Explosives ammonium nitrate/fuel oil

Ammonium nitrate (AN NH4NO3) is a white, crystalline material, the crystal structure of which varies with temperature.melting point is 442 K and its heat of fusion is 71.4 kj kg . Though the mass fraction of oxygen of AN is 0.5996, it is highly hygroscopic and absorbs moisture from the atmosphere to form liquid AN acid. This limits its application in propellants and pyrolants. However, AN is widely used as an oxidizer of explosives such as slurry explosives and ANFO (ammonium nitrate fuel oil) explosives. 

Y.N. Tsuchiya, Crystal Habit Modification of Ammonium Nitrate. III. Application to Ammonium Nitrate-Fuel Oil Explosives , KKK 23, 78-83 (1962) (in Engl) CA 58,... 

Cheap ammonium nitrate-fuel oil explosives (p. 482) are also in use in the U.S.S.R. under the name of Igdanit. 

ANFO (Explosives) Ammonium Nitrate-Fuel Oil Explosives... 

ANF, ANFO or AN-FO Ammonium Nitrate—Fuel Oil Explosive (See in the text under Do It Yourself Explosives, p D1528-L)... 

A mixture of ammonium nitrate and light oil forms a low strength explosive which is used as a blasting compound for mines and in industrial engineering. This class of explosives is named ANFO explosives (ammonium nitrate fuel oil explosives). The density of ANFO explosives is 800-900 kg/m3 and the detonation velocity is 2500-3500 m/s. The sensitivity to initial detonation is very low, and the handling of ANFO explosives is thus easier than that of other industrial explosives. 

The ammonium nitrate/fuel oil explosive mixture is made by mixing 94-96% by weight of ammonium nitrate with 4-6% by weight of fuel oil or diesel fuel. In European terminology, fuel oil is often called liquid paraffin. If you should happen to own a book by an author who didn t know what liquid paraffin is, now you have a leg up on that author. 

The oxidant is often the oxygen in air however, it should not be forgotten that other oxidisers such as the gases chlorine or nitrous oxide and even solids such as ammonium nitrate, as used in ammonium nitrate/fuel-oil explosives, can constitute the oxidant element of the fire triangle and thus allow the combustion reaction to occur. 

X. Igdanit. This is an ammonium nitrate, fuel oil explosive that is prepared in situ just before use. Reported compositions vary from an ammonium nitrate composition of 94 to 97 percent. 

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