Phlegmatisation of an explosive in an aqueous suspension

A method for phlegmatising an explosive in an aqueous suspension containing a dispersion solution and a dispersion decomposer, method comprising:

• a) preparing an aqueous suspension comprising 75-80 wt % of water and 20-25 wt % of an explosive,
• b) preparing a dispersion solution comprising 40-80 wt % of water, 20-50 wt % of a phlegmatising agent, 0-10 wt % of a dispersing agent, 2-4 wt % of inorganic hydroxides, and 0-1 wt % of stabilisers and preservatives,
• c) preparing a dispersion decomposer comprising 0-10 wt % of water and 90-100 wt % of a dispersion-decomposing agent,
• d) adding dispersion solution to the aqueous suspension of step (a) at a mixing ratio of 4-5 parts by weight of the dispersion solution to 400-500 parts by weight of the aqueous suspension,
• e) heating the aqueous suspension to approx. 30° C.,
• f) depositing the phlegmatising agent on a surface of the explosive utilizing opposite electric charges of the phlegmatising agent and the explosive as a result of adding the dispersion decomposer to the aqueous suspension at a mixing ratio of 0.5-1 part by weight of the dispersion decomposer to 404-405 parts by weight of the aqueous suspension,
• g) heating the aqueous suspension to 30-45° C.,
• h) cooling the aqueous suspension to 15-25° C.,
• i) separating the phlegmatised explosive from the aqueous suspension by filtration,
• j) washing the phlegmatised explosive by rinsing with water, and
• k) drying the phlegmatised explosive.