Explosive compositions based on time-stable colloidal dispersions

A water-in-oil microemulsion explosive composition consisting essentially of:

• (1) from 4% to 20% by weight of water;
• (2) from 30% to 85% by weight of dissolved oxygen-supplying salts;
• (3) from 1% to 8% by weight of an insoluble liquid or liquefiable carbonaceous fuel;
• (4) from 0.5% to 1.2% by weight of an emulsifying agent comprising a combination of at least one conventional water-in-oil emulsifier and at least one synthetic polymeric emulsifier selected from amphiphatic graft, block or branch polymeric emulsifiers;
• and
• (5) a sensitizing amount of at least one sensitizing component selected from dispersed gas bubbles, water-soluble explosives, hydrocarbon-soluble explosives, and insoluble particulate explosives.

A process for producing a microemulsion explosive composition comprising the steps of:

• (1) forming an aqueous solution of at least one oxygen-supplying salt and heating said solution to above the temperature of crystallization of the said salts;
• (2) forming a fuel solution of at least one liquid or liquefiable hydrocarbon fuel and an emulsifying agent and heating said solution to a temperature approximately equivalent to the temperature of said oxygen-supplying salt;
• (3) blending said oxygen-supplying salt solution and said fuel/emulsifiers solution to form a water-in-oil microemulsion;
• and
• (4) incorporating into the said microemulsion a predetermined quantity of gas in an amount sufficient to cause a lowering of the density of said composition and thereby regulate its sensitivity.