Hazards Posed by Loose In-Process MTV Crumb and TNT Equivalent

Hazards Posed by Loose In-Process MTV Crumb and TNT Equivalent 

The accumulation of bulk amounts of the MTV composition in production poses a significant hazard. The reaction of loose MTV in a number of different configurations with respect to the amount of composition, type of container and type of ignition has been investigated [44-47]. 

Although both electric match head and single detonator inserted in the bulk composition would yield only a mild explosion, the use of the detonator with a booster yields a severe explosion , that is, according to [44] air blast that ruptured foil gauges. The equivalent mass of TNT per unit mass of MTV is 0.23. 

TNT equivalents were calculated with two established models CONWEP and DDESB Blast Effects Computer V. 5.0. The confinement heavily determines the equivalency. In the paper bag configuration, the TNT equivalent is as low as 

7% TNT (CONWEP) between 6 and 12 m distance, whereas semi-confined MTV in the stainless steel cans yield 20-33% TNT. A peculiarity of MTV detonation is the increasing equivalency with increasing distance, an effect observed with many non-ideal explosive showing high-temperature after-burn reactions. 

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