Ammonium nitrate handling

Safety Considerations. Ammonium nitrate can be considered a safe material if treated and handled properly. Potential hazards include those associated with fire, decomposition accompanied by generation of toxic fumes, and explosion. 

Ammonium Nitrate Plant 7. Prill lower reduce microprill formation and reduce carryover of fines through entrainment. 8. Materials handling where feasible use covers and hoods on conveyors and transition points. Good cleanup practices must be in place to minimize contamination of stormwater mnoff from the plant property. 9. Granulators reduce dust emissions from the disintegration of granules. 

Ammonia synthesis is the second largest chemical process, after the production of sulfuric acid (see also Chapter 1). It accounts for about 1 % of the total human-related energy consumption. Roughly 80 % of the ammonia produced is used for fertilizers (either as liquid ammonia or as more easily handled salts such as ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, etc.) and, as such, ammonia synthesis is indispensable for our society. Other applications of ammonia are nitrogen-containing... 

For civilian aircraft the facility for rapid starting is not important and cartridge operation is not often employed, particularly because it involves storing and handling explosives, even though the hazards of these explosives are those of fire and not of detonation. For military purposes, however, particularly for fighter aircraft which are best scattered on an airfield, a rapid start is of considerable importance. Therefore cartridge operated starters are much used for these aeroplanes. In Britain, development has been essentially with propellants based on ballistite, namely double base propellants of the solventless type, whereas in the United States composite propellants based on ammonium nitrate have proved more popular. 

Uhde-Hibemia A process for making a mixed ammonium nitrate - ammonium sulfate fertilizer (ASN) - which is less liable to explode than ammonium nitrate. Sulfuric acid is added to aqueous ammonium nitrate and ammonia gas passed in. The double salt crystallizes out. Additives are used to improve the handling characteristics of the product. Developed by Hibernia and licensed to Friedrich Uhde. See also Victor. 

TATP can have a wide variety of appearances that are effected by the way the product is washed and allowed to crystallize. In addition, its appearance will be altered by any additives placed in the material. TATP has been mixed with ammonium nitrate, glue, TNT, mineral oil, and numerous other materials by terrorist groups in an attempt to increase either its power or its handling safety. Figure 3.7 shows photos taken by the author of TATP in two different countries. 

Caution. Ammonium nitrate is hazardous in large amounts and can be detonated with shock waves. There have been no problems when using 10 g of material, but it should be handled with care. 

Humidity can affect explosives and propellants both adversely and beneficiently. If the humidity is very high, an explosive can pick up enough moisture to cause it to deteriorate or malfunction. A prime example of this is Ammonium Nitrate which must be stored and handled in special dehumidified areas to prevent caking. The humidity above which a substance deliquesces, or below which it ceases to be hygroscopic is called the critical relative humidity (CRH). 

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