Loading patent…
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorsLawrence A. Cescon, Nolan J. Millet, Jr.
Estimating the term…
Explosives that are sensitized blends of a water-in-oil emulsion and inorganic nitrate, e.g., AN, particles, such as AN or ANFO prills, have improved stability when their structure hinders the loss of water from the aqueous emulsion phase and transportation of such water across the oil phase to the nitrate particles. Use of an anionic emulsifying agent comprising a fatty acid salt, e.g., as formed in situ during the formation of the emulsion, is the preferred way of forming such a blend-stabilizing structure. Emulsion/nitrate blends stabilized in this manner make satisfactory storage-stable packaged products. Emulsion/nitrate blends made with a new low-viscosity emulsion containing essentially all of the oil required to oxygen-balance the blend and a proportionately larger amount of anionic emulsifying agent to stabilize the emulsion structure constitute preferred bulk products owing to their greater adaptability to pumping. Pumping the stabilized blends through an annular stream of aqueous lubricating liquid is advantageous.
In a method of preparing an explosive composition by combining inorganic nitrate particles with a water-in-oil emulsion comprising (a) a liquid carbonaceous fuel having components which form a continuous emulsion phase, (b) an aqueous solution of an inorganic oxidizing salt forming a discontinuous emulsion phase dispersed at discrete droplets within said continuous phase, and (c) an emulsifying agent to form a blend of said particles and said emulsion containing a sensitizing amount of dispersed gas bubbles or voids, the improvement comprising forming said inorganic nitrate particles and the components of said emulsion into a structure that minimizes the loss of water from said droplets and transportation thereof across said continuous oil phase to said nitrate particles.
In a method of preparing an explosive composition by combining inorganic nitrate particles with a water-in-oil emulsion comprising (a) a liquid carbonaceous fuel having components which form a continuous emulsion phase, (b) an aqueous solution of an inorganic oxidizing salt forming a discontinuous emulsion phase dispersed as discrete droplets within said continuous phase, and (c) an emulsifying agent to form a blend of said particles and said emulsion containing a sensitizing amount of dispersed gas bubbles or voids, the improvement comprising combining inorganic nitrate prills with an emulsion which contains liquid carbonaceous fuel in an amount sufficient to essentially oxygen-balance said prills and said inorganic oxidizing salt present in said aqueous solution, said emulsion containing, in its emulsifying system, a salt of a fatty acid, as well as the free fatty acid in solution in an oil, said oil solution forming said continuous emulsion phase, and said fatty acid, said fatty acid salt, and said oil together forming said liquid carbonaceous fuel.
A water-in-oil emulsion adapted to be blended with inorganic nitrate prills to form an explosive, said emulsion comprising
An essentially oxygen-balanced water-in-oil emulsion adapted to be blended with inorganic nitrate prills and oil to form an explosive, said emulsion comprising
An aged, storage-stable explosive product comprising, in a package, a blend of particles of ammonium nitrate (AN) and an emulsion comprising (a) a liquid carbonaceous fuel including an oil solution of a fatty acid, said solution forming a continuous emulsion phase, (b) an aqueous solution of an inorganic oxidizing salt forming a discontinuous emulsion phase dispersed as discrete droplets within the continuous phase, and (c) an emulsifying system including an emulsifying agent comprising (1) an alkali metal, ammonium, or alkylammonium salt of a fatty acid containing about from 12 to 22 carbon atoms, as well as (2) the free fatty acid, said fatty acid, said fatty acid salt, and said oil together forming said liquid carbonaceous fuel, and said blend containing dispersed gas bubbles or voids comprising at least about 5 percent of its volume, said emulsion, when aged at 25.degree. C. for 2 days, losing no more than about 4 percent of its original weight when subjected to the following Water Diffusion Test:
An explosive product comprising a blend of inorganic nitrate prills and an emulsion comprising (a) a liquid carbonaceous fuel having components which form a continuous emulsion phase, (b) an aqueous solution of an inorganic oxidizing salt forming a discontinuous emulsion phase dispersed as discrete droplets within the continuous phase, and (c) an emulsifying system including an emulsifying agent comprising a salt of a fatty acid, as well as the free fatty acid in solution in an oil, said oil solution forming said continuous emulsion phase, and said fatty acid, said fatty acid salt, and said oil together forming said liquid carbonaceous fuel, said blend containing a sensitizing amount of dispersed gas essentially provided by said prills.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.