The effect of mixers on the formation and stability of aerated ammonium nitrate gels

Stability of bubble-sensitized gel slurry explosives

“…The object of the present work is to determine the effect of bubble size and gel composition on bulk stability. This paper is a continuation of previous work (Keirstead and De Kee, 1980).…”

“…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. Bubble Dynamics 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.…”

Effect of bubble dimensions on shock sensitivity in gelled slurry explosives

“…days to cross-linkingThe same change took place more slowly in the gel matrix(Keirstead and De Kee, 1980), where f ranged from 0.95 to 19.75 as compared with the values of 0.7, 0.1, and 3.1 shown in TableVI. Similar values are shown in TableVIIfor nonlignin dispersants.…”

“…The stirring was done with the Doyon impeller (Keirstead et al, 1980). Stirring was done at a constant speed of 250 rpm, the density of the composition being checked at intervals with an aluminum "grease" pycnometer until the desired density was reached.…”

“…A portion of a cartridge about 0.05 m in length is used for the determination of gel rigidity. The Gelometer (Goring and Young, 1955) and its use are described elsewhere (Keirstead and De Kee, 1980).…”