Ammonium nitrate crystals, ammonium nitrate blasting agent and method of production
AssigneeNexco Inc.
InventorChristopher Preston
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A blasting agent comprised of an ammonium nitrate component and an organic carbonaceous fuel component. The ammonium nitrate component includes ammonium nitrate crystals having a particle size of from about 1 to about 500 microns and further includes one or more crystal habit modifiers.
Claims22
A blasting agent comprised of an ammonium nitrate component and an organic carbonaceous fuel component, said ammonium nitrate component including ammonium nitrate crystals having a particle size of from about 1 to about 500 microns and further including one or more crystal habit modifiers.
A blasting agent comprised of from 75 to 98 percent by weight of an ammonium nitrate component and from 2 to 8 percent by weight of an organic carbonaceous fuel component, said ammonium nitrate component including ammonium nitrate crystals having a particle size of from about 1 to about 500 microns and including one or more crystal habit modifiers at a concentration of from 0.001 to 2 percent by weight of said blasting agent.
A method of producing an ammonium nitrate blasting agent comprising the steps of:
- (i) forming an ammonium nitrate component through mixing an aqueous solution of ammonium nitrate with one or more crystal habit modifiers, said one or more crystal habit modifiers having a concentration of from 0.001 to 2.0 percent by weight of said blasting agent;
- (ii) with said ammonium nitrate component forming ammonium nitrate crystals having a particle size of from about 1 to about 500 microns;
- and,
- (iii) mixing an organic carbonaceous fuel component with said ammonium nitrate crystals, said organic carbonaceous fuel component having a concentration of from about 2 to 8 percent by weight of said blasting agent.
A method of producing ammonium nitrate crystals, the method comprising the steps of:
- (i) combining together one or more crystal habit modifiers with an aqueous solution of ammonium nitrate;
- (ii) with said mixture of said one or more crystal habit modifiers and said ammonium nitrate solution, forming ammonium nitrate crystals having a particle size of from about 1 to about 500 microns through atomization of said mixture of said one or more crystal habit modifiers and said ammonium nitrate solution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.