Claims
- 1. A blasting composition consisting essentially of a combination of:
- (a) 40 to 60% by weight, based on the total composition, of a water-in-oil emulsion comprising powerful oxidizer salt in aqueous solution, said solution being dispersed in an outer continuous oil phase and including a gas-trapping density-reducing material to sensitize the composition and improve its detonability,
- (b) 60 to 40% by weight of a substantially solid particulate oxidizer consisting primarily of ammonium nitrate, and
- (c) the emulsion being blended through and into the solid particulate oxidizer so as to fill substantially completely the voids and interstices in and between the solid particles so as to substantially exclude water.
- 2. Composition according to claim 1 in which the oxidizers in the emulsion are selected from the group which consists of the ammonium, alkali metal and alkaline earth metal nitrates, chlorates and perchlorates.
- 3. A composition according to claim 1 in which the emulsion constituent per se is essentially oxygen balanced with a fuel oil and in which the particulate oxidizer material consists of ammonium nitrate substantially oxygen balanced with fuel oil.
- 4. A composition according to claim 1 in which the solid particulate material consists of ammonium nitrate and the emulsion component contains sufficient oil to oxygen balance the ammonium nitrate of the solid particulate component.
- 5. A composition according to claim 1 in which the emulsion component includes calcium nitrate and ammonium nitrate.
- 6. Composition according to claim 5 in which the emulsion component includes sodium nitrate.
- 7. A composition according to claim 1 in which the emulsion component includes an aqueous solution of ammonium nitrate and calcium nitrate and also includes a water soluble liquid fuel selected from the group which consists of the water soluble alcohols, glycols and formamide.
- 8. A composition according to claim 1 in which the oil includes an oleaginous material which is substantially solid at normal temperatures.
- 9. A composition according to claim 1 in which the fuel is one selected from one or more of the group consisting of hydrocarbon fuel oils aromatic hydrocarbons, kerosene, naptha, paraffin wax, vegetable oil, fish oil, reclaimed motor oil and oily derivatives of olefins which can be melted to liquid in preparing the emulsion.
- 10. A composition according to claim 9 in which a liquid oil is included both in the emulsion and in the solids component.
- 11. A composition according to claim 1 in which the water-in-oil emulsion contains about 0.02 to 0.3%, based on the weight of the total composition, of an emulsifier selected from the group which consists of sorbitan monooleate, sorbitan monostearate, sorbitan monopalmitate, sorbitan monolaurate, stearic acid, and long chain derivatives of metal which have emulsion forming solubility in water.
- 12. A composition according to claim 1 in which the substantially solid oxidizer includes up to 10% of liquid hydrocarbon fuel and otherwisecomprises 20 to 60% by weight of ammonium nitrate, up to 35% of sodium nitrate, up to 35% of calcium nitrate, and up to 35% of potassium nitrate.
- 13. A composition according to claim 1 having an overall oxygen balance between minus 12 and plus 4%.
- 14. An explosive composition according to claim 1 in which the slurry contains particulate fuel as well as an aqueous solution of nitrates of ammonium, calcium and an alkali metal, in which the solid particulate oxidizer consists essentially of ammonium nitrate treated with fuel oil to improve oxygen balance.
- 15. An explosive composition which comprises, in combination:
- (a) an essentially solid nitrate oxidizer component in proportions of at least 40% by weight of the total,
- (b) Up to 10% by weight of oily fuel mixed with the solid oxidizer component,
- (c) a solid particulate fuel,
- (d) 40 to 60% by weight of a dense water-in-oil emulsion blended into the solid oxidizer to substantially fill all voids and intersticies therein and therebetween, and
- (e) finely dispersed hollow gas filled particles dispersed throughout the emulsion in sufficient quantity to reduce overall density and to add sensitivity to detonation.
- 16. A composition according to claim 15 in which the oxidizer consists of ammonium nitrate and at least one other nitrate to enhance water solubility.
- 17. An explosive composition according to claim 15 in which the emulsion slurry contains a water soluble fuel.
- 18. The method of blasting in situations where the borehole contains water in the lower portion thereof, which consists in filling the borehole up to the top of the water therein with a composition having particulate solid nitrate oxidizer filled in the interstices with water-in-oil emulsion slurry to protect said oxidizer from the water and filling the upper portion of the borehole with essentially dry ammonium nitrate-fuel oil or enriched ammonium nitrate-fuel oil, the bottom composition having greater density than water and higher bulk blasting power than ANFO and the composition, towards the top, being less costly than the bottom composition.
Parent Case Info
The present application is a continuation in part of earlier application, Ser. No. 834,772, filed Sept. 19, 1977 by the present inventor, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,111,727, issued Sept. 5, 1978.
US Referenced Citations (2)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
834772 |
Sep 1977 |
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