Detonability of Ammonium Nitrate Mixtures with the Addition of Organic Materials

Abstract

As an oxygen carrier and a strong oxidising agent, ammonium nitrate can create an explosive mixture when mixed with organic material. A typical example is the mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (ANFO), which is the most used explosive for civilian applications. In this work, we studied the detonability and detonation properties of mixtures of ammonium nitrate with recycled rubber and hay. The main goal of this study was to determine the optimal volume ratio of ammonium nitrate and organic materials in terms of achieving the best performance (working capacity). Using small experiments, it was determined that the maximum burst velocity for the ammonium nitrate/hay mixture is achieved at 8% hay by volume, while the maximum burst velocity for the ammonium nitrate/rubber mixture is achieved at 15% rubber by volume. A thermochemical calculation has shown that the maximum detonation heat is achieved at the zero oxygen balance at the volume ratios of 89.2/10.8 for AN/Rubber and 72.85/27.15 for AN/Hay.

Keywords

• ammonium nitrate
• recycled organic additives
• non-ideal explosives
• EXPLO5 thermochemical code