristic of the material, for example, the ash content of the material is conveyed as a bed along a flat conveying deck. The initial boundaries of the bed of material are determined by an inverted trough shaped guide of uniform cross-sectional area. The material is then compacted by an extension of the inverted trough shaped guide, the extension being of tapering cross-sectional area.