An X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique is employed to determine the presence or absence of crystalline phases in glass batch and to determine its homogeneity qualitatively and quantitatively.

Sample preparation problems are discussed, and promising techniques for sample preparation are presented. Qualitative batch homogeneity determination is accomplished by comparing the integrated intensity of a particular reflection of the reference sample to that of the unknown sample. Quantitative batch determination is accomplished by using the internal standard method. Three replicated data sets indicate that the standard deviation of kaolinite and colemanite are higher than those of quartz and calcite. However, the overall data from the quantitative analyses lie within an acceptable range of precision and accuracy.