Minimum Burning Pressures of Water-based Emulsion Explosives

Area of Science:

• Explosives Engineering
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Pumping water-based emulsion explosives poses significant safety risks, including fatalities, necessitating improved handling protocols.
• Existing guidelines recommend using minimum burning pressure (MBP) to characterize explosive behavior in pumping systems.
• A validated method for measuring MBP in ammonium nitrate water-based emulsions (AWEs) was lacking despite their widespread use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a testing protocol for measuring the minimum burning pressure (MBP) of ammonium nitrate water-based emulsions (AWEs).
• To provide a reliable method for characterizing AWE behavior under pumping conditions.
• To support the development of safer pumping guidelines and standards for explosives.

Main Methods:

• Description of a validated testing protocol developed by the Canadian Explosives Research Laboratory (CanmetCERL).
• Justification of critical test components based on recent published data.
• Measurement of MBP for a range of AWE products.

Main Results:

• A validated protocol for measuring the minimum burning pressure (MBP) of AWEs has been established.
• MBP values were successfully measured for various AWE products.
• The protocol provides a reliable method for assessing the safety of pumping AWEs.

Conclusions:

• The developed MBP testing protocol is essential for ensuring the safe handling and pumping of AWEs.
• Implementing this test in explosives authorization standards will enhance safety in the Canadian explosives industry.
• This research contributes to mitigating the risks associated with pumping hazardous emulsion explosives.