Ammunition and explosive-charge making – Loading fireworks and bursting charges – Placing – tamping – or priming charge in blast hole
Patent
1997-08-26
2000-06-06
Tudor, Harold J.
Ammunition and explosive-charge making
Loading fireworks and bursting charges
Placing, tamping, or priming charge in blast hole
102313, 299 13, F42B 300
Patent
active
060705116
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to an apparatus and process for loading of water-in-fuel and melt-in-fuel emulsion explosives compositions. The invention is of particular use in loading emulsion explosive compositions of an optimal viscosity for retention in an uphole.
When explosives are used in the civilian blasting operations, rock is fractured by drilling blastholes then filling them with bulk or packaged explosive compositions which are subsequently detonated. Many blasting operations are carried out using water-in-fuel or melt-in-fuel emulsion explosives compositions. Water-in-fuel emulsion explosives compositions comprise a discontinuous phase of droplets of an oxygen supplying component such as an aqueous oxidiser salt solution dispersed in a continuous phase of organic fuels in the presence of one or more emulsifying agents. The oxygen-supplying continuous phase of a melt-in-fuel emulsion explosives composition comprises only a small proportion of water or adventitious water only. The discontinuous phase may be a eutectic composition, that is the melting point of the composition is either at the eutectic or in the region of the eutectic of the component salts of the discontinuous phase. Where used herein the term emulsion explosives composition refers to both water-in-fuel and melt-in-fuel emulsion explosives compositions.
Emulsion explosives compositions were first disclosed by Bluhm in U.S. Pat. No. 3,447,978. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,644, Healy describes an emulsion explosive composition wherein the oxidiser salt is added to the emulsion as a melt to form a melt-in-fuel emulsion explosives composition. They may also include various additives such as sensitising agents or agents to vary density including glass microballoons, plastic microballoons, expanded polystyrene beads or gas bubbles. Particulate oxidiser salts or mixtures of oxidiser salts plus fuel oil are often mixed into emulsion explosives compositions.
Where large quantities of bulk explosive are required they are often manufactured at a plant and transported in trucks to the blast site or alternatively they are manufactured on-site in small scale manufacturing units. These units are often designed to be mobile and some are located on trucks (called mobile manufacturing units or MMU's). The manufacturing units comprise (or are linked to) containers in which precursors of explosives compositions are stored separately until being mixed together in a mixing device of the manufacturing unit.
Following manufacture, explosive compositions must be loaded into blastholes. Some on-site manufacturing units comprise integral systems for delivery of bulk explosive compositions into blastholes. Blasthole loading is carried out by one of three main methods namely pouring, pumping or blow loading, the method used depending on the type of product and the ease of application.
In its simplest form, loading comprises merely tipping a receptacle containing explosives composition such that the composition is poured straight into a blasthole. Sometimes an auger is used to transport the composition from the receptacle to the collar of the blasthole where it drops under gravity down the hole. Conversely, blow loading uses large volumes of compressed gas to blow the explosive composition through a delivery hose into blastholes. Blow loading of explosives compositions has been used since the 1960's and is described in Australian Patent Nos. 441775 (Fox), 466558 (Persson), 469494 (Bizon & Simpson) and 474509 (Hay & Fox).
Possibly the most common method of loading bulk explosives compositions is to pump the compositions using mechanical or pneumatic means through a delivery hose into blastholes. Ideally an explosive composition is of low enough viscosity to be readily pumpable from a storage receptacle into blastholes. The higher the viscosity, the higher the pumping pressure required to move the explosive composition and the greater the strain put on the pump. If the viscosity is too high the pump may not be able to generate sufficient force to move the composition and/or
REFERENCES:
patent: 3361023 (1968-01-01), Collins et al.
patent: 3610088 (1971-10-01), Christensen et al.
patent: 3943820 (1976-03-01), Persson
Palmer Anthony Martin
Thomson Stephen
Orica Explosives Technology Pty Ltd
Tudor Harold J.
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