Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics 24, 27Ä…29 (1999) 27
Research and Development of Powder Industrial Explosives in China
Chunxu Lu
China Institute of Industrial Explosive Materials, Nanjing 210094 (P. R. China)
È Â Â
Forschung und Entwicklung von pulverformigen Industrie- Recherche et developpement d'explosifs industriels pulverulents
   Â
sprengstoffen La present etude decrit l'etat de l'art des explosifs industriels pul-
È Â
In dieser Arbeit wird der Stand pulverformiger Industriesprengstoffe verulents en Chine. Sur la base de travaux de recherches scienti®ques
in China beschrieben. Basierend auf wissenschaftlichen For- de l'institut de Chine Industrial Explosive Materials (China IIEM), on
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schungsarbeiten des ChinaÄ…Instituts Industrial Explosive Materials a discute en detail des explosifs nitrate d'ammonium, en particulier des
Á
(China IIEM) werden Ammoniumnitrat-Sprengstoffe, besonders Geste explosifs rocheux a nitrate d'ammonium volumineux (expanded), sans
È Â Â Â Â
inssprengstoffe mit voluminosem (expanded) Ammoniumnitrat, ohne ou avec faible quantite de TNT et presente sous differents aspects le
und mit geringen Mengen an TNT ausfuhrlich diskutiert und unter developpment des explosifs industriels pulverulents en Chine.
È Â Â
verschiedenen Gesichtspunkten die weitere Entwicklung der pulver-
È
formigen Industriesprengstoffe in China dargestellt.
Summary 2.1 Ammonite: Ammonium Nitrate (AN) Explosives with
TNT
In this paper, status of powder industrial explosives in China is
described. On the basis of scienti®c research of China Institute of
Ammonite is one of the earliest industrial explosives
Industrial Explosive Materials (China IIEM) non-TNT or oligo-TNT
widely used in China, with the output of 22 000 tons in
Ammonium Nitrate explosive, especially rock expanded Ammonium
Nitrate explosive, is emphatically discussed and several points of view 1953, 335 000 tons in 1959, 570 000 tons in 1978, 800 000
about further development of powder industrial explosives in our
tons in 1990 and 890 000 tons in 1996.
country are stated.
Ammonite has been the main industrial explosive in our
country. It possesses good properties in explosion, initiation
and stability. It can be classi®ed into rock explosives,
explosives for open-pit operation, permissible explosives.
1. Introduction
Main varieties of ammonite include No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3
rock ammonite, No. 4 water-resisting rock ammonite, No. 1,
Powder industrial explosive is present main industrial
No. 2, and No. 3 permitted explosives, safe sheathed
explosive in China. About several kinds of industrial
explosives and ion exchange type safety explosives. Among
explosives are now manufactured in our country and annual
them, No. 2 rock ammonite is the widest applicated kind of
output amounts to 1.1 million tons. A complete scienti®c
industrial explosives in China.
and technical research system has been established. Variety,
technology, theory and application of powder industrial
explosives in China have quickly been developed recently.
New products, new techniques, new technology and new
2.2 Oligo-TNT or Non-TNT Ammonium Nitrate Explosive
equipment are unceasingly emerging. But, with the dee-
pening of economic reform and open-door policy, system-
Ammonium nitrate explosives with TNT possess
atization of structure variety, uniformity of product
remarkable disadvantages so that TNT seriously affects the
properties, especially level of production technology and
health of human body. With the aid of disperse and sur-
controlment of production process show the state of back-
factants techniques, oligo-TNT or non-TNT AN explosives
ward. We must make still great efforts to raise the whole
have been invented by Changsha Research Institute of
level of our country powder industrial explosives.
Mining and Metallurgy (Changsha RIMM) and China IIEM
in 1989(6Ä…8). Tables 1 and 2 show composition and main
properties of oligo-TNT AN explosives.
Non-TNT AN explosive, invented by China IIEM, is
2. Research of Powder Industrial Explosives in China known as expanded ammonium nitrate explosive. It is a new
type of non-TNT explosive.
The manufacture of powder industrial explosives has Expanded ammonium nitrate is prepared through vacuum
begun since 1949 in China. The output of powder industrial crystallization technology with the aid of surfactants from
explosives has been increased by a factor 50 over the 40 common AN. It is light, porous and bulky. It possesses very
years, from 20 000 tons in 1953 to 1.1 million in 1996. large speci®c surface area; speci®c surface area of common
The main powder industrial explosives in our country are AN and expanded AN being 471.95 cm2 cm 3 (or 258.76
as follows(1Ä…5): cm2 g 1), 1454.57 cm2 cm 3 (or 3328.54 cm2 g 1), re-
# WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH, D-69451 Weinheim, 1999 0721-3115/99/0306Ä…0027 $17.50‡:50=0
28 Chunxu Lu Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics 24, 27Ä…29 (1999)
Table 1. Composition of Main Oligo-TNT Explosives in China research and application of powder industrial explosives.
The technology has passed technical evaluation by Ministry
Composition No. 2 No. 2 Rock RF HF
and has been adopted by many factories.
(%) Rock New Explosive Explosive
Ammonite Ammonite Chang Sha China IIEM Micro-structure of crystal of expanded AN, surface
RIMM
chemistry of expansion of AN and expansion mechanism
have been deeply studied by IIEM(9Ä…12).
AN 85.0 88.0 88.0 90.5
TNT 11.0 7.0 5.5 2.5 Changsha RIMM has researched oligo-TNT and non-
Wood powder 4.0 3.0 4.4 3.5
TNT ammonium nitrate explosives (RF explosive) through
Complex oil 2.0 2.1 3.5
technology of dispersion and got successful results, the
technology has been certi®cated by Ministry and adopted by
factories, too.
spectively. Therefore, the speci®c surface area is increased
by a factor of 4 after vacuum crystallization. There are
many micro-holes in the particles of expanded AN. So its 2.3 Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil Mixture (ANFO)
apparent density is very low. When it is mixed with wood
powder and fuel oil, contact areas of components will ANFO is one of the industrial explosives used in China
increase obviously. early, with the output of 20 000 tons in 1965, 300 000 tons
The composition and main properties of non-TNT in 1972, 200 000 tons in 1990 and 190 000 tons in 1996.
expanded AN explosive are shown in Tables 3 and 4. Main varieties of ANFO are No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3
Such expanded AN explosive, which can get rid of TNT, ANFO and porous particle ANFO explosive.
is still of suitable sensitivity to initiation, violent explosion Other varieties of ANFO are AN-rosin-wax explosive
properties, well thermal stability. Technology of expanded and AN-asphalt-wax explosives which are manufactured
AN possesses creativeness and brings up new way for and used locally.
Table 2. Properties of Main OligoÄ…TNT Explosives in China
Properties No. 2 Rock No. 2 Rock RF Explosive HF Explosive
Ammonite New Ammonite Chang Sha China IIEM
RIMM
r(g cm 1) 0.95 1.10 0.95 1.05 0.95 1.10 0.95 1.10
HLe(mm) 12 12 14 13
VD(m s 1) 3200 3000 3200 3200 3300
SD(cm) 5 3 6 5
Vs(ml) 320 320 350 320
Table 3. Composition and Properties of Expanded AN Explosive
Composition Main properties
AN Wood powder Complex oil r(g cm 3) HLe(mm) VD(m s 1) SD(cm) Vs(ml)
92.0 4.0 4.0 0.85 0.95 12 3200 4 320
Table 4. The Crude Material Cost Comparison of Three Kinds of Powder Explosives (on the basis of prices in 1995)
Crude Unit price Expanded AN No. 2 rock No. 2 rock
material explosive Ammonite New Ammonite
(Yuan)
Amount Cost Amount Cost Amount Cost
(kg t 1) (Yuan) (kg t 1) (Yuan) (kg t 1) (Yuan)
AN 2000 920 1840 850 1700 875 1950
TNT 8000 110 880 70 560
Wood powder 300 40 12 40 12 40 12
Oil 3000 40 120 15 45
Additive 15000 1 15
Expanded agent 28800 1.2 35
Total (Yuan t 1) 2007 2592 2382
Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics 24, 27Ä…29 (1999) Research and Development Powder Industrial Explosives in China 29
Table 5. Main Properties of Powder Emulsion Explosive
Density Moisture Transmission Detonation Brisance Strength Store
(g cm 3) (%) (cm) velocity (mm) (ml) lifetime
(m s 1) (month)
1.85 1.05 5% > 5 > 3400 > 13 > 320 > 6
2.4 Powder Emulsion Explosive (3) Basic theory of powder industrial explosive will be
researched, to enhance the whole level of powder
Powder emulsion explosive is a new type of emulsion industrial explosive.
explosive in China. It is a breakthrough of traditional ideas (4) Automation and consecutiveness of manufacture of
of emulsion explosive. Appearance of ®nal product is not powder industrial explosives will be researched, to
emulsion and similar to powder explosive. But the char- facilitate technical level of our country up into inter-
acteristics of close and full contact between oxidizer and national advance standards.
combustible material in system of emulsion explosives is
not changed, and its physical and explosive properties are
obviously improved. The concrete properties parameters are
4. References
shown in Table 5.
Formula, technology and properties of powder emulsion
(1) Chunxu Lu, Zuliang Liu, and Ouqi Ni, ``Industrial Explosives'',
explosive were thoroughly researched by China IIEM and
Beijing Ordnance Industries Press, 1994.
(2) Shuyan Jiao, ``Forecast of Industrial Explosives in China in
Beijing RIMM. Valuable achievements are obtained. They
2000'', Explosive Materials, (3) 30 (1986).
regard formulas containing 3 5% water in powder emul-
(3) Yunyang Wei, ``History and Forecast of Industrial Explosives'',
sion explosive to be the best, select polymolecular emulsi-
Explosive Materials, (2) 34 (1990).
®er to enhance ability of emulsion in high temperature, and
(4) Guoshun Zhang, ``Development and Forecast of Industrial
Explosives'', Proceedings of Symposium on China Industrial
adopt technology of ``spraying'' and ``air current'' for
Explosive Material Association, Nanjing, 1988.
forming to powder.
(5) Xiouxia Fang, ``Production Situation and Analysis of Industrial
Explosive Materials in 1994'', Explosive Materials (3) 36 (1995).
(6) Junming Hui, Zuliang Liu, and Chunxu Lu, Powder Ammonium
Nitrate Explosive and its Manufacture, Chinese Patent,
911070516, 1991.
(7) Youqiu Hong, Summary of Development of Modern Industrial
3. Development of Powder Industrial Explosives
Explosives'', Explosion and Shock (4) 75 (1982).
in China
(8) Youqiu Hong and Youxin Huang, ``Manufacture and Technology
of Novel Type of Powder Ammonium Nitrate Explosive'', Chinese
Patent 85100399, 1986.
(9) Chunxu Lu, ``Research on Surface Chemistry Characteristics of
(1) Non-TNT powder expanded AN explosive is one of the
Crystallization of AN'', Proceedings of 1995 Symposium on
major development projects of ``95 programme in
Explosive Material, 1995, p. 6.
China'' and one of the spread items of national sig-
(10) Chunxu Lu, ``Research on Surface Chemistry of Expanded AN'',
ni®cant scienti®c and technic achievements by State
Journal of Nanjing University (31) 286 (1995).
(11) Zuliang Liu and Chunxu Lu, ``Research and Application of
Science and Technology Commission. Non-TNT pow-
Expanded Ammonium Nitrate'', Proceedings of the Third ISPE,
der industrial explosive is focal point of development in
China Ordnance Society, Beijing 1995, p. 220.
China.
(12) Chunxu Lu, ``Research on Expanded AN Explosive'', Explosive
(2) New type and series of powder industrial explosive will
Materials, (1) 5 (1996).
be researched, to satisfy requirement of domestic and
abroad market. (Received September 19, 1997; Ms 49=97)