Minerva Engineering Unveils Coal Dragon™: Next-Gen Vitrinite Reflectance & Petrographic Imaging

Minerva Engineering, a global leader in UV-visible-NIR microscopy and microspectroscopy, is pleased to announce the launch of Coal Dragon™, the latest-generation Vitrinite Reflectance Measurement System engineered for fast, accurate, and standards-compliant analysis of coal and coke. Coal Dragon™ is purpose-built to determine thermal maturity and grade per ISO 7404-5 and ASTM D2798, providing laboratories with a high-performance, fully digital solution for petrographic evaluation. Coal blends used in power generation and steelmaking require precise control and verification. Coal Dragon™ accelerates this essential process by delivering rapid automated reflectance measurements, high-resolution imaging, and sophisticated point-counting and image-analysis capabilities – all within a single, integrated platform. Designed for both automated and manual operation, Coal Dragon™ enhances throughput while maintaining industry-leading accuracy and repeatability. Powered by a high-resolution camera mounted on a petrographic microscope, Coal Dragon™ quantifies light reflected from vitrinite macerals across hundreds of microscopic points. The resulting dataset is statistically analyzed to determine vitrinite content, thermal maturity, and the energy potential of the coal sample. Tasks that once required extensive manual measurement can now be completed in minutes, dramatically improving laboratory efficiency. Beyond vitrinite reflectance, Coal Dragon™ provides a comprehensive petrographic toolkit. Users can: Perform automated or manual point counting to determine maceral composition Capture full-color, high-resolution reflectance and fluorescence images Integrate seamlessly with MINERVA microspectrometers to acquire reflectance and fluorescence spectra Utilize advanced image-processing routines for enhanced interpretation and documentation This multi-modal analytical capability – spectroscopy, imaging, and point counting – is a hallmark of Minerva Engineering solutions and enables laboratories to consolidate workflows, reduce sample handling, and obtain more robust petrographic insights.