OIL-IN-WATER EMULSION EXPLOSIVE CONTAINING AN ORGANIC FUEL, AN INORGANIC OXIDISER SALT SOLUTION, AN EMULSIFIER AND GAS BUBBLES FORMED FROM A CHEMICAL GASSING AGENT

摘要

The invention comprises an emulsion explosive composition having an organic fuel as a continuous phase; an inorganic oxidizer salt solution or melt as a discontinuous phase; an emulsifier; and gas bubbles formed from a chemical gassing agent that comprises a nitrite salt and an ion selected from the group consisting of calcium ion, strontium ion and mixtures thereof as a gassing enhancer. The invention further comprises a method for chemically gassing an emulsion explosive composition. The method involves adding to a pre-formed emulsion phase a chemical gassing agent that comprises a nitrite salt and calcium or strontium ion and mixing the gassing agent uniformly throughout the emulsion phase to produce finely dispersed, sensitizing gas bubbles.