Stable Bubble Sensitized Gel Slurry Explosives

Stability of bubble-sensitized gel slurry explosives

“…In a previous paper (Keirstead and De Kee, 1980), we showed the effect of pH, guar concentration, and surfactant concentration on bubble size distribution in aerated ammonium nitrate gels for a shelf life of up to 30 days.…”

“…As described previously (Keirstead and De Kee, 1980) the pH of the stock solution was adjusted to the required pH, usually pH 4.3 or 6.0, by the addition of solid zinc nitrate. Preparation of the aerated gel has been described elsewhere (Keirstead and De Kee, 1980).…”

“…This paper is a continuation of previous work (Keirstead and De Kee, 1980). In addition, a variety of cartridge sizes and styles are available.…”

“…Air bubbles may be introduced by mechanical stirring in the presence of a suitable surfactant (Keirstead and De Kee, 1980). The rate of aeration depends on the flow behavior of the gelled ammonium nitrate, the concentration of the surfactant, the mixer geometry (Keirstead et al, 1980), and the rate of stirring.…”

“…The rate of aeration depends on the flow behavior of the gelled ammonium nitrate, the concentration of the surfactant, the mixer geometry (Keirstead et al, 1980), and the rate of stirring. The stability of the gel system is also affected by the pH of the prepared gel (Keirstead and De Kee, 1980) as the polysaccharide gelling agent tends to degrade at low pH. The presence of large bubbles (over 100 pm in diameter) will tend to accelerate bubble rise during storage.…”