Canister assembly with protected cap well and booster explosive comprising the same

A canister assembly for a cast booster explosive, the canister assembly comprising:

• a canister body defining a canister interior, and having a canister base,
• a cap well of generally tubular configuration disposed within the canister interior, the cap well having a length, an outside diameter, an active section terminating in a distal closed end, and a proximal open end, the cap well being configured to receive therewithin a detonator comprising a shell, an explosive end section and a firing train section, such detonator to be disposed within the cap well with at least a portion of such explosive end section disposed in the active section of the cap well;
• a protective sleeve surrounding and enclosing a major portion of the length of the cap well, but leaving the active section of the cap well exposed, the protective sleeve having a base end and an opposite terminal end, the terminal end terminating adjacent the active section of the cap well;
• the canister assembly further comprising a sleeve seal mounted on the terminal end of the protective sleeve to seal the annular cap well space at the terminal end of the protective sleeve, and the base end of the protective sleeve is mounted on the canister base to seal the annular cap well space at the base end of the protective sleeve;
• and
• the protective sleeve further having an inside diameter which is greater than the outside diameter of the cap well whereby to define an annular cap well space between the inside diameter of the protective sleeve and the outside diameter of the cap well.