PURE EXPLOSION

Anti-crisis eco-explosive technology by URALCHEM.

During the crisis, optimization and economy are more important than. In the mineral fertilizer production process, URALCHEM employees isolated a solution that may be used to produce the newest and purest explosive.
Russian scientists have been seeking this technology for 30 years. Liquid ammonium nitrate based explosive will considerably save expenses for mining enterprises and will preserve the nature.

Symbol of grief

Black or red smoke left by an explosion arranged by a mining enterprise is, on the one hand, a positive sign that the mining industry is alive. On the other hand, this means the nature is dying. Trotyl explosions cause immense pollution for the environment. Some time before nobody cared as there was no choice, and to pull out raw materials from the ground for the benefit of people was a feat in labour.

Where trotyl explosions are still used to pull out the rock, they leave large areas of scorched earth. Such areas are typical of coal deposits in Kemerovo Region. The climate on the Cola Peninsula has always been unfavourable for animal farming, but, due to the latest explosions, milk yield there has seen a dramatic decrease.

Such inherent epithets of the past industrial progress as socialist competition, innovations and best workers are now out of use. Today’s economy is based on real benefit rather than state plan. Benefit is sought at every stage. Even explosion turned out to bring great benefit and have a positive effect on environment. One just needs to be able to make use of it.

In the 1970s, foreign scientists already thought of the effectiveness of rock explosions. Two companies – one in Sweden and one in America – about the same time created a trotly free waterproof explosive based on the so-called reverse emulsion technology. As is known, explosion is an oxidant-deoxidant reaction. The invented method includes blending of oxidant and deoxidant, which, however, do not react with each other. Initiation occurs in the well.

Ammonium nitrate acts as an oxidant, and diesel fuel, or oil acts as a deoxidant. They produce a liquid material that specialists call emulsion. An oil drop is blended with a drop of ammonium nitrate solution, in fact, dissolution process takes place аt micron levels.

Here’s the benefit

As the key components – ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel - are relatively cheap, EE (emulsion explosives) have started to invade the market and force out other dangerous and harmful materials. Oil has made the solution waterproof and made ammonium nitrate based explosives even more popular  for use in drowned wells that account for some 50% in Russia. Ammonium nitrate solution penetrates into cracks and hollows and crumbs rock better when exploded.

Explosive characteristics of EE are comparable to trotyl, but EE are much safer and better for the environment. According to the ability to crush and break up contacting surface due to the wave effect, this explosive based on ammonium nitrate fusion is a pioneering industrial explosive. It also has the best destructing capacity – ability to through surrounding materials out of the explosion area. The latter depends on the amount of gases that the explosion generates: the more gazes it produces, the better work it does.

Elaborate testing programs have proved the emulsion explosives to be very safe to produce, transport, store and use, and, thus, allow to save at every stage from production to explosion. Last, but not least – application of ammonium nitrate fusion has an insignificant impact on the environment as the material does not emit noxious gazes.

The greatest things are all easy

In 1980s soviet science and production associations in Dzerzhinsk and Krasnoarmeysk launched similar developments. Until recent time the technology was far from being perfect, mainly due to the low quality of equipment and basic material.

At Azot in Berezniki in the mineral fertilizer processing chain URALCHEM found ammonium nitrate fusion - the mineral required to create emulsion explosive. A long established method was applied to take the fusion through a pipe to the granulating tower, where it is transformed into mineral fertilizer and is than brought to fields. So, for many years in Russia we have been manufacturing a product that has also been sought and developed by the largest science and production associations. Nobody just realized that this product already existed.

Last year URALCHEM specialists found a way to wedge in the mineral fertilizer production process at Azot in Berezniki. They attached another pipe to the one that took the high quality ammonium nitrate solution to the granulating tower to be transformed into fertilizer and started to take off the high quality blend to produce the newest liquid explosive in the world industry. At Azot they were also able to apply high technology to adjust solution concentration and oxygen balance at customers’ request.

The only problem was to comply with the required temperature. Ammonium nitrate fusion has a crystallization point: the solution crystallizes at a temperature below 70 degrees Celsius. In order to resolve this problem, Azot built a reservoir that resembles a big thermos. In this reservoir the fusion maintains the same original temperature - 130 to 140 degrees.

Special equipment is used to transport the explosive to the site, although in practice transportation of ammonium nitrate solution has zero danger level. Key requirement is to maintain the necessary temperature. Thus, a railway cistern is usually covered with a heating jacket. Today, only URALCHEM has such a cistern that holds up to 60 tonnes. The company also purchased 3 containers of 25 tonnes each also covered with heating jackets. These are transported on the Company’s own pick-ups. Just prior to explosion ammonium nitrate fusion is blended with a de-oxidant (oil or diesel fuel) in the right quantities is than poured inside a well.

Today, demand for URALCHEM’s high-quality ammonium nitrate fusion is much higher than the Company’s productive capacity. It is natural that mining companies want to safe, especially in crisis. It’s easy to calculate: a tonne of pure trotyl net of VAT and delivery costs – 40 to 45 thousand roubles, emulsion explosive – some 20 thousand roubles. Different explosions require 2 to 2000 tonnes. Ammonium nitrate fusion reduces costs several times and makes the work easy and safe. One may start extracting the rock sooner, as after ammonium nitrate based EE explosion no continued or assisted ventilation is required.

Mining companies that effect trotyl explosions also spend a lot of money on environment paying compensations and penalties. URALCHEM’s latest product reduces miner’s costs and – what’s also important – safes the environment.