The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 03, 2003
Filed:
Feb. 06, 2001
John Cooper, Ayr, KA7 4DE, GB;
Michael Brues, Kirkland, Quebec, CA;
Noel Hsu, Aurora, CO (US);
Ronald O. Peddie, Warners Bay, New South Wales, 2282, AU;
Other;
Abstract
A process for the production of ammonium nitrate bodies in particulate form wherein an ammonium nitrate/water liquid mixture containing at least 92% and preferably at most 97.5% by weight ammonium nitrate, optionally with a proportion of the ammonium nitrate substituted by alkali- and/or alkaline earth metal nitrate, and a small amount of poly-styrene sulphonate crystal-habit modifier is sprayed as droplets into an atmosphere in which cooling effects crystallization of the ammonium nitrate and which the crystallized particles are dried to remove moisture, wherein the liquid mixture also contains ammonium sulphate, the concentration of poly-styrene sulphonate in the liquid mixture being at least 0.01%, preferably in the range 0.02 to 0.06%, by weight, and the concentration of ammonium sulphate in the liquid mixture being greater than that of the poly-styrene suphonate and at least 0.04%, preferably in the range 0.06 to 0.15%, by weight. Ammonium nitrate bodies, preferably prills, produced by the process may contain less than 0.1% by weight water and be able to absorb not less than 6% of their weight of fuel oil while remaining a pourable particulate material.