Ireco, Inc.

Other

Lee F McKenzie

Lawrence D Lawrence

The invention relates to a method for stabilizing a detonable mixture of emulsion and AN or ANFO prills and to the resulting compositions. A surfactant is dissolved in a liquid organic fuel prior to adding the fuel to AN prills for forming ANFO prills, or if AN prills are used without added liquid organic fuel, the surfactant is added to the prills. The ANFO prills or AN prills containing a surfactant than are mixed with the emulsion.

Stabilized emulsion explosive and method

Water-in-oil emulsion explosive compositions have improved detonation properties, stability and lower viscosity. Bis (alkanolamine or polyol) amide and/or ester derivatives of bis-carboxylated or anhydride derivatized addition polymers are used as the emulsifier. For example, alkanolamine reacted (2:1 ratio) with polyisobutenyl succinic anhydride is found superior to the corresponding 1:1 derivative.

Emulsion explosives containing a polymeric emulsifier

The present invention relates to an improved explosive composition. More particularly, the invention relates to a water-in-oil emulsion explosive having improved stability and a lower viscosity. The term 'water-in-oil' means a dispersion of droplets of an aqueous solution or water-miscible melt (the discontinuous phase) in an oil or water-immiscible organic substance (the continuous phase). The term 'explosive' means both cap-sensitive explosives and noncap-sensitive explosives commonly referred to as blasting agents. The water-in-oil emulsion explosives of this invention contain a water-immiscible organic fuel as the continuous phase and an emulsified inorganic oxidizer salt solution or melt as the discontinuous phase. (The terms 'solution' or 'melt' hereafter shall be used interchangeably.) These oxidizer and fuel phases react with one another upon initiation by a blasting cap and/or a booster to produce an effective detonation. The explosives contain a polypropene or polybutene derivatized water-in-oil emulsifier and a density reducing agent in the form of expanded organic microspheres having a nonpolar surface and comprising homo-, co- or terpolymers of vinyl monomers (hereafter 'organic microspheres'). This combination of polypropene or polybutene derivatized emulsifier and organic microspheres has been found to be particularly advantageous in the water-in-oil emulsion explosives of the present invention.

Emulsion explosive containing organic microspheres

The invention relates to a water-in-oil emulsion explosive comprising a water-immiscible organic fuel as a continuous phase; an emulsified aqueous inorganic oxidizer salt solution as a discontinuous phase; and a phenolic derivative of polypropene or polybutene as an emulsifier.

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Riverton, UT, United States of America

Lee F McKenzie