TNAG-0759-FCO40-963-Manufacture-and-storage-of-explosives-in-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 114

Nobel House

Stevenston, Ayrshire

KA20 3LN

Salephone Stevenston (0294) 62140

elex 77370

Telegrams Nobel Stevenston Telex

ICI

Nobel's Explosives Company Limited

}

Mr J M Murphy

Foreign & Commonwealth Office /

Trade Relations & Export Department

Room G 69 B/1

Great George Street

Whitehall

LONDON SW1

MTS.087/5

087/5

RISONED PC. AT NO. 3

6 DEC1977

DJDK OFFICI

PA

INDEX

no

д

Your ref

Our ref

GGR/MMD

Tel ext

7457

Dear Sir

5

Date

30 November 1977

I refer to your telephone call today, in which you asked for information about water-gel explosives. I enclose some pamphlets and descriptive material which I hope will serve your purposes.

As I explained the term water-gel explosives and slurry explosives are synonymous, There are, however, many different types of formulation which come under this general description. Their main application is as commercial blasting explosives, used either in cartridged form or as bulk preparations which can be pumped into blast holes.

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Most slurry formulations, in fact all the commercial varieties, comprise solutions of inorganic nitrates, eg. ammonium nitrate, calcium nitrate, and sodium nitrate, which represent the oxydiser portion of the explosive, and various combustibles and sensitisers. Very minor amounts of gelation control additives, such as natural gums, acidity and density control additives and cross-linking agents are also used.

The sensitisers fall into two broad categories. Firstly, aluminium in a finely divided powder form is a commonly used sensitiser, and is incorporated in the slurry formulations along with other combustibles such as starch, sulphur, etc. The second and alternative type of sensitiser might be a nitrated amine, alcohol or ester, and typical materials used are methylamine nitrate (MAN), isopropyl nitrate (IPN) and ethylene glycol mono-nitrate (EGMN). All these materials are somewhat lower down the ladder in explosive sensitivity terms than, say, nitroglycerine, but in suitable formulations provide adequate sensitivity for normal blasting applications.

ICI and its associated companies in the commercial explosives business make many varieties of slurry or water-gel explosives formulations. Many of these are in-house inventions, and others are made under licence. Perhaps the/

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