Explosives water gel

Slurry explosives, also known as water-gel explosives or dense blasting agents, resulted from the work of M. A. Cook and others in North America and have now found world-wide application particularly for large scale operations. Whilst slurries are made in many forms to suit almost all types of use, they may be divided into two essentially distinct types ... 

In the late 1960 s Hercules water-gel explosives were being used nationwide in bulk operations and packaged products. Slurrex was a Hercules patented method of gasifying water gels to produce improved performance due to increased sensitivity and energy output... 

DuPont s Submarine (Underwater) Blasting and Explosives Used. See Ref 6, pp421—27) DuPont s Trimtex Explosives (Ref 6, p43) DuPont s Water Gel Explosives, such as Tovex Extras and Pourvex Extras (Ref 6, pp68 -71)... 

There are many producers of AN in North America making both AN solution and explosive grade AN prills. The AN solution is used in the manufacture of packaged and bulk emulsion and water gel explosives, and explosive-grade AN prills are used to make ANFO. ANFO, the acronym for a mixture of AN and FO is the single most commonly used chemical explosive. (ANFO is an example of a composite explosive as described in an earlier section, Chemistry of Combustion and Explosions .) These low density AN prills are made by a specialized process, in which internal voids are created making the prills porous and able to absorb the required 5.5-6 percent FO. 

Aluminium, which is used for water gel explosives, behaves as a sensitizer. Fig.3.97 shows the results of experiments with potassium perchlorate — aluminium powder -sulfur and potassium perchlorate - aluminium powder - titanium powder. According to these results it seems that the mixture of potassium perchlorate - aluminium powder is a highly sensitive substance. 

Fig. 3. 135 Crater volume vs length of gap from Iremile(water gel) explosion in sand Gap materials O Air . Glass microspheres...

The consumption of 2 5 millions of pounds in 1958 grew to over 460 and 400 millions of pounds in 1979 and 1980 respectively [10] in the U.S.A. They were originally used in metal mining (iron-ore open-pit operations) on a large scale, and until now metal mining, quarrying and non-metal mining remain the main consumers of water-gel explosives. 

Two excellent reviews have appeared on the earlier history [72, 73] and recent development of slurry (water-gel) explosives [74]. 

Water acts as a coolant and offers a perspective of using water-gel explosives in underground gassy coal mines. 

Oxygen carriers in slurry explosives 548 see water-gel explosives Oxygen difluoride 5 1,574 Oxygcn./Fluorinc sceFlox 570 ( .2 Oxypropylenc)diol. poly(PPG) 604... 

Hazardous Decomp. Prods. Heated to decomp, emits CO, CO2, NOx, ammonia, traces of organic compds. inc. hydrogen cyanide, nitriles, isocyanates, nitrosamines, amines NFPA Health 3, Flammability 4, Reactivity 0 Uses Intermediate in organic synthesis intermediate for water-gel explosives, accelerators, pharmaceuticals, insecticides, N-methylpyrrolidine, methylalkanolamines, surface active agents, fungicides in tanning component of photographic developers and paint removers fuel additive prod, of dyes polymerization inhibitor rocket propellant See also Methylamine... 

In a classic paper, Miron, Watson and Hay ° presented experimental evidence that large amounts of the ammonium salts remain in the explosive residue left from exploded ammonium salt-explosive mixtures used as commercial explosives in a 3.7 meter diameter steel sphere with the inside surface metallized with aluminum. Up to 50% of the ammonium nitrate was recovered from the explosion residues of granular, water-gel, and gelatinous explosives while no oil was recovered. Large percentages of sodium chloride, sodium nitrate, calcium carbonate and even nitrocellulose were recovered from some of the commercial explosives. Up to 96% of the aluminum was recovered in the residue of an aluminum containing water-gel explosive. 

A water-gel explosive called WGE-1 consists of approximately 46 wt% ammonium nitrate, 24 wt% TNT, 15 wt% sodium nitrate, 13.2 wt% water, 1.2 wt% ethylene glycol, and 0.6 wt% thickener) and has a density of 1.5 g/cc. In a 20 cm diameter charge, the detonation speed is 0.481 cm//rsec as described in reference 33. This is well below the BKW ideal detonation speed of 0.73 cm/nsec and C-J pressure of 187 kbar. A BKW calculation, under the assumption that no ammonium nitrate reacts, gives a velocity of 0.495 cm/ijLsec and a pressure of 71 kbar. The aquarium test data could be reproduced for WGE-1 with no ammonium nitrate reacting at the C-J plane and all the ammonium nitrate remaining inert behind the detonation wave. 

Water Gels and Slurries IME defines water gel explosives as [a]n explosive material containing substantial portions of water, oxidizers and fuel, plus a cross-linking agent. " A slurry explosive is defined, in turn, as [a]n explosive material containing substantial portions of a liquid, oxidizers and fuel, plus a thickener. ... 

See Rock Blasting and Explosives Engineering, 75. The accident referenced involved the pumping of a water gel explosive. 

Economics and Marketing Methylamines are diversified in their uses. The patterns of use have changed only slightly in recent years, and the growth rate since the late 1970s has been only about 2 percent/year. About half of the monomethylamine had been used as a sensitizer in water gel explosives, but this use has declined substantially with the advent of less expensive explosives. This loss of demand, however, has been more than compensated for by the demand for its use in iV-methylpyrrolidone (solvent). Dimethyl-... 

The first commercial slurry explosives in 1957 required explosive sensitizers such as particulate TNT or smokeless powder to be detonable but later with proper density control, better thickeners, and finely divided fuels, no self-explosive materials were required. Bulk slurry manufacturing trucks were developed where all of the ingredients were carried in separate compartments on the truck and then mixed on site and pumped directly into the boreholes. Figure 30.6 shows a typical pumping operation. Further formulation refinements in the late 1960s and early 1970s resulted in the development of slurry and water gel explosives for small-diameter, packaged applications where dynamite dominated. These formulations required mild... 

Uses Intermediate in organic synthesis intermediate for water gel explosives, accelerators, dyes, pharmaceuticals, insecticides, N-methylpyrrolidine, methylal-kanolamines, surface active agents, tungicides in tanning in photographic developers in paint removers fuel additive polymerization inhibitor rocket propellant ... 

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